Europe: A decline in smoking among young people, threatened by the rise of new nicotine products

The results of the 2024 edition of the ESPAD (European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs) survey[1], published on May 20, provide a detailed overview of the behaviors of European adolescents aged 15 to 16 toward psychoactive substances and risky behaviors. While some trends are encouraging—including the long-term decline in tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use—others raise concerns, particularly the rapid rise in e-cigarette use, early experimentation, and persistent gender gaps.

Conducted in 37 European countries with 113,882 students, this 8th edition marks 30 years of monitoring risky behaviors in schools. The ESPAD 2024 survey is based on a harmonized protocol, applied simultaneously in participating countries to ensure data comparability. The sample targets students aged 15 to 16. The anonymous questionnaires, administered in schools, collect information on substance use (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, illicit drugs, over-the-counter medications), risky behaviors (gambling, problematic screen use), and, for the first time, mental well-being. Trends are also analyzed over the long term (1995-2024), and the results are broken down by gender, country, and type of product.

A generally positive long-term development

Since the first ESPAD survey in 1995, data show a significant decline in psychoactive substance use among European adolescents. The proportion of students who have smoked cigarettes at least once in their lives has fallen from 68% in 1995 to 32% in 2024, a decrease of 36 points. Smoking in the 30 days preceding the survey has also fallen sharply, from 33% to 18%, as has daily smoking, from 20% to 7.9%. This decline is particularly marked among boys, whose prevalence of using cigarettes at least once in their lives has fallen from 70% to 30% over the period.

The respondents' consumption of alcohol at least once in their lives fell from 88 % in 1995 to 74 % in 2024, with a peak of 91 % in 2003. Consumption over the 30 years preceding the survey also decreased, from 55 % in 1995 to 43 % today. Binge drinking (five or more drinks on a single occasion) fell slightly, from 36 % to 31 %, after a peak of 42 % in 2007. Early drunkenness (before the age of 13) now affects 8 % of students, compared to 13 % in the 2000s.

Lifetime cannabis use, after peaking at 18 % in 2003 and 2011, fell to 12 % in 2024, its lowest level since the surveys began. Use at the time of the survey and in the 30 days preceding it is also declining, from 7.4 % in 2019 to 5 % in 2024, approaching the levels observed in 1995 (4.1 %). The proportion of students reporting high-risk cannabis use is generally limited, around 2 to 6 % depending on the country.

Regarding illicit drugs as a whole, lifetime prevalence peaked at 19 % between 2003 and 2015, before decreasing to 17 % in 2019 and then to 14 % in 2024. Use of illicit drugs other than cannabis remains lower, around 5 % on average.

Tobacco and e-cigarettes: early use and a worrying feminization

Tobacco, however, remains a widely experimented substance among European adolescents, even though underlying trends show a clear decline. In 2024, 32% of 15- to 16-year-old students reported having smoked a cigarette at least once in their lives, compared to 68% in 1995. However, early initiation remains a concern: 15% of students report having started smoking at age 13 or earlier, with levels reaching 24% in Slovakia and 23% in Kosovo. In just over half of the countries, this early initiation is more common among girls – a reversal of the trend compared to previous decades.

Active smoking still affects 18% of students who reported having smoked in the 30 days preceding the survey, with notable disparities between countries: the highest levels are observed in Croatia and Hungary (32% of students), the lowest in Iceland (4.2% of students). The prevalence of daily smoking reaches an average of 7.9% of students, with peaks of 20% of students in Bulgaria and Croatia. This phenomenon is particularly marked among adolescents who started smoking young: 3.6% of students report smoking daily after starting before the age of 14.

E-cigarettes, on the other hand, are showing the opposite trend: they are booming and now affect 44% of students, who report having tried them at least once in their lives. In 13 of the 37 countries in the study, more than half of young people have already vaped. Hungary records a record with 57% lifetime prevalence of use, compared to only 22% in Portugal. On average, 16% of students report first using an e-cigarette before the age of 14—a figure that rises to 33% in Estonia and 31% in Lithuania.

Current use (in the 30 days preceding the survey) of e-cigarettes reached 22 % on average, with higher rates among girls (25 %) than among boys (19 %). In 22 countries, daily use is also higher among adolescent girls, a trend that deserves special attention from a prevention perspective. The highest levels of daily use are recorded in Poland (20 %), followed by Serbia (17 %).

Finally, when considering dual use (tobacco + e-cigarette), the prevalence increases to 47 % for experimentation and to 28 % for use during the month preceding the survey. Daily dual use concerns 14 % of students (15 % among girls, 12 % among boys), with peaks at 25 % in Bulgaria and Hungary. This phenomenon illustrates a shift towards cumulative use behaviors, exposing young people to an increased risk of nicotine addiction.

France: situation better controlled, but vulnerabilities persist

Data from the ESPAD 2024 survey place France among the countries where levels of psychoactive substance use among adolescents aged 15-16 remain generally lower than the European average. This relatively favorable position should not, however, obscure certain weaknesses, particularly with regard to the use of nicotine in all its forms and alcohol consumption.

In France, 20% of students report having smoked at least once in their lives, compared to a European average of 32%. Consumption in the 30 days preceding the survey concerned 10% of respondents (compared to a European average of 18%), and the prevalence of daily smoking is 3% (vs. 7.9% for the European average). The proportion of adolescents having experimented with tobacco before the age of 14 remains significant: around 13%, with differences by gender—girls being more likely to start early in several French regions.

Regarding e-cigarettes, 40% of young French people report having already used them (compared to the European average of 44%), and 18% have used them in the last month. Daily consumption remains low (around 3%), but the gender trends are the same as those observed in other countries: teenage girls are now more likely to vape than their male counterparts.

Alcohol consumption remains high despite notable progress. In France, 70% of students have already drunk alcohol (compared to 74% in Europe), and 40% have consumed it in the 30 days preceding the survey (vs. 43% on average at the European level). Drunkenness during the month is reported by 22% of students, which places France in line with the European average (22% of students).

Binge drinking (at least five drinks on a single occasion) affects 27.1% of French adolescents, compared to 31.1% in Europe. While this practice is slightly down compared to the 2010s, it remains common, particularly in festive or group settings. Girls are gradually joining boys in this type of consumption, a trend that calls for strengthening gender-specific prevention messages.

Cannabis experimentation affects approximately 8.51% of French students, a figure slightly lower than the European average (12.1%). Consumption per month is around 4.1%), with no significant variation compared to the previous survey. High-risk use remains marginal.

For illicit drugs other than cannabis, levels remain low, around 2 %, compared to the European average of 5 %. The use of diverted medications (particularly tranquilizers and painkillers) is also less common in France than elsewhere, although it is increasing slightly.

A dynamic to be preserved in the face of threats from new nicotine products

The results of the ESPAD 2024 survey confirm that the strengthened prevention policies, sustained awareness campaigns, and tobacco control measures implemented over several decades in many European countries have borne fruit. In several states, the ambition of a "tobacco-free generation" has led to comprehensive and coherent strategies that have significantly reduced tobacco use among adolescents.

However, these advances are now being undermined by the emergence and rapid spread of new nicotine products, foremost among them e-cigarettes. Their use is growing rapidly among young people, particularly girls, in a context of highly permissive commercial activity. These devices are being massively promoted on social media, via content aimed at minors, but also at points of sale, sometimes in the immediate vicinity of schools. Their perceived availability is now greater than that of traditional cigarettes.

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE

[1] Key findings of the European School Alcohol and Other Drugs Survey (ESPAD) 2024 project, European Union Drugs Agency, published on 20 May 2025, accessed on 21 May 2025