Teen vaping increased in New Zealand amid public health experts’ concerns

The percentage of teen vapers in New Zealand rose significantly in 2021, accompanied by a decline in smoking rates among 13- and 14-year-olds, which reached a record low, according to a survey conducted by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) New Zealand.

The AHS Year 10 Snapshot Survey found that the daily vaping rates increased to 9.6% in 2021 compared to 3.1% in 2019, whilst smoking rates fell to 1.3% from 2% between 2015 and 2019.

Daily vaping rates among those who have never smoked are still low at 3%, while daily smokers reported increased rates of daily vaping to 80% in 2021 from 30% in 2019.