The number of persons aged 15 and above who use e-cigarettes in Hong Kong dropped to just below 8,000 in 2025 as the prevalence of smoking in the city hit a “historic low,” Acting Secretary for Health Cecilia Fan Yuen-man said Wednesday.

Answering a query at the Legislative Council, Fan said the latest Thematic Household Survey showed that the number of persons aged 15 and above who use e-cigarettes daily dropped to 7,900 in 2025 from 11,600 in 2023, after the city banned the import, manufacture and sale of e-cigarettes and related products in 2022.

The survey, conducted by the Census and Statistics Department from July to October 2025, also showed that Hong Kong's smoking prevalence dropped to a historic low of 8.5 percent last year.

ALSO READ: Hong Kong’s widened e-cigarette ban welcomed

The city had 538,100 daily conventional cigarette smokers in 2025 compared to 577,300 smokers in 2023, consuming an average of 10.9 cigarette sticks every day, according to the survey.   

“The survey results also show that smoking prevalence among young people remained at extremely low levels, indicating that the new generation no longer accepts smoking behavior,” Fan said.

“Adolescence is a critical window for preventing smoking addiction from taking hold,” she said, adding that research indicated that reducing young people's exposure to e-cigarettes in social settings can help reduce their likelihood of trying vaping.

The drop in the number of vapers happened before the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government banned on April 30 the possession or use of e-cigarettes and related products in public places and implemented tobacco control measures.

READ MORE: HK steps up fight against vaping

Since the ban was imposed, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the Department of Health has conducted over 4,000 inspections as of May 31, Fan said.

She said 40 related complaints and referrals were received and 51 fixed penalty notices were issued for persons in possession of the banned products.

Fan also said the TACO also seized a total of 69 alternative smoking products, of which e-cigarettes accounted for 52 percent.