Reliable tobacco policy depends on understanding what people are using, how consumption is changing and which products contribute most to disease. When different forms of nicotine use are combined under the heading of smoking, those distinctions become harder to see.
A recent correction by Eurostat illustrates why the terminology matters. It also raises a wider question for European policymakers: are current statistics sufficiently precise to support risk-proportionate regulation?
What Eurostat Corrected
On 5 August 2026, Eurostat published figures showing that 16.5% of EU residents aged 16 and over used tobacco and related products daily in 2025, compared with 17.5% in 2022. The measure included e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products and nicotine pouches alongside tobacco products.
On 2 September, Eurostat added a disclaimer explaining that two references to “smoking” had been corrected to “use of tobacco and related products”. The amendment was significant because the two terms describe different behaviours. Smoking involves inhaling smoke from burning material. Vaping, heated tobacco use and oral nicotine pouch use involve different delivery mechanisms and exposure profiles.
Eurostat’s correction did not change the reported figures. It clarified what those figures measured.
Why Product Categories Matter
Combining products can be useful when examining overall nicotine consumption. It may help identify changes in uptake, patterns of dependence and areas requiring youth protection. However, an aggregate measure cannot independently establish whether cigarette smoking is increasing or declining.
Consider a population in which cigarette use falls while some adults switch to non-combustible nicotine products. A combined tobacco-and-nicotine indicator may show a smaller decline than a smoking-specific measure, even though exposure to cigarette smoke has decreased.
The reverse is also possible. Changes in the combined figure cannot reveal whether people have stopped smoking, started using nicotine, switched products or adopted multiple products. These distinctions matter because the health risks associated with combustible and non-combustible products are not identical. Nicotine is addictive, and non-combustible products carry risks of their own, but the absence of combustion changes the nature of exposure.
Sweden’s experience has made the interpretation of smoking and nicotine-use statistics particularly relevant. Its comparatively low smoking prevalence is often discussed alongside the use of oral nicotine products. Assessing that experience requires separate measures of cigarette smoking, other nicotine use and health outcomes rather than relying on a single combined indicator.
Better Data for Better Regulation
The European Commission is preparing revisions to its tobacco-control framework, including consideration of newer nicotine products. This makes statistical clarity especially important. Policymakers need to understand whether interventions reduce smoking, prevent youth initiation, encourage complete switching or lead to unintended changes in consumption.
Product-specific prevalence figures, age-group trends and information on dual use would provide a more useful foundation for evaluating these outcomes. Eurostat’s correction is a reminder that accurate terminology is part of sound public-health analysis.
For GINN, the priority is straightforward: measure smoking as smoking, report other nicotine use accurately and assess each product category according to the available evidence.
Clearer statistics will not settle every regulatory disagreement. They will, however, make it easier to identify where progress is occurring and where further intervention is needed.
