Vaping statistics

Your young person might feel like everyone is vaping and, as a result, may feel pressure to give vaping a go.

Try asking them “How many young people do you think in Australia have tried vaping?”. Be ready with the stats - roughly 3 in 10 Australian secondary school students have ever vaped.⁽²⁸⁾ The key message is that despite what it looks like in school bathrooms or on social media, most young people do not vape.

Vape use and behaviours among Victorian adults in 2022

• 75% purchase e-cigarette devices ('vapes') from bricks and mortar stores
• 54% of current vape users are aged under 30 years
• Vaping increased five-fold among young women aged 18-24 - from 2.8% in 2018-19 to 15.2% in 2022
• Current vaping doubled among Victorian adults from an estimated 154,895 users in 2018-19 to 308,827 users in 2022
• An estimated 77,200 people who have never smoked currently vape
• 1/4 of all current vape users have never smoked
• 58% who used vapes in the past year usually vape nicotine
• Only 9% who used vapes with nicotine in the past year said they had a prescription from their doctor.

Source: Bayly M, Mitsopoulos E, Durkin S, Scollo M. E-cigarette use and purchasing behaviour among Victorian adults: Findings from the 2018-19 and 2022 Victorian Smoking and Health Surveys.

Last updated January 2024