World Vape Day 2025, on 30 May, spotlights one of the most significant shifts in public health: the rapid decline in smoking rates wherever harm reduction and vaping are embraced. As countries like Sweden near smoke-free status and New Zealand records historic drops in smoking, this year’s theme “20 Years of Facts”—highlights the science and lived experiences behind vaping’s impact.
Countries embracing harm reduction, like Sweden, the UK, and New Zealand, are seeing record drops in smoking rates, while nations with restrictive policies continue to lag behind. Research from leading health authorities confirms vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking and more effective than traditional nicotine replacement therapies.
As evidence continues to grow, the transformation that harm reduction has brought to public health is undeniable. In Sweden, the widespread use of safer nicotine products has nearly eliminated smoking, while New Zealand is steadily moving toward a smoke-free future. The data is clear: when adults have access to regulated vaping and oral nicotine products, smoking rates decline more rapidly, more lives are saved, and health inequalities are reduced.
Yet, these success stories are too often left out of the global conversation. On World Vape Day, there is a pressing need for policymakers to put facts before fear, listen to the real experiences of people who have quit smoking, and ensure that innovation remains central to progress in reducing smoking-related disease.
Despite this progress, harm reduction is often missing from global tobacco control debates, especially around World No Tobacco Day on 31 May. World Vape Day challenges this narrative.