Nicotine vapes are one type of safer nicotine product (SNP): non-combustible alternatives that do not burn tobacco and may contain no tobacco at all. Other SNP include nicotine pouches, Swedish-style snus and heated tobacco products. Together, these products can offer people who use nicotine an alternative to smoking.
The 2025 global estimate is based on peer-reviewed research. As with all worldwide population estimates, it depends on the quality and coverage of the data available across countries.
For further detail, see the article Estimation of the global number of nicotine vapers in 2025 and our briefing paper, What is tobacco harm reduction? 2026 edition.