Smoking Rate Drops to 17.9%, Vaping Rate Climbs to 9.3% in South Korea
2Firsts
South Korea's smoking rate decreased to 17.9%, while e-cigarette use rose to 9.3% according to a 2025 health survey.Summary
A 2025 Community Health Survey by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) revealed a decline in traditional cigarette smoking to 17.9%, a 1% decrease from the previous year. Simultaneously, e-cigarette use increased to 9.3%, up 0.6 percentage points. Overall tobacco product use remained at 22.1%, a slight decrease from 2024 but 0.5 points higher than in 2019, indicating a shift from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, with e-cigarette usage increasing by 82% since 2019. The survey also noted a 35.4% obesity rate, a slight decline in high-risk drinking (12%), and a decrease in reported depression rates (5.9%).
(Source：2Firsts)
