Tobacco

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…

Sales of tobacco in Japan remained fairy stable in retail current value terms in 2023. The Japanese government reclassified COVID-19 in May 2023, moving it from a level two to level five infectious disease. The new level is the same class as seasonal…

Kazakhstan has strong trade links with Russia in particular and its war in Ukraine negatively impacted the economy and led to high inflation. While skyrocketing international oil and gas prices boosted the local economy, its usual outflow to the…

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…

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…

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…

Tobacco in Pakistan has a mixed layout. The province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the major grower of tobacco crops, while Pakistan Tobacco Co Ltd and Philip Morris (Pakistan) Ltd hold the majority stake in the industry, due to their dominance of…

Tobacco in Singapore saw a retail volume decline in 2023, although current value sales increased. Retail volume sales of cigarettes continued to decrease, with mid-priced cigarettes suffering the most significant fall in sales. Meanwhile, the economy…

In 2023, overall retail current value sales of tobacco in South Korea showed a positive growth rate compared with the previous year, yet the growth rate was minimal, resulting in no significant difference in actual sales compared with 2022.

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…