Study Reveals Dramatic Rise in Smoking Among Arab Girls, Decline Among Boys
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A study revealed that regular smoking among Arab girls aged 12-17 more than doubled from 6% to 13% between 2022 and 2026, while it decreased among boys from 46% to 29%. E-cigarettes and hookahs are increasingly popular among girls, narrowing the gender smoking gap. Experts express concern over the rise in girls' smoking, urging immediate intervention within the Arab community.
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- Regular smoking among Arab girls aged 12-17 more than doubled from 6% to 13% between 2022 and 2026.
- Smoking rates among Arab boys aged 12-17 significantly decreased from 46% in 2022 to 29% in 2026.
- E-cigarettes and hookahs are now the preferred smoking products for girls, surpassing traditional cigarettes.
- The gender gap in smoking prevalence has narrowed, with fewer boys and more girls reporting smoking.
- Experts call for urgent action to address the rising smoking rates among girls in the Arab community.
- The study surveyed Arab youth and adults across three rounds between 2022 and 2026.
A recent study conducted by "Na'as Company" for an anti-smoking project has revealed contrasting trends in smoking habits among Arab youth. Between 2022 and 2026, regular smoking among girls aged 12-17 more than doubled, rising from 6% to 13%. Conversely, regular smoking among boys in the same age group significantly decreased from 46% in 2022 to 29% in 2026. The study, which surveyed smoking habits and changes within the Arab community from 2022 to 2026, also noted an increase in the use of hookahs and e-cigarettes among girls, leading to a narrowing gender gap in overall smoking rates.
While daily smoking among girls was 1% in 2024, it rose to 4% by 2026. In contrast, daily smoking among boys dropped from 26% in 2022 to 17% in 2026. The overall gap in smoking prevalence narrowed considerably; in 2022, nearly five times as many boys (49%) as girls (11%) reported smoking in the past month, a gap that reduced to just over double by 2026 (26% for boys, 12% for girls).
The study highlighted a shift in preferred smoking products among girls, with e-cigarettes (42%) and hookahs (40%) becoming more popular than traditional cigarettes (15%) by 2026. Among boys, traditional cigarettes remained the most common (43%), followed by hookahs (28%) and e-cigarettes (24%). The use of hookahs among girls saw a notable increase, with regular use rising from 6% in 2024 to 11% in 2026, and daily use doubling from 1% to 4% in the same period. Furthermore, the proportion of girls who had ever tried a hookah more than doubled from 7% to 14% between 2022 and 2026, while those who had tried e-cigarettes rose from 12% to 20%.
Dr. Amal Khiyat, Director of the Arab Society Sector at the Initiative to Eliminate Smoking, described the findings as "worrying but also optimistic." She pointed to the decline in boys' smoking as encouraging but stressed the urgent need to address the rise among girls before the trend becomes more entrenched. Khiyat emphasized that tackling smoking requires considering the specific needs of the Arab community and called for the involvement of political and professional leaders in policy-making and solution implementation. The study's findings are based on surveys conducted in 2022, 2024, and 2026, with the latest round in February-March 2026 including 395 Arab youth aged 12-18 and 1,685 adults.
