Conventional Cigarette Use Drops but E-Cigarette Use Surges... More Smokers in Their 20s, 30s, and Among Women

KDCA Releases In-Depth Analysis of 2025 Community Health Survey
Heated Tobacco Product Usage Up 91%, Liquid-Type E-Cigarette Usage Up 73% Over Past 7 Years
One in Five Smokers Are "Multiple Product Users" with Higher Nicotine Dependence

While the adult smoking rate for conventional cigarettes in South Korea continues to decline, the overall tobacco consumption is not decreasing significantly, due to a sharp rise in the use of e-cigarettes. In particular, a clear preference for e-cigarettes was observed among people in their 20s and 30s and among women, and the proportion of smokers who use multiple types of tobacco was also high.

On May 31, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) released an in-depth analysis of health behavior indicators related to e-cigarette use, based on the "2025 Community Health Survey" conducted on approximately 230,000 adults nationwide, in recognition of World No Tobacco Day.

The results showed that the current smoking rate for conventional cigarettes last year was 17.9%, a decrease of 1.0 percentage point compared to the previous year. However, the current use rate for heated tobacco products was 6.3%, and for liquid-type e-cigarettes it was 4.5%, each rising by 0.3 percentage point and 0.5 percentage point, respectively, compared to the previous year. Especially since 2019, when statistics on e-cigarette usage began being collected, the increase has been steeper: over the past seven years, the usage rate of heated tobacco products surged by 90.9%, and that of liquid-type e-cigarettes by 73.1%.

In contrast, the rate of "quit attempts"—the proportion of smokers who try to quit—decreased by 2.0 percentage points from the previous year to 40.6%, indicating an overall downward trend. This suggests that instead of quitting smoking altogether, smokers are rapidly shifting their consumption habits to e-cigarettes.

The spread of e-cigarettes showed clear differences by age and gender. While the smoking rate for conventional cigarettes was higher among people in their 40s and 50s, the growth of e-cigarette use was led by younger adults in their 20s and 30s. Compared to 2019, the use of heated tobacco products among people in their 20s in 2025 soared by 104.7% (from 4.3% to 8.8%), marking the highest increase. The use of liquid-type e-cigarettes also rose by 71.4% among those in their 30s and by 58.0% among those in their 20s, demonstrating a strong preference among younger generations.

The increase in e-cigarette use was also pronounced among female smokers. Over the past seven years, the usage rate of heated tobacco products among women increased by 180.0% (from 0.5% to 1.4%), far exceeding the rate among men (52.5%). For liquid-type e-cigarettes, women's usage rate also rose by 140.0%. While the smoking rate for conventional cigarettes among women in their 20s was only 23.1% that of men, the rate for heated tobacco products reached 31.3%, and for liquid-type e-cigarettes, 40.5% that of men.

21% of Smokers Use Multiple Products... Higher E-Cigarette Usage in Regions with Higher Household Income

Among current tobacco users, 21.3% were using more than one type of tobacco product, such as both conventional cigarettes and e-cigarettes. This means that more than one in five smokers are dual or multiple users. The proportion of multiple tobacco product users was higher among younger age groups: 8.8% for those in their 20s, 7.5% in their 30s, and 6.1% in their 40s.

There were also clear regional differences in preferences. Overall, the regions with the highest current tobacco product usage rates were North Chungcheong Province (Chungbuk) at 24.7%, followed by Gangwon Province and South Chungcheong Province (Chungnam) at 23.8%. The lowest rates were in Sejong (17.3%) and Seoul (19.7%). By city, county, or district, Jeongseon County in Gangwon had the highest conventional cigarette usage rate at 29.8%; Ilsandong-gu in Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province, had the highest usage of heated tobacco products at 9.7%; and Pocheon City in Gyeonggi Province had the highest usage of liquid-type e-cigarettes at 7.3%. In addition, regions with higher conventional cigarette use tended to have higher average age and relatively lower income, while regions with higher rates of heated and liquid-type e-cigarette use typically had higher average monthly household income.

Im Seungkwan, Commissioner of the KDCA, warned, "Multiple tobacco product users who use several types of tobacco are more dependent on nicotine, have a lower likelihood of successfully quitting, and are exposed to a wider range of harmful chemicals at the same time, so their health risks may be much greater and require special caution." Commissioner Im also emphasized, "Since tobacco product usage patterns differ by region and age group, local governments and related agencies should develop integrated tobacco control policies that include not only conventional cigarettes but also e-cigarettes," adding, "We will actively support the establishment of customized health policies tailored to local characteristics so that they can take root in the field."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.