Teen Vaping Surpasses Cigarettes in Israel for the First Time
JERUSALEM — For the first time in Israel’s history, more teenagers have tried e-cigarettes than regular cigarettes. The Health Ministry’s 2025 report, published June 2026, shows 20% of students tried e-cigarettes versus 19% who tried combustible cigarettes.
“The data require us to continue acting decisively to prevent the exposure of children to smoking products,” Health Minister Haim Katz said, per the Jerusalem Post.
What the Report Shows
17% of elementary-age children reported vaping in the past month. That is regular use, not experimentation. Between 2023 and 2025, vaping climbed across all demographic groups, according to Ynetnews.
The adult picture is just as rough. Some 12,386 deaths in 2022 were attributable to smoking, about 33 Israelis per day. The WHO estimates 8 million annual tobacco deaths globally, and Israel’s numbers track that crisis. Nearly half of the Arab population is exposed to secondhand smoke, versus 28.9% of the Jewish population.
The trend mirrors what we have tracked elsewhere. In the UK, vapers now outnumber smokers. The difference is that Israel’s surge is concentrated among children, not adults switching from cigarettes.
What This Means for Vapers and Parents
The report does not say whether teens use zero-nicotine or high-nicotine products. That distinction matters. Nicotine affects adolescent brain development, but lumping all vaping with smoking ignores the risk spectrum between them. The real problem is that Israeli teens are starting with vapes, not switching from cigarettes.
What Israel Is Doing
Graphic warning labels covering 75% of packaging become mandatory August 2026. A plain packaging bill is before the Knesset. The Health Ministry is also expanding cessation services.
Compared to the UK’s generational smoking ban or Mongolia’s equal regulation push, Israel is leaning hard on adult restrictions to curb youth access. That risks pushing the market underground.
How the Knesset responds will shape whether this becomes a lasting public health shift or a regulatory overcorrection.
继续阅读
- UK Vapers Outnumber Smokers for the First Time
- Vaping Facts: Health Effects, Youth Risks, and What the Evidence Says
- Can Vaping Help You Quit Smoking? What the Evidence Shows
Kevin Li — Founder & Editor, VapeObservation.com Kevin reviews vape products hands-on, prioritizing real-world performance over manufacturer claims. His goal: honest, practical advice that helps everyday vapers make informed choices. Before launching VapeObservation, he was a longtime vaper frustrated by promotional content disguised as reviews. Every article on the site reflects his commitment to data-driven, reader-first testing.
