The bad habit being increasingly embraced by Australia's youth

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show vaping among 15- to 17-year-olds more than doubled between 2020-21 and 2022, from 7.6 to almost 18 per cent, while over the same period the proportion of young adults aged 18 to 24 who had tried an e-cigarette at least once almost doubled from 21.7 to 38 per cent.

By contrast, the smoking rate has more than halved since 2001, from 22.4 to 10.6 per cent.

It is most prevalent in older adults, particularly among 55- to 64-year-olds, 14.9 per cent who still smoke daily. Just 7.3 per cent of young adults have the habit and only 1.6 per cent of 15- to 17-year-olds.

The data comes less than a month after the nation's health ministers agreed on sweeping changes to the regulation of e-cigarettes, including banning single-use vapes, cutting down on the nicotine they contain and limiting the use of flavours.

The ban on single use vapes in due to come into force from January 1 and from March imports of non-therapeutic vapes will be banned and only licensed operators will be able to bring them in.

E-cigarette product standards will also be tightened to reduce nicotine content and the variety of flavours and enforce pharmaceutical packaging.

Health Minister Mark Butler said the changes were needed because vapes posed a range of known and unknown health risks and had become "a very serious public health menace".

"Vaping was sold to governments and communities around the world as a therapeutic good that would help hardened smokers kick the habit," he said.

"What we now know some years into this experiment is this is actually a product being used to recruit a new generation to nicotine addiction."

Mr Butler said the great majority of vapes contained nicotine and "children are becoming addicted. Vaping is a gateway to smoking".

"We've seen stories over the course of high school exam season of high school students having to wear nicotine patches in order to get through a two- or three-hour exam, such is their level of nicotine addiction," Mr Butler said.

"It was not sold as a recreational product - especially not one targeted to our kids, but that is what it has become."

Data on surging vaping rates among young people was included in a concerning report card on the nation's health.

While rates of smoking have steadily declined, the ABS reported more than 80 per cent of adults have at least one long-term health condition and almost half have a chronic complaint.

The most common issues are mental health and behavioural conditions (26.1 per cent), back problems (15.7 per cent) and arthritis (14.5 per cent).

The health update showed managing weight continues to be a major issue, with almost two-thirds considered to be overweight or obese. The vast majority do not eat enough vegetables, less than one-quarter have healthy levels of activity and almost half sit for most of the day.

The ABS said alcohol consumption was a major public health issue. More than one-quarter of adults, including more than one-third of men and young adults, exceed health guidelines.