The popularity of e-cigarettes has skyrocketed in the last decade, and vaping statistics confirm that, especially among younger people. However, many are rethinking their vaping habits after the outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries and deaths.
But what about now, when we really need to focus on our respiratory health during this sanitary crisis? How big is the phenomenon of vaping in terms of use and industry? And how wary should we be? Read on to see what the newest stats and facts have to say about it.
Top 10 Key Vaping Statistics & Facts
- Over 94% of US adults have heard about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes and vaping.
- Young adults account for the most hospitalized EVALI cases.
- E-cigarette malfunction caused 2,035 ER visits between 2015 and 2017.
- In 2018, the global vaping market reached $14.05 billion.
- Data from 2020 show that 11% of Americans vape.
- Among US adults, millennials vape the most.
- Approximately 3.02 million high-school students in the US vape.
- The use of e-cigarettes spiked by a whopping 78% in 2018.
- Men in the States are more than twice as likely to vape as women.
- The COVID-19 outbreak has positively influenced youth’s vaping statistics.
Vaping Health Facts & Stats
1. Over 94% of adult Americans have heard about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes and vaping, as health statistics from 2019 reveal.
(Statista)
Only 6% of adult Americans ignore the negative effects of e-cigarettes on one’s health. About 59% of the surveyed have heard a lot about vaping and smoking e-cigarettes possibly leading to respiratory problems. Finally, 14% claim they’re vaguely informed about the topic.
2. E-cigarette malfunction caused 2,035 ER visits between 2015 and 2017, vape explosion statistics confirm.
(BMJ) (NBCNews)
Unfortunately, data show that such incidents are not infrequent—quite the opposite. E-cigarette explosions tend to be linked to battery malfunctions, which can lead to serious injuries and even be fatal.
3. CDC vaping statistics for 2019 to 2020 show that 2,807 people in the US were hospitalized due to vape-related lung injuries.
(CDC)
Perhaps the main risk that vapers face is developing what is called an e-cigarette and vaping use-associated lung injury or EVALI. Its outbreak in 2019 turned out to be strongly linked to the presence of vitamin E acetate in e-cigarette products.
4. During the same period, there were 68 reported EVALI fatalities in the US, CDC’s vaping death statistics confirm.
(AAP News) (CDC)
Vaping caused the death of sixty-eight people in the US between December 3rd, 2019 and February 18th, 2020. These deaths occurred across the US—in 29 states and the District of Columbia.
Contrary to what you might believe, the median age of the people who died was 49.5 years. The youngest victim was 15, and the oldest—75 years old.
5. Young adults account for the most hospitalized EVALI cases, according to vaping statistics from CDC.
(CDC)
Data on hospitalized EVALI cases (August 2019—February 2020) show that the largest share—37%—were between 18 and 24 years old. Patients aged 25–34 and those aged 35 or older represent an equal 24% of the hospitalized.
The median age of all hospitalized and deceased EVALI patients was 24 years. The youngest recorded patient was 13, and the oldest one was 85.
6. 5 out of every 6 hospitalized vapers reported using THC-containing products, latest statistics on vaping reveal.
(CDC)
More precisely, around 82% of vapers with lung injury used vaping products with THC, a third of whom reported they exclusively used THC vaping products.
This stat is not surprising, given the fact that the acetate form of vitamin E, the main culprit for EVALI, is widely used in vaping products with THC.
7. Vaping statistics reveal that from 2010–2018, there were 17,358 cases of exposure to or ingestion of e-liquids.
(Truth Initiative)
E-liquids are highly toxic when ingested, especially for younger children. That’s why it’s so shocking that 68.4% of the abovementioned cases were children aged 5 or younger.
E-Cigarettes and Vape Industry Statistics
8. In 2020, JUUL Labs accounted for 63% of the sales of nicotine vaping products in the States.
(Statista)
Vuse came in second with approximately 24% of total nicotine vaping product sales, followed by blu (6%). Njoy reached no more than 2%, while all other brands reached about 1%.
9. Facts about vape pens indicate that JUUL was the most significant player in the US e-cigarette market last year, with a 42% share.
(Statista) (Technavio)
In 2019, before the flavor and age restrictions, JUUL accounted for almost 75% of the vaping market shares, as Nielsen data reveals. Now, JUUL is almost in the same position as in 2017 when it held 40% of the market share.
10. According to vape industry statistics, in 2018, the global vaping market reached $14.05 billion.
(PRNewswire) (PRNewswire)
Given the tremendous expansion of the vaping market since the e-cigarette was introduced in 2007, many projected its rapid growth over the years. It’s clear, though, that the COVID-19 crisis changed these to more modest projections.
For instance, predictions from 2019 aimed at the sum of $29.39 billion by 2022. Projections from last year, however, reveal a more realistic sum of $24.5 billion reached by 2027.
11. Vape statistics recorded a 122.2% increase in vaping product sales from 2014 to May 2020.
(OpenSecrets.org) (CDC)
The analysis of the retail data from the September 2014–May 2020 period showed that retail sales increased by 9.4 million units per 4-week interval. More precisely, data indicates that sales went up from 7.7 million units in 2014 to 17.1 million units sold per given interval.
12. Data from February 2020 reveals that the sales of electronic cigarettes and related products are banned in 41 countries.
(GGTC)
These include countries like Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, India, Iran, Mexico, Japan, Thailand, and others. So, keep this in mind when traveling: if you vape, it’s always best to do research on a given country’s laws on using and selling/purchasing e-cigarettes.
Vape Statistics in the US
13. Data from 2020 show that 11% of Americans vape.
(Statista) (Gallup)
The use of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices in the US is declining. In 2019, 13% of the US population smoked, and a Gallup survey from July this year shows that percentage has dropped to approximately 6%. Just for the sake of comparison, this is lower than the number of US citizens who have used/tried pot—9%.
14. Facts about vaping show that among US adults, millennials vape the most.
(AAFP)
The results of a 2019 survey exposed that before the pandemic, 21% of millennials used e-cigarettes regularly or occasionally. Gen Zers came in second, with 18%. It was also discovered that only 5% of baby boomers and 1% of the Silent Generation were vapers.
15. Vape facts indicate that in the States, men are more than twice as likely to vape as women.
(ValuePenguin) (Statista)
ValuePenguin’s 2020 data reveals that 30% of surveyed men confirmed they’d vaped in the previous month, compared to 14% of women who stated the same. Part of this can perhaps be explained through greater pressure imposed on men to smoke or vape when socializing.
However, a 2018 study showed that women were more likely to try vaping (60% of the respondents) than men (45%). We are yet to learn if the COVID outbreak has significantly altered these stats as well.
Vaping Statistics Among Young People in the US
16. Approximately 3.02 million high-school students in the US vape.
(CDC)
Official CDC data from 2020 reveal that 19.6% of American high-schoolers use the e-cigarette. What’s even more concerning is that almost two-fifths of them (38.9%) reported using it frequently. Moreover, 22.5% of the frequent smokers used e-cigarettes on a daily basis, while the rest of them vaped more than 20 days in 30 days.
17. Young vapers are 4 times more likely to start smoking combustible cigarettes than their peers who don’t vape.
(Truth Initiative)
Moreover, statistics about vaping from 2016 showed that among people aged 13–25 who vaped, 55.9% also used tobacco products like regular cigarettes alongside electronic ones. This tells us that a lot of those who switch to e-cigarettes in the process of trying to quit smoking are in danger of falling prey to so-called dual use.
18. Teen vaping statistics indicate that the use of e-cigarettes spiked by a whopping 78% in 2018.
(CNBC)
The biggest increase in e-cigarette use was recorded among middle- and high-school students in that period. Back in 2018, 21% of high-school students vaped, compared to 12% in 2017. This implies there were around 1.5 million new teen vapers in 2018 than in the year before.
The CDC explains this surge in numbers as a direct consequence of vaping companies’ invasive marketing that targets young people.
19. Vaping statistics from 2020 show that almost 83% of teenage vapers use flavored varieties.
(CDC)
The most popular are fruit flavors, followed by mint, menthol, candy, and other sweets. To stop advertising vaping through flavored e-cigarettes, the FDA issued a policy that prohibits the use of any other pre-filled cartridge other than menthol and tobacco, unless approved by the FDA.
20. The COVID-19 outbreak has positively influenced youth’s vaping statistics, CDC data shows.
(NBC News)
A sharp decline in e-cigarette use among American youth was recorded in 2020. The share of high-school students using e-cigarettes dropped from around 28% in 2019 to below 20%, and the percentage among middle-school students declined from 11% in 2019 to 5% in 2020.
The fatal accidents, the stricter age limit (21), and flavor restrictions all contributed to these changes, but most of all—the pandemic.
FAQ
What is vaping?
Vaping means using an e-cigarette or other heat-producing device to warm a special e-liquid solution to the point that it produces aerosols that you can inhale. Young people who use vape pens created by the brand JUUL also refer to vaping as JUULing.
The usual ingredients of e-liquids used in vaping include: nicotine, THC, CBD, flavors, sweeteners, and solvents (vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol).
(Truth Initiative) (NBC News)
What does vaping do to your lungs?
There are many different substances used in e-liquids that can impair the function of the lungs. Here are some of the risks people expose themselves to (in terms of lung health) if they vape:
- Bronchiolitis obliterans a.k.a. popcorn lung—damage of small airways
- Lipoid pneumonia—a buildup of fatty acids in the lungs as a result of an inflammatory response to aerosols when vaping
- Pneumothorax (or collapsed lung)—a painful condition caused by air escaping the affected lung through a hole
- Cancer—not confirmed, but not yet excluded from the list of possible effects.
(Truth Initiative) (Johns Hopkins Medicine)
What does vaping do to your body?
The long-term effects of vaping are not yet fully known, but the research conducted so far suggests a pronounced negative impact on respiratory and cardiovascular health.
In vitro, e-liquid chemicals damage the lungs’ cells, similar to those found after exposure to toxic fumes and poisonous gases. Added flavors are especially toxic, as well as solvents, like the infamous vitamin E acetate.
Plus, if you’re using nicotine-enriched e-cigarettes, then nicotine addiction is a highly likely outcome.
(Truth Initiative)
How many teens are vaping?
Vaping among teenagers in the US has declined mostly due to the coronavirus outbreak. About 3.02 million high schoolers and 550,000 middle schoolers vaped in 2020. These numbers may be shocking but they don’t seem like such a great surprise when we learn that, for example, 9.5% of students in the US tried smoking before they were 13.
(CDC)
How many people have died from vaping?
CDC data from February 2020 shows that until then, 68 EVALI deaths had been recorded. In addition to these, there have been 2 reported deaths linked to e-cigarette explosions.
(CDC) (Today)
Is vaping worse than smoking?
Despite the popularity of the belief that e-cigarettes are much safer than combustible cigarettes, this isn’t entirely true.
For instance, vaping is twice as likely to make you addicted to nicotine than traditional cigarettes, as a 2019 study confirms.
However, e-cigarettes don’t contain most of the 7,000 chemicals people expose themselves to when smoking traditional cigarettes. In any case, there’s a lack of evidence that will show how the two types of cigarettes compare when it comes to causing health disturbances.
The best way to avoid such conundrums and the dangers of vaping and smoking is, of course, to do neither.
(NCBI) (CDC)
Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic gave us a new perspective on the health consequences that our everyday habits leave. Still, many parents can breathe a sigh of relief as the use of vaping products has been slowing down for the first time, hand-in-hand with traditional smoking.
But the vaping saga is not over yet. Until we improve e-liquids’ quality or figure out the long-term effects of vaping, vaping statistics should be closely monitored and kept under control.
If you’ve found our piece on vaping informative, don’t hesitate to check out our marijuana statistics, too!
Sources:
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- AAP News
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- BMJ
- CDC
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- Gallup
- GGTC
- Global Tobacco Control
- Grand View Research
- Johns Hopkins Medicine
- NBC News
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- NBC News
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- OpenSecrets.org
- PRNewswire
- PRNewswire
- Statista
- Statista
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- Truth Initiative
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