Cigarette smoking is falling out of favour in the Czech Republic as more people – especially the young – turn to lower-risk nicotine alternatives like vaping, new government data reveals.
In a striking shift in national nicotine habits, traditional cigarette use is dropping fast, while vaping, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches are on the rise, according to the government’s 2024 annual tobacco report.
“In the last ten to twelve years, we have seen two trends,” said Pavla Chomynova, head of the National Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Addictions.
“One is a decline in smoking rates of conventional tobacco products – that is, cigarettes, cigars, pipes – and the other is an increase in alternative products, especially e-cigarettes.”
Shift most noticeable in young people
That shift is especially visible in young people aged 15 to 24, who are leading a generational change in nicotine consumption.
“The changes are occurring most often in the youngest age group, from 15 to 24, where we are seeing the biggest decline in smoking rates and the biggest increase in the use of alternative products,” Chomynova said.
In 2013, only 23 per cent of people reported daily use of tobacco or nicotine. By 2023, that figure had climbed to 27 per cent. This was not due to a rise in smoking, but the increased uptake of vapes and other smoke-free options, particularly by young adults.
Among those aged 20 to 24, one in five now vapes, and nearly seven per cent do so daily. In contrast, just 10 per cent of those aged 15 to 24 smoke conventional cigarettes every day. For older adults, smoking remains more common: nearly a third of people aged 55 to 65 smoke daily.
Experts point to the growing appeal of vaping’s convenience, flavours, and perception as a less harmful choice. While smoking still causes up to 18,000 deaths annually in the Czech Republic, the rise of alternative nicotine products offers a public health opportunity to fast-track the decline of smoking-related disease.
Smoking currently costs the state an estimated CZK 170 billion (€6.9 billion) annually in healthcare and lost productivity. Last year, CZK 54 billion (€2.19 billion) were collected in excise tax from tobacco and nicotine products.
Smoking no longer the default
Chomynova acknowledged that access to nicotine products remains easy for underage users, with seven in ten 16-year-olds reporting they could easily get cigarettes. But the shift away from combustible tobacco represents what many in the harm reduction community see as progress.
For a country where smoking has long been culturally ingrained, the new numbers tell a powerful story: smoking is no longer the default.
