The 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.

E-cigarette use and behaviours among Victorian adults in 2022

• 75% purchase e-cigarette devices ('vapes') from bricks and mortar stores
• 54% of current e-cigarette 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 e-cigarette users have never smoked
• 58% who used e-cigarettes in the past year usually vape nicotine
• Only 9% who used e-cigarettes 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