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Zambian teenagers are more likely to use e-cigarettes than smoke conventional cigarettes, with girls slightly ahead of boys in vaping, according to data from the Tobacco Control Data Initiative (TCDI).
The data, published on TCDI’s Zambia dashboard, points to a shift in patterns of tobacco and nicotine use among young people, with emerging nicotine products gaining ground alongside conventional cigarettes.
According to the Initiative, 16.3% of 13–15-year-olds used e-cigarettes in 2021, compared with 9.0% who currently smoked cigarettes. Girls accounted for 16.6% of e-cigarette users, compared with 15.4% among boys.
The Initiative said cigarette smoking among young people had also increased from 6.2% a decade earlier to 9.0%, while vaping had overtaken conventional cigarette use.
“At least one tobacco product is sold at 99% of points of sale within 100 meters of schools and playgrounds; flavored cigarettes are available at more than half of those outlets,” the Initiative stated.
The data also points to continued ease of access to tobacco products among young people despite age restrictions.
“38.3% of youth smokers bought from a vendor directly, 59.3% were not stopped by age restrictions, and 31.8% bought single cigarette sticks,” the Initiative reports.
The findings were presented during a media training for journalists from Zambia, Nigeria, South Africa and Ethiopia.
The Initiative said the findings also highlighted concerns around tobacco industry interference near learning institutions, as detailed in its Industry Interference section.
Read More: Tobacco firms use covert tactics to influence policy in Africa, journalists told
It cited its 2023 national illicit trade survey, which covered 118,344 packs across all 10 provinces and 25 districts. The survey found an illicit cigarette prevalence of 12.2%, while 10.1% of sampled cigarettes were missing Zambia Revenue Authority tax stamps. The Initiative said higher rates were recorded in Lusaka, urban areas and border regions.
One cigarette brand stood out for non-compliance in the survey.
“The cigarette brand ‘Chelsea’ was found 100% non-compliant on tax stamps in the sample,” the Initiative said.
The findings come as Zambia awaits presidential assent to the Tobacco Control Bill No. 40 of 2025, which Parliament adopted following a unanimous third-reading vote on May 4, 2026.
The Bill seeks to regulate the manufacture, distribution, sale and import of tobacco and nicotine products, as well as their advertising, promotion, packaging and labelling. It also seeks to domesticate the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
TCDI said the Bill provides for measures including restrictions on advertising and sales to minors, safeguards relating to Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, smoke-free spaces, graphic health warnings and a Tobacco Control Fund with support for farmer transition.
The Initiative also noted that DaYTA had expanded to Zambia, with data collection underway to provide updated figures on tobacco and nicotine use among out-of-school young people aged 10 to 17.
The TCDI Zambia dashboard describes itself as a platform that collects, analyses and presents tobacco-control data and information from primary and secondary research.
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