Malta has the second-lowest rate of student smokers in Europe, survey shows

Malta has the second lowest rate of student smokers in Europe, a major survey carried out last year shows.

It also showed that more adolescent girls than boys are resorting to drugs and alcohol.

The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), was conducted among 113,882 students aged 15 to 16, across 37 European countries in 2024.

It found that cigarette use continues to be widespread among adolescents in ESPAD countries, with nearly one in three students having smoked cigarettes at least once in their lives (32% on average).

The highest prevalence rates are observed in Hungary (51%) and Slovakia (46%), while the lowest were in Iceland (13%) and Malta (16%).

On average, 15% of ESPAD students reported first smoking cigarettes at age 13 or younger. The highest proportions were recorded in Slovakia (24%) and Kosovo (23%), while the lowest in Iceland (6.4%) and Malta (7.1%). 

Illicit drug use

In a section on Illicit drug use, the report says that on average, 13% of ESPAD students reported having used any illicit drug at least once in their lifetime. Lifetime prevalence of illicit drug use varied widely, with the highest rates observed in Liechtenstein (25%) and Czechia (24%), and the lowest in Georgia and Moldova (both 3.9%).

Overall, only a small gender disparity was observed, with 14% of boys and 12% of girls reporting lifetime use of illicit drugs.

"Malta stands out, where lifetime prevalence among girls exceeds that of boys by six percentage points (15% versus 9.3%)," the report says. 

Cannabis use

Cannabis was the most commonly used illicit drug across all ESPAD countries. On average, 12% of students across Europe reported having used cannabis at least once in their lifetime. The highest prevalence was observed in Czechia (24%) and Liechtenstein (23%), while the lowest was in Georgia (3.3%) and Moldova (2.5%).

Although the overall gender gap had decreased over time, boys continued to report higher cannabis use than girls on average (13% versus 11%), the report says.

However, Malta again was out as an exception, where cannabis use being more prevalent among girls (14%) than boys (8.6%). 

Illicit drug use other than cannabis

The report says that while cannabis accounted for the greater proportion of reported illicit drug use, the average lifetime prevalence of any illicit drug use other than cannabis was considerably lower, standing at 5% across Europe. Rates varied from 1.7% in Georgia to 9.9% in Cyprus, with relatively high prevalence also reported in Iceland (7.9%) and Montenegro (7.6%). On average, prevalence was higher among boys than girls (5.4% versus 4.5%). 

In Cyprus, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Malta, girls reported a higher perceived availability than boys.

e-Cigarette use

In 13 out of 37 ESPAD countries, at least half of the students had tried e‑cigarettes, whereas in only six countries (Portugal, Malta, Iceland, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Ireland), fewer than one-third of students reported lifetime use.

Consumption of alcohol

Lifetime alcohol consumption was reported by 73% of adolescents in ESPAD countries with the highest prevalence in Hungary (91%) and Denmark (90%). The lowest were  Kosovo (29%) and Iceland (41%).

Gender differences indicated a slightly higher prevalence among girls (74%) than boys (72%), a trend observed in more than half of the countries. The most pronounced gender differences are found in Iceland (48% versus 34%), Latvia (84% versus 73%) and Lithuania, Malta and Monaco, each showing a 10-percentage-point gap.

However, in some countries, the trend was reversed, most notably in Kosovo (37% among boys versus 23% among girls).