Tobacco

Iraq’s tobacco industry began to struggle for positive volume growth in 2022 despite the rapid growth seen in reduced harm options such as heated tobacco and e-vapour products. In most cases, local smokers are intent on reducing the amount they smoke…

During 2022 inflation led to a trading down to mid and low priced brands. The market was also hindered by economic insecurity, high levels of poverty, crime and illicit trade, while widespread anti-smoking campaigns and tough legislation negatively…

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, tobacco in Cambodia has recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic due to the country’s successful vaccination roll-out. However, other factors continue to dampen the perception of smoking in the country as the government continues to spread…

Total current value sales growth for Azerbaijan’s tobacco market in 2021 was up on 2020. Although growth was bolstered by unit price increases resulting from excise tax hikes, the dominant category of cigarettes also saw retail volume sales rise at a…

In 2021, Vietnam saw periodic recurrent waves of COVID-19, which led to a nationwide lockdown from May until October. Under the impact of COVID-19, volume sales of illicit cigarettes witnessed a decline due to the closure of borders, as well as…

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 in Poland the government took a range of measures as it attempted to control its spread. These measures took their toll on the local economy, which in turn resulted in job losses and wage insecurity, especially…

2021 was a year of normalisation for tobacco in France, which meant that after a better performance in 2020, the industry came back to a level of decline closer to that observed prior to the COVID-19 pandemic – in volume terms at least. Decline…

Cigarettes continued its decline, with a further drop in volume sales in 2021, as smoking prevalence continued to fall. Also, a significant dampener on volume sales of cigarettes was rising inflation as continuing global supply constraints and rising…

Argentina’s economy recovered more quickly than expected after experiencing a strong downfall due to the COVID-19 crisis, during which the government imposed a strict lockdown on all on-trade establishments in 2020, and mid-2021. Nonetheless, the…

Tobacco in 2021:The big picture

Uganda’s tobacco industry is dominated by BAT Uganda and local player Leaf Tobacco & Commodities, with sales limited to cigarettes. Recent years have seen a dramatic shift away from premium cigarette brands as rising prices due to tax increases have…

In Norway, 2021 was another strong year for tobacco, with retail volume sales growing beyond the record-high levels of 2020 across categories. This was mainly due to border closures, in the wake of the restrictions implemented to stem the tide of the…

The rate of growth in retail constant value sales of tobacco in Nigeria more than doubled during 2021, but this was mainly driven by the fastest rate of growth in unit pricing (in current value terms) in well over a decade. This price hike was…

2021 was a positive year for tobacco in Georgia, with all tobacco products registering growth.

Having performed strongly during 2020, retail constant value sales of tobacco declined for the first time in four years in 2021. After a strong performance in 2020, there was no more than marginal growth in retail volume sales of cigarettes during…

Overall, tobacco registered a fall in current value saes in 2021. This was driven by a further drop in volume sales in the most popular tobacco product, cigarettes. One factor leading to the further reduction in volume sales of cigarettes was…

Following a challenging 2020 for the tobacco industry in South Africa, 2021 witnessed dynamic growth with current value sales surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Much of the declines during the previous year were a knock-on effect of both COVID-19…

Although smoking is becoming less socially acceptable, consumers continued to smoke more cigarettes per day in 2021 partly due the reopening of foodservice and leisure/entertainment venues, increasing socialisation while unit prices remained stable…

After a peak the year before, retail volume sales remained at a high level and significantly superior to pre-pandemic levels in the second year of the pandemic in 2021. Defying the increasing health awareness trends and a worsening image of smoking,…