Latin America

Retail volume sales of cigarettes continued to decline in the Dominican Republic during 2022 as the long-term trend away from cigarettes and towards alternative tobacco products continued to develop. In addition, smoking prevalence is still falling…

There was a further small decrease in volume sales in 2022, as smoking prevalence continued to decline slowly. Price also remained stable for the most part, despite external inflationary pressures and also an increase in the Specific Consumption Tax…

Tobacco registered positive value growth across all subcategories in 2022. With society shifting back to greater normality after the 2020 COVID-19 restrictions, increased socialising supported a partial recovery in retail value growth. Most…

Following its effective COVID-19 vaccination plan, Ecuador started 2022 with the pandemic threat greatly reduced. However, there was a slight rebound in cases during the first quarter as the Omicron variant emerged and consequently some mild…

Although socialising and post-pandemic celebrations improved in 2022, severe pressures on discretionary incomes and negative press surrounding the hazards of smoking limited overall tobacco consumption. Price has become a buzzword in 2022 with Costa…

During the review period, retail volume sales of cigarettes declined significantly due to the overall reduction in smoking prevalence, with a two-point decrease in the prevalence rate from 2017 to 2022. This shift can be attributed to increasing…

In January 2022, a 20% tax increase came into effect on electronic cigarettes and vaping products (liquid and accessories). The new law imposes a 20% tax on vapers, as well as e-liquids and electronic devices used for vaping. In addition, consumers…

In 2022, there was a remarkable surge in the sales of closed system single-use devices. Glu Cloud, which was the first brand to venture into this category, managed to maintain its position in this nascent category in 2022. This has been made possible…

Although less well-established in Ecuador than open vaping systems, closed vaping systems have witnessed tremendous growth in recent years. Young adults especially in the generation-z and millennial cohorts are attracted by a wide variety of flavours…

Novel tobacco heating devices and accompanying heated tobacco sticks saw further expansion in 2022. In addition to the Phillip Morris International IQOS system, which arrived on the scene in 2017, the same company introduced a lower-cost system at…

Although the category has seen a substantial recovery since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, cigars are purchased by relatively few Guatemalans. The majority of cigars are imported which limits supply and distribution in the country. At the same…

The sale of cigars and cigarillos is very limited in Ecuador, with a large proportion of products purchased by foreign visitors. Locally produced cigar brands are frequently purchased at airport gift shops and account for the majority of revenues.…

In 2022, the return of foreign tourists supported a recovery in cigars and cigarillos, although retail volume and current value sales remained well below pre-pandemic levels. North American tourists are a key consumer base for cigars and cigarillos…

The smoking of cigars in Colombia is not an entrenched tradition, but despite this the category did see positive growth in value and volume terms during 2022, continuing the pattern seen in 2021. With COVID-19 restrictions being lifted there was an…

Smoking prevalence continues to decline in Guatemala as more consumers quit entirely or migrate to smokeless tobacco alternatives. Fiscal pressure on cigarettes remains high driving up the retail price per pack, which is too costly for many…

Phillip Morris International has a monopoly on legal cigarettes sales in Ecuador where it has operated for almost 50 years. The company continually seeks to raise awareness of these legitimate products among Ecuadorians in order to compete against…

High inflation impinged on Costa Rican household budgets in 2022, prompting more consumers to trade down to cheaper cigarette brands. Often, the more economical options are illegal cigarettes that come from India and South Korea via the Colón Free…

During the review period, retail volume sales of cigarettes experienced a significant decline, which can be attributed to the overall reduction in smoking prevalence. However, in 2022, volume sales increased, although they did not reach pre-pandemic…

In a year marked by 30-year-high inflation rates, the tobacco industry showed resilience in 2022, as most categories managed to see growth, despite a slowdown of the Chilean economy and a strong increase in contraband, which continued to hit…

Bolivia claims to have the lowest inflation rate in the world and it has managed to achieve this by continuing to have a fixed exchange rate against the dollar. Besides the fixed exchange rate, Bolivia’s subsidies for key products have also helped…