Teen e-cigarette use surpasses regular cigarettes for first time, Health Ministry report finds

A recent Health Ministry report reveals a concerning trend in Israel: electronic cigarette use among teenagers has now surpassed that of regular cigarettes for the first time. The 2025 report on smoking in Israel found that 20% of students have tried an electronic cigarette, edging out the 19% who have tried traditional cigarettes.

This shift is particularly pronounced among younger age groups. For the first time, the proportion of elementary-school-age students who have tried e-cigarettes is higher than those who have tried regular cigarettes. Furthermore, approximately 17% of these younger children reported using an electronic cigarette at least once in the past month. Data from 2023 to 2025 indicate an increase in experimentation with e-cigarettes among both Jewish and Arab boys, as well as Arab girls.

Overall, 23.1% of Israel's adult population smokes, a habit that contributed to an estimated 12,386 deaths in 2022, accounting for about 23% of all fatalities in the country. Exposure to secondhand smoke remains a significant issue, affecting 28.9% of the Jewish population and 48.5% of the Arab population. The report also highlights a stark disparity in smoking rates among adult Arab men, with 46.2% smoking, double the rate in the general population.

In response to these findings, the Health Ministry is advancing new measures. Graphic warning labels will become mandatory on all smoking products starting in August 2026, covering 75% of the package area. Other initiatives include stronger oversight, expanded cessation services, and improved monitoring tools. "Smoking continues to be one of the significant risk factors for public health," stated Health Minister Haim Katz. "The data in the report require us to continue acting decisively to prevent this."

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Smoking continues to be one of the significant risk factors for public health. The data in the report require us to continue acting decisively to prevent this.