Copenhagen, 26 February 2026
WHO/Europe has today published 10 new factsheets on tobacco, revealing that the Region – covering 53 countries across Europe and Central Asia – is on course to maintain its status as having the world’s highest tobacco use prevalence by 2030, with particularly concerning trends among women and young people.
The factsheets, drawing on the latest data from the 10th WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, map how countries are implementing key tobacco control policies across the Region. The picture they paint is one of strong foundations but critical gaps – and a rapidly evolving nicotine landscape that existing policies are struggling to keep pace with.
“Tobacco use already causes over 1.1 million deaths from noncommunicable diseases in the European Region each year – and without accelerated action, we will stay the worst-performing region in the world by 2030,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. “We have a responsibility to change course now: to shield young people from nicotine addiction, prevent industry interference in health policy, and enforce the regulations that will prevent a lifetime of avoidable harm.”
Girls now lead global tobacco rates
The European Region is the only WHO region not expected to meet the global target of a 30% reduction in tobacco use among women by 2025. It is currently projected to achieve only a 12% reduction between 2010 and 2025.
The scale of the problem is striking. Over 40% of the world’s adult female smokers – 62 million women – live in the European Region. The Region’s girls aged 13–15 now have the highest tobacco use prevalence among girls globally.
A new generation at risk
Around 4 million adolescents aged 13–15 across the European Region use tobacco products. But the more urgent trend is in e-cigarettes: adolescents in the Region have the highest average e-cigarette use prevalence in the world, at 14.3% among those aged 13–15, with rates almost equal between boys and girls.
“European girls aged 13–15 now have the highest tobacco use rates among their age group anywhere in the world,” continued Dr Kluge. “That is not an accident, it’s the result of deliberate industry strategy targeting young people with flavoured products and sophisticated social media marketing. Countries like Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands are proving it is possible to push back – by regulating novel products, banning flavours and restricting advertising. Every country in this region should be doing the same, to protect future generations.”
Among adults, the Region has the second-highest e-cigarette use prevalence globally, with an estimated 31.4 million users.
“Decades of progress is at risk unless policies keep pace with a rapidly evolving nicotine landscape,” said Kristina Mauer-Stender, Regional Adviser for Tobacco Control at WHO/Europe. “Applying the same strong tobacco control tools to new and emerging products is essential if we want to protect young people and sustain public health gains.”
Where policy is falling short
The factsheets show that while most countries in the Region have strong tobacco monitoring systems and require large health warnings on packaging, implementation is uneven across other measures.
Only 18 (out of 53) countries have comprehensive smoke-free laws covering all public spaces. Just 12 provide national quit lines and cover the cost of cessation services. Comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising and promotion exist in only 13 countries. In 19 countries, cigarettes are more affordable today than they were in 2014.
Regulation of e-cigarettes and other emerging nicotine products remains fragmented across the Region, undermining broader tobacco control efforts.
WHO is calling on Member States to close these gaps, in line with their obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; strengthen enforcement; and extend tobacco control frameworks to cover new and emerging products – before today’s trends become the next generation’s burden.
The 10 MPOWER factsheets are available at the link.