Tobacco

Saudi Arabia, with a population of more than 34 million, has been taking a number of steps to curb the consumption of tobacco in the country. These include increasing sales taxes and fines, conducting anti-smoking campaigns, establishing smoking…

Cigarettes showed small positive growth in 2021, following a sequence of negative figure declines over the review period which dropped more sharply in 2019-2020. This decline is attributed to the rise of illicit trade during the era of the pandemic,…

The economic crisis has forced many smokers to abandon imported global cigarette brands as prices have risen steeply, with local brand Cedars the big winner. Low awareness of the harms of smoking mean that few smokers have chosen to cut down or quit…

2021 was a good year for tobacco sales with all categories registering positive retail volume growth. The growth seen in cigarettes was partly due to a recovery from the decline in retail volume sales seen in 2020. In an effort to control the spread…

2021 marked several important events concerning tobacco in Tunisia. Firstly, the Ministry of Finance twice increased the price of cigarettes. Usually, the increase occurs once every two years, and does not exceed 10-15%. However, in 2021, the…

2020 and 2021 saw tobacco sales recover incrementally after 100% excise tax was introduced in 2019, drastically undermining demand. Nonetheless, very high incomes supported volume growth to return to positive ground by 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic…

As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, contraband has gained a very important position in the Peruvian market, surpassing the sales of the legal market. Cigarette consumption has migrated to less expensive versions of premium brands, with those of the…

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, a lockdown was introduced in Morocco on 20 March, and borders were closed accordingly. The confinement and health emergency were in place until November 2020 when the country was ravaged by a second wave…

After the category growth seen in 2020 during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, with consumers in home-seclusion and seeking a relief from stress, many tobacco products are now decreasing again in line with consumers returning to work and enjoying…

The Philippine market saw tobacco products other than cigarettes, such as cigars and cigarillos, e-vapour products and heated tobacco register growth in 2021 thanks to a more favourable economic environment in the country and the roll-out of…

Tobacco sales dropped in both 2020 and 2021 due to health concerns around COVID-19, while lockdown and home seclusion diminished social occasions and opportunities to smoke. Moreover, smoking prevalence remains low in Panama and is falling despite…

In 2021, tobacco saw a recovery in current value sales. This was largely the result of the phased easing of COVID-19 related restrictions during the year and consumers returning to workplaces, bars and restaurants, and partaking in social gatherings…

While the overall number of smokers continued to rise in Mexico in 2021, this was driven by continued population growth, with smoking prevalence continuing to decline amongst both male and female consumers. The fall in smoking prevalence was driven…

Over the review period, volume sales of cigarettes were on the decline as consumers are becoming more health-conscious. The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily reversed this downwards trend. Tighter border controls during 2020 and 2021 resulted in a…

The tobacco market saw slow growth in Cameroon in 2021 as the government became more aggressive in its targeting of the industry with tax hikes and stringent regulations. Imports of cigarettes declined in 2021, though, from trade interviews, there…

The tobacco market in Denmark in 2021 was characterised by a migration to smokeless categories, including nicotine pouches, vapour products and heated tobacco, as well as declining smoking prevalence in Denmark due to price increases and health…

Overall, the tobacco market in Egypt witnessed healthy growth in 2021 compared with the previous year amid the COVID-19 crisis and stores closures. Problems such as shortages within the supply chain were tackled and were no longer present in 2021,…

The continued border closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic continued to negatively affected sales of tobacco in Sweden in 2021. Tobacco is highly popular as a cross-border shopping item for Norwegians, who often make daytrips to Sweden to buy…

Sales of combustible tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco continued to decline in 2021, along with the fall in the smoking population. This was mainly fuelled by fewer younger people smoking. The government has…

The tobacco market remained stable in Hungary, overall, in 2021. COVID-19 did not cause any major disruption, but there was a big difference in the performance of individual categories. Some segments, such as cigars or pipe tobacco, benefited from…