Nicotine is a toxic and highly addictive substance found in cigarettes and other tobacco products. In recent years, new nicotine products without tobacco, such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, have entered the market, appealing particularly to children and young people.

As children and young people are especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of nicotine, it is critically important to protect them from becoming addicted to nicotine, regardless of the product. Nicotine products pose a threat to both individual health and public health.

This report focuses on the use of nicotine products among children and young people across the Nordic and Baltic countries. Among other aspects, it presents a mapping and analysis of the development in the use of nicotine products among youth in 2018–2024.

The report has gathered Nordic and Baltic information and data to provide a concise account of a constantly evolving issue. We hope that this snapshot of the situation can contribute to creating future preventive initiatives on nicotine products.

The Nordic Welfare Centre extends its sincere thanks to Research Assistant Stine Arp and Senior Researcher Lotus Sofie Bast from the National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, for authoring the report.

Gratitude is also extended to the Nordic Tobacco Network and everyone who contributed with relevant knowledge, information, and other assistance to the report from across the Nordic and Baltic countries. Our thanks can be found under Acknowledgements.

The report contributes to the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Vision 2030 for a socially sustainable Nordic Region and aligns with goal 2: The Nordic Region must promote good physical and mental health, well-being, and quality of life for all in the co-operation Programme for Health and Social Affairs 2025–2030. Measures must be taken to prevent unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as the use of nicotine products, with a specific focus on children and young people. This report supports that work and contributes to the Nordic benefit and added value of knowledge sharing and dissemination of measures across borders.

The project, proposed by the Nordic Welfare Centre Advisory Board, is funded through the Nordic Welfare Centre basic funding.