Cigarette smoking among Danish youth has fallen to its lowest level on record, according to a new national survey from Aarhus University’s Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research.
The UngMap 2025 study, based on a nationally representative sample of 2,166 respondents aged 15 to 25, finds that only 2.7 percent now smoke cigarettes daily, compared with 15.4 percent in 2014. The Centre described the result as “the lowest level we have measured.”
Rise in alternative nicotine use
While cigarette smoking continues to decline, the use of other nicotine products is increasing. UngMap 2025 shows that past-month cigarette use among 15 to 25-year-olds fell from 26.4 percent in 2022 to 17.3 percent in 2025, while use of other nicotine products rose from 23.6 percent to 26.3 percent in the same period.
Within that group, snus was used by 17.3 percent, puff bars by 9.1 percent, and vapes by 6.3 percent in the past month. Snus use was more common among young men (21.0 percent) than women (13.4 percent), while puff bars and vapes were more common among young women (10.4 and 7.5 percent). Among the youngest respondents (15 to 17 years), 13.9 percent reported using puff bars and 8.8 percent vapes.
Researchers at the Centre note that this shift likely reflects young people substituting less harmful nicotine products for cigarettes rather than abandoning nicotine altogether.
Broader Nordic pattern
The Danish findings mirror wider Nordic trends. A 2025 Nordic Welfare Centre overview reports that “while cigarette smoking continues to decline among youth in most countries, daily and occasional use of e-cigarettes and oral nicotine products has increased significantly.” It also finds oral nicotine “quite popular – especially among boys” in Denmark.
Harm reduction in practice
Public-health experts highlight that the main harms of tobacco come from combustion, not nicotine itself. The Danish data show that as cigarette use drops sharply, more young people are turning to non-combustible alternatives such as vapes and nicotine pouches – products that deliver nicotine without smoke.
The UngMap results align with figures from the Danish Health Authority’s Danish Smoking Habits 2024, which recorded vape use among 15 to 29-year-olds rising from seven percent in 2022 to 12 percent in 2024, and smokeless nicotine use reaching 14 percent.
Regulation and next steps
Denmark has tightened retail and advertising rules to reduce youth access to tobacco, with compliance checks showing it is increasingly difficult for minors to buy cigarettes. Yet disposable vapes remain widely available, and roughly eight percent of 15 to 29-year-olds report using them, according to the Danish Health Authority.
Public health specialists say the challenge is to balance control and harm reduction: preventing under-age use while recognising that for adults who would otherwise smoke, switching to non-combustible nicotine represents a significant reduction in risk.
Note on data and definitions
The UngMap survey combines measures of daily, past-month, and ever use, and age bands differ slightly from other national datasets. Despite these differences, all available evidence points to the same conclusion: Danish youth are turning away from cigarettes and towards less harmful nicotine products.
