Government survey finds one in five young Germans has tried vaping

The number of people vaping in Germany is rising, with those aged between 16 and 29 particularly drawn to e-cigarettes, according to the federal government’s latest drug and addiction report.

The Drogen- und Suchtbericht 2018 report says almost a fifth of this age group have tried vaping products. Since 2014, usage in this group has been continuously rising the most, though the number of regular vapers less so.

Since 2014, around 3% of German smokers a year have attempted to quit with the help of e-cigarettes. According to figures from the 2018 German study on tobacco use (Deutsche Befragung zum Rauchverhalten), 1.8% of smokers succeeded in giving up in 2017, compared to just 0.2% in 2014.

And the numbers show a generally increasing interest in e-cigarettes, especially among smokers. Of the 11% of Germans reported to have tried vaping, almost 79% were smokers. Of those who currently smoke, 5.1% also use e-cigarettes, according to the report.