Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction
Switching to safer nicotine products could be a life-saving approach for millions of people who use high-risk tobacco like combustible cigarettes.
GSTHR maps the global, regional and national availability and use of safer nicotine products, regulatory responses to them, and the public health potential of tobacco harm reduction (THR). Explore any country's data on smoking, vaping, snus, HTP - enter a country in the search box, or find it on the globe.
Learn MoreThe primary source of the many health problems associated with the combustible cigarette lie in the act of inhaling the smoke released when it burns. Remove that risk and there is the possibility of nicotine consumption being relatively safe.
Learn MoreReviews of the evidence by a number of internationally respected professional and medical bodies have concluded that safer nicotine products are likely to pose significantly fewer health risks than combustible tobacco products and many forms of oral tobacco.
Learn MoreIn 2003, Hon Lik came up with the idea of using a high-frequency piezoelectric ultrasound-emitting element to vaporise a pressurised jet of liquid containing nicotine. This new electronic cigarette design successfully created a smoke-like vapour that delivered nicotine.
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Country Data
Smoking, vaping, snus and heated tobacco data, with the regulations in place, for every country.
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Resources
Explainers, briefing papers, major reports and country case studies, many in several languages.
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Chart Builder
Compare countries and products over time, then download your chart or share it with a link.
Watch and learn
Short videos explaining the evidence on safer nicotine products and tobacco harm reduction.
Navigate the World of Tobacco Harm Reduction
Highlights of Nicotine FAQ
Quick, data-driven answers to the questions people ask most about smoking, nicotine and safer alternatives.
Browse All QuestionsRecently Updated Country Information
Cuba | 12.4% is the estimated prevalence of daily tobacco smoking. (2019): 12.4%
Cuba | Number of daily smokers (2019): 1.2 million
Cuba | An estimated 6.6% of adult women use Cigarettes on a daily basis. (2019): 6.6%
Cuba | An estimated 18.3% of adult men use Cigarettes on a daily basis. 18.3%
Read the Latest Briefing Papers
Read and download major GSTHR reports:
Not if, but when:
GSTHR Situation Report 2026
The report charts growing consumer demand for tobacco harm reduction, despite widening policy gulf. The rising use of safer nicotine products (over 200 million adults) has coincided with declining smoking prevalence across multiple countries.
A Situation Report
Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2024
The fourth in our biennial GSTHR series, this report tracks the extent to which safer nicotine products are replacing and substituting for combustible and risky oral tobacco products. It is split into two parts, A Global Perspective and Regional and National Insights.
The Right Side of History
Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2022
The third report in our biennial GSTHR series documents the search for safer ways to use nicotine and charts the history of tobacco harm reduction with the emergence of new safer nicotine products.
Fighting the Last War:
the WHO and International Tobacco Control
This 2021 report from K∙A∙C’s Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction argues that “tobacco control policy is frozen in time” while “innovative non-combustible nicotine technology and supporting evidence have moved forwards”.