Asia Pacific

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered the most severe global recession since World War II. In Q4 2020, the end of the pandemic started as countries began administering effective vaccines among the population; however, vaccine distribution…

This report considers what socialising will look like in a post-COVID-19 era, focusing on several key questions. A return to the “Roaring Twenties” in the beverages space or a continuing decimation of the on-trade? How has socialising changed (eg…

Asia Pacific continues to be the largest cigarette market in the world. The region’s cigarette consumption experienced a decline caused by the impact of COVID-19 leaving consumers to reduce their consumption of cigarettes or shift to illegal trade.…

The briefing introduces the Cities Households Necessities Spending Index. The index ranks 1,075 cities by household expenditure on non-discretionary items, namely food, housing, and clothing and footwear. This analysis focuses on 160 major cities.…

Retail current value sales of smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco remain negligible in Uzbekistan.

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. Global inflation is reaching a peak, although geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market remain key risks. The impact varies between countries, with…

Now in its seventh edition, this report explores the top digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this edition touch on topics such as second-hand shopping, community group buying,…

Consumption of tax-paid cigarettes continues to fall in 2022, with many consumers eschewing locally manufactured cigarettes in favour of either illicit imports or traditional cheroots and quids. Demand for the Red Ruby brand continues to decline…

In 2022, the tobacco industry continues to witness rising prices due to tax increases and global inflation rates. This has boosted the illicit trade as low-income consumers are finding smoking increasingly unaffordable. Meanwhile, demand for…

Despite government efforts to reduce smoking prevalence, cigarettes remain popular among the country’s large population of low-income men. Despite the struggling economy, consumers are not likely to cut out smoking but instead, trade down to…

Cigarettes are subject to strict regulations in China, and there is stable supply, setting it apart from other consumer goods. In 2022, cigarettes demonstrated stable retail current value growth in China, which was largely attributed to effective…

In 2022, retail volume sales of cigarettes remained fairly stagnant, seeing only a minor increase, with sales limited by the fact that smoking prevalence in Hong Kong has decreased over the years thanks to a series of tobacco control initiatives. The…

On 1 January 2022, the Indonesian government through the Finance Ministry announced an increase in the excise tax on cigarettes as part of efforts to curb consumption, especially among the country’s children and young consumers. The average increase…

Overall, economy and premium cigarettes gained retail volume share at the expense of mid-priced brands in 2022. The main reason for this trend was derived from high inflation, which drove high living costs and informed expenditure on cigarettes. Many…

The extension of smoking prohibited areas was implemented on 1 July 2022 to incorporate new premises. Smoking at reservoirs, selected public parks, and gardens was last revised in June 2016 in an effort to protect non-smokers who visit these areas…

In 2022, cigarettes saw a slight retail volume decline in South Korea. However, the decline was much more moderate compared with pre-COVID 19 years. The domestic market absorbed a great share of duty-free cigarettes. While borders reopened in 2022,…

The end of the COVID-19 era and the removal of associated restrictions led to a boost in cigarettes sales in 2022. Vietnamese consumers have re-embraced their out-of-home lifestyles and social activities, which has ultimately led to higher incidences…

The cigars category is still at a nascent stage in China, given the relatively low penetration rate. However, in 2022 cigars witnessed robust growth in retail volume terms, in particular driven by domestically produced hand-rolled cigars, thanks to…

In 2022, retail volume sales of cigars continued to fall due to supply and logistics issues, particularly for Cuban cigars. The shortages had a significant impact on the category as a whole, as the Hong Kong market heavily depends on Cuban cigars.…

The market for cigars and cigarillos remains fairly small in Indonesia, with the potential consumer base remaining somewhat limited. This is especially true for imported cigars which are sold at high prices which are generally only affordable to…

Having experienced a drop in retail volume and current value sales in 2020, in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, cigars and cigarillos saw a return to growth in 2021. The rebound in retail volume and current value growth continued in…

In April 2022, all nightlife-related businesses in Singapore were permitted to fully reopen, including bars, pubs, discotheques, and nightclubs. During the Circuit Breaker period in April and May 2021, all on-trade establishments were forced to close…

In 2022, cigars and cigarillos in South Korea saw significant growth. Increased consumer interest in cigars since the pandemic was the main factor supporting growth. According to local keyword search statistics from Naver, consumer searches for…

Cigars continued to register a strong performance in 2022, with double digit volume growth. However, cigars remain relatively niche and attributed to higher-income consumers such as businessmen and executives, due to their expensive prices. Moreso,…

E-vapour products in China was devasted by a substantial package of industry regulations and policy updates throughout 2022, restricting the production, wholesale, and retail operations of e-cigarette players. The ban on flavoured e-vapour products,…

Smokeless tobacco had a negligible presence in Indonesia in 2022, with a limited number of sellers selling these products, with sales mainly limited to retail e-commerce. Nonetheless, Tigersnus, a Swedish-style snus, has been produced in Indonesia…

Heated tobacco products saw very strong, if slower, retail current growth and positive retail volume growth in 2022. The competitive price of heated tobacco when compared with cigarettes afforded the category good growth potential. In addition, wider…

Heated tobacco products experienced another year of current value and volume growth in 2022. Smokers who were not ready to quit smoking, but were sensitive to the smell of cigarette smoke, chose heated tobacco products, looking for an option they…

On 30 April 2022, the sale of alternative smoking products came to an end in Hong Kong. The legislation prohibited the import, promotion, manufacturing, sale, or possession of any kind of alternative smoking product, including e-vapour products and…

E-vapour and heated tobacco products remains an underdeveloped category in Vietnam, however, this is expected to develop further over the forecast period. During 2022, the Vietnamese government and associated authorities, especially the Ministry of…

The pandemic and associated lockdowns did not have a material impact on tobacco consumption in China. Both retail volume and current value sales of cigarettes continued to witness stable growth, driven by stable consumer demand, and product…

In 2022, retail volume sales of cigarettes remained fairly stagnant, seeing only a minor increase, with sales limited by the fact that smoking prevalence in Hong Kong has decreased over the years thanks to a series of tobacco control initiatives. The…

Tobacco in Indonesia recorded stronger growth in 2022 than in the previous year, largely thanks to an increase in economic activity with the country having suffered through the COVID-19 pandemic since early 2020. The purchasing power of consumers…

Inflationary pressure increased commodity prices and the cost of living in Malaysia in 2022 and led many smokers to trade down to more affordable cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos or shift to cheaper options altogether, such as fine cut tobacco, as…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes continued to decline in 2022, taking them below pre-pandemic levels. The economy price band was the least impacted by retail volume declines, aided by some consumers trading down to more affordable brands.…

In 2022, the tobacco industry in South Korea experienced surprisingly strong current value growth. While cigarettes in South Korea saw a slight retail volume decline, this became much more moderate compared with pre-COVID-19 years, and value sales…

Tobacco in Vietnam returned to normal sales figures in 2022, after seeing a growth slump in 2020-2021 due to the event of COVID-19 and associated social distancing restrictions and lockdowns. However, after the Vietnamese government lifted these…

The cigarette market in Thailand has seen a significant decline in recent years due to increasing health concerns, government regulations, and higher taxes on tobacco products. The Thai Government has implemented several policies to reduce tobacco…

Thailand's cigar and cigarillos market is relatively small and dominated by imported cigars, with a limited number of local manufacturers. Cigars and cigarillos are perceived to be premium products by Thai consumers and as such are mainly only…

In 2022, the tobacco industry in Thailand was seeing some recovery in demand. The industry faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic due to government measures aimed at reducing infection rates. These restrictions, including closures, social…

In 2022, cigarettes continued to record a decline in retail volume sales. However, the decline was the smallest in recent years, thanks to the end of tax increases. The government conducted a reform of the tobacco tax scheme from 2018 to 2022, to…

In spite of the efforts of incumbent players to put forward cost containment measures in order to retain prices as much as possible, 2022 proved to be a challenging year for cigarette industry players. With the higher excise taxes in 2022, cigarette…

Cigarillos recorded dynamic retail volume growth from 2016 to 2020. However, the boost to sales ended in 2021, with the category turning to decline. In 2022, an exceptional decline was seen, with retail volume sales falling to half the 2021 level.…

With the easing of COVID-19 related restrictions in 2022, the disrupted supply of imported cigars that was seen in 2020 and 2021 was less of an issue at the end of the review period. The niche market of cigars and cigarillos and the efforts of…

With the passing of the RA 11900 or the Vape Law in 2022, there is a stricter regulatory environment regarding the manufacturing and importation, as well distribution and sales, of e-vapour products and heated tobacco. These categories registered…

In 2022, heated tobacco continued to grow strongly despite a tax increase in October 2022. Heated tobacco had been classified as pipe tobacco for the tax category, and the tax had been determined by converting 1g of product weight into one stick of…

In 2022, the Japanese tobacco industry continued the trend of cigarettes recording a retail volume decline and heated tobacco products recording volume growth. While the tax on heated tobacco was increased in October 2022, heated tobacco maintained…

With the exception of cigarettes, tobacco products - such as cigars and cigarillos, heated tobacco, and e-vapour products - commanded growth in 2022. The decline in smoking prevalence and governmental support for smokeless alternatives such as heated…

In 2022, there was a significant fall in volume sales. Authorities in Kazakhstan have been implementing tough anti-tobacco policies and these are bearing fruit, with smoking prevalence falling in 2022. A further rise in excise duty was another…

Cigars and cigarillos registered a healthy increase in volume sales in 2022 and benefitted from people socialising again, as society was fully opened up, post pandemic lockdowns. Though cigarillos are much more popular in Kazakhstan than cigars, the…