Iceland: 33% of young adults use nicotine pouches

A recent study by the Nordic Centre for Wellbeing, analyzing data from 2018 to 2024 in the Nordic and Baltic countries, reveals that nearly 33% of young Icelanders from 18 to 24 years old now use nicotine pouches. This is the highest rate among the Nordic countries[1]In 2022, nicotine pouches were included in Iceland's Tobacco and Vaping Act, due to concerns about the prevalence of their use among young people in order to better regulate them.

Nicotine pouches, the leading tobacco and nicotine product among young Icelanders

The study indicates that the use of nicotine pouches appears to be much more widespread in Iceland than in neighboring countries: 30 % in Norway, 26.8 % in Sweden, 15.7 % in Denmark, and only 9 % in Finland. However, prevalence studies do not cover the same age groups across countries, with the range ranging from 14 to 29 years. Overall, the use of oral nicotine products, such as snus and nicotine pouches, is increasing in this region.

E-cigarette use among Icelandic youth has remained relatively stable, fluctuating between 15 and 16 percent, while in other Nordic countries, the rate varies between 8.7 percent and 16 percent. The emergence of disposable models and the increase in consumption among young girls, who consume them more than boys, characterize this increase.

Smoking, however, remains extremely low in Iceland, with only 6.6% of 18- to 24-year-olds reporting that they were smokers in 2023. These figures, taken from the original report published by Vísir, are much lower than those observed in other countries, where the smoking rate among 14- to 29-year-olds ranges from 12.1% to 19%.

Iceland commits to EU and WHO to fight tobacco and nicotine products

The European Union's Tobacco Products Directive (2014/40/EU), which came into force in 2016, applies to all Member States, including the associated Nordic countries. It introduces measures such as a ban on flavored tobacco products, mandatory health warnings, a nicotine limit in e-cigarettes of 20 mg/ml, and limits on the size of tanks and refill containers. Norway and Iceland, not members of the EU, implemented the directive as members of the European Economic Area by transposing it into their national law.

At the same time, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), in force since 2005 and ratified by Iceland, imposes a range of measures to combat tobacco products. With the rise of new nicotine products such as e-cigarettes, the WHO treaty recommends regulations that are most appropriate to each country's situation.

Nordic Wellness Center calls for international cooperation against nicotine pouches

The Nordic Wellness Center issued a warning in a recent statement: "Nicotine has been proven to be a highly addictive substance and is particularly harmful to young people, disrupting their brain development."

The report's findings highlight the need for continued strategic policy direction, both within and between countries.[2]Regulatory harmonization in the Nordic and Baltic countries could play a key role in adopting a more unified and proactive approach to preventing the use of new nicotine products among young people. Currently, regulations on these products are still being developed, and their effectiveness remains limited. The Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) ensures a degree of regulatory uniformity for cigarettes and vaping products. However, restrictions on oral nicotine products vary between countries, ranging from bans to regulations themselves varying in terms of flavors, taxation, and packaging.

According to the organization, the experience of the Nordic and Baltic countries in addressing this major public health problem could be valuable.

©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1]Chapman Michael, Icelandic teenagers consume more nicotine pouches than other Nordic countries, study finds, Iceland Review, published March 23, 2025, accessed March 24, 2025

[2]Arp Stine, Sofie Bast Lotus, Use of nicotine products among youth in the Nordic and Baltic countries, edited by Frederiksen Nadja and Franzén Eva, National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Nordic Welfare Centre, 66 pages, published March 2025, accessed March 24, 2025

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