Over the past decade, tobacco smoking trends have declined in most OECD countries, while vaping has increased. Nevertheless, tobacco use continues to pose a significant public health challenge. Tobacco smoking is a leading cause of multiple diseases, including cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. It accounted for an estimated 1.25 million adult deaths in OECD countries in 2022 (IHME, 2025[1]).
Across OECD countries, 14.8% of people aged 15 and over smoked daily in 2023. The proportion of daily smokers was highest in Türkiye, Hungary and Greece, as well as in accession/partner countries Indonesia, Bulgaria and China, where at least one in four people smoked daily (Figure 4.1). In contrast, the lowest rates were observed in Iceland and Costa Rica, where the proportion of daily smokers was 6% or less. Across OECD countries, men are more likely to smoke than women: on average, 18.5% of men smoked daily in 2023 compared to 11.4% of women. Some countries demonstrate large gender disparities – this gap is most pronounced in Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Latvia and Türkiye, as well as in partner countries Indonesia, China and South Africa.
Over the past decade, smoking rates have declined in most OECD countries with available data reflecting an average decrease of a quarter since 2013 (Figure 4.2). The largest declines were observed in Chile, Estonia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, where there was an 8‑9 percentage point (p.p.) fall.
At the same time, adult vaping has increased in most OECD countries. While it may serve as a smoking cessation aid in some jurisdictions, vaping can also represent a lifestyle choice. Between 2016 and 2023, regular vaping rates rose from 3% to 6% on average across OECD countries with available data (Figure 4.3). The largest increases were observed in New Zealand, where 14% of people aged 15 and over reported regular vaping in 2023, and Estonia, where the rate was 12%.
Many efforts have been made globally to reduce smoking rates and prevent smoking initiation. A majority of OECD countries have reached an advanced stage in implementing key tobacco control policies – particularly tobacco taxation and use of health warning labels on packaging. However, in some countries, progress has been more limited in areas such as enforcing bans on advertising, restricting smoking in public places and offering help to quit (WHO, 2025[2]). To strengthen its anti-tobacco policy, Australia introduced the Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Act in 2023, which took effect in 2024. The legislation includes regulation of new features designed to enhance the appeal of tobacco products, such as those that change the taste of cigarettes.
Across OECD countries where electronic cigarettes (e‑cigarettes) are sold legally, a vast majority of countries have implemented full or partial regulatory frameworks. These typically mirror existing tobacco regulations and include minimum age restrictions for sale, bans on indoor use, health warnings on packaging, flavour restrictions, bans on advertising and monitoring of efforts. Most OECD countries have applied an excise tax on e‑cigarettes. Australia has gone further by regulating vapes as a therapeutic good only permitted for sale in pharmacies where clinically appropriate, and banning the importation, manufacture, supply, and commercial possession of disposable single use and non-therapeutic vapes. In addition to regulatory approaches, some countries have adopted complete bans on e‑cigarettes to deter uptake by non-smokers. For example, importation and sales of e‑cigarettes are banned in Brazil and Türkiye (Sóñora et al., 2022[3]). More recently, several countries – including Belgium, France, and the United Kingdom – have introduced bans on disposable e‑cigarettes.
