JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The 2024 Israeli Health Minister’s report on smoking reveals that the smoking rate in Israel is significantly higher than the global average, with electronic cigarettes leading as the most commonly used smoking product among youth.
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One in five adults in Israel smokes—a rate approximately 30% higher than the global average. At the same time, the rate of quitting smoking in Israel is 50% lower than the OECD average.
A KAP survey conducted by the Department of Health Education and Promotion and the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) after the outbreak of the war shows that the smoking rate among adults in Israel stands at 20.5%, similar to its rate over the past decade. The smoking rate among Arab men remains particularly high at 40.3%. About a quarter of non-smoking respondents reported being exposed to secondhand smoke. Exposure rates are nearly twice as high in the Arab population compared to the Jewish population.
An in-depth survey conducted among teenagers for the Ministry of Health regarding the use of tobacco products reveals that electronic cigarettes are the first product tried by about 53% of all youth who experiment with smoking. The survey also found that a very high percentage of teenagers use flavored smoking products: 88% for hookah (nargila), 82% for electronic cigarettes, and 45% for regular cigarettes and rolling tobacco.
A first-of-its-kind survey among young people in the charedi community also showed high rates of smoking product experimentation: 54% in charedi yeshiva ketanas, 70% in yeshiva gedola and 80% in alternative schools for at-risk charedi youth (ages 12–17).
The Health Minister’s report on smoking in Israel is submitted to the Knesset in accordance with the law requiring reporting on the health damages caused by tobacco products. The report presents the current state of the smoking epidemic in Israel, aiming to raise public awareness of the issue and emphasize the need to combat smoking and its associated harms.
The report also details the extensive efforts led by the Ministry of Health to combat the smoking epidemic. These include a broad array of smoking prevention actions and initiatives, conducted in cooperation with the Ministries of Education and Finance, as well as the IDF, health maintenance organizations, civil society organizations, and many other bodies.
The Ministry is promoting collaborations with various stakeholders in the field and is involved in multiple areas of action, such as education and public awareness, community lectures on prevention and smoking cessation, the development of educational programs, the creation of smoke-free environments and organizations, local authority initiatives, population-specific monitoring, and tailored interventions for special populations.
A major development in the past year was the approval of new regulations requiring graphic health warnings on tobacco products—an initiative led by the Ministry of Health. For the first time in Israel, graphic warnings will be added alongside the existing textual warnings on cigarette packs and other smoking products. These warnings will illustrate the dangers of smoking itself and the harms of secondhand smoke exposure. The regulations will apply to a wide range of products, including cigarettes, electronic cigarettes and chewing or sucking tobacco.
The Ministry’s next planned steps include banning the sale of disposable electronic cigarette vaporizers and flavored electronic cigarettes.
The 2024 smoking report notes that during the past year, 82 local and regional authorities reported activities under the Public Places Smoking Prevention Law. However, over 65% of local authorities failed to report to the Health Ministry, as required by law, and even among those that did report, many are not enforcing the public smoking ban.
Health Minister MK Uriel Buso stated:
“The situation we’re presenting today reflects a troubling reality: the smoking epidemic continues and remains one of the deadliest health risk factors in the State of Israel. It is responsible for enormous morbidity and preventable deaths—especially among youth. This is a top-priority health mission, and we are fighting it with full force.
“In the past year, we promoted significant measures—from new regulations mandating graphic warnings on smoking products, including electronic cigarettes, to broad educational campaigns, targeted awareness efforts, and the establishment of a national, free-of-charge smoking cessation hotline. Our goal is clear: to reduce exposure, accessibility, and addiction to tobacco and nicotine products—and ensure that fewer young people join the circle of smokers. This is a national responsibility for public health, and we are using every available tool to eliminate this epidemic.”
It is a big health crisis in the Yeshivas today. As an educator in multiple Torah institutions it is common to see young kids smoking today. In one Yeshiva Ketana in the beginning of zman no one smoked and now 90% of the Yeshiva smokes. Hanala are at a loss and no one in Hanala smokes?!?
It’s TIME (pun) for them to quit. I remember the huge “ananei bli kavod” smoke cloud in Chevron Yeshiva Bais Medrash. Time to move on. Even Big Tobacco has diverisfied mostly into Big Food & Big Pharma. Ie: Philip Morris renamed to Altria Group the parent co. of Kraft before spinoff and other grocery consumables as well Ferti Pharma & Vectura.
Regarding smoking, I’m proud to state that the 40 story office building that I previously worked at, was the first office building in the USA, which banned smoking in its entirety from top to bottom, in 1988, or thirty seven years ago. When the smokers in that building heard of the plan, (they were given several months notice), they were incensed. We caught some people smoking in the staircases and in the rest rooms, but they were dealt with. Also, we made sure that they did not congregate in front of the building, where people would have to walk through the second hand smoke, in order to get into or out of the building. We told the smokers that if they wished to smoke, they would have to do so on the side of the building. I remember that when it was bitterly cold in the winter, I would see them on the side of the building, having a smoke. They would rather have frozen in the cold, in order to have a smoke. Incidentally, in Israel today, there is not one hotel, which is entirely smoke free.
Are cigarettes cheaper in Israel than in the US. I noticed that in my area national brands are about $11 a pack.
“”Evryone hates a canser stick”” is what theyd’ say in a sain world