Tobacco

The tobacco market saw modest volume growth in Ecuador in 2023. Ecuador has gone through a series of problems in recent years, including the strong impact of the COVID-19 crisis, followed by an economic and social crisis that led to a national strike…

E-vapour products saw a marked rise in retail value sales in Ecuador in 2023. E-vapour products was a category that was subject to very low levels of control by the authorities during the review period. However, as it has gained space within the…

Retail volume sales of cigars and cigarillos rose strongly in Ecuador in 2023, Cigars and cigarillos is a very niche category in Ecuador. In general terms, the Ecuadorian population is not accustomed to consuming this type of product. For this…

Cigarettes saw volume sales fall significantly in Ecuador in 2023. The illicit market continued to deepen its penetration within the Ecuadorian market during the year. The high tax levied on the legal industry has caused a substantial price gap…

In 2023, cigarettes in Bolivia witnessed a notable surge in the presence of smuggled brands. These products, previously predominant in provinces and rural areas, made significant inroads into urban markets, particularly in kiosks, popular markets,…

Tobacco in Colombia witnessed stagnant volume growth in 2023 amid inflationary pressures and falling demand for cigarettes. Smoking prevalence continued to decline with consumers increasing awareness about the harmful effects of combustion tobacco…

In 2023, tobacco in Bolivia recorded one of its most challenging periods in recent times, primarily due to a notable growth in the availability of illegal cigarette brands. Until a few years ago, Bolivia was primarily a transit country for the…

The Argentine economy faced significant challenges in 2023, entering a recession with a GDP contraction and a notable decline in December compared to December 2022. Inflation surged, severely impacting the tobacco industry. Although official…

In 2023, e-vapour products in Bolivia experienced considerable growth and formalisation in the distribution channels for e-vapour products. The availability of these products surged in both modern and traditional retail outlets. Initially, e-vapour…

In 2023, smokeless tobacco products, including e-vapour and heated tobacco products, remained illegal in Argentina. Despite efforts by the current Milei government to legalise these products, the legislative bill aimed at allowing their sale was…

Over the review period, smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco grew at high velocity, with value sales over 20 times higher in 2023 compared to the start of the review period. Outstanding sales of e-vapour products, namely closed…

Volume sales of cigars have been growing at steady rates in Colombia since the COVID-pandemic, with further double-digit volume growth witnessed in 2023. Smoking cigars is not a cultural tradition in Colombia, with most cigars imported from Cuba and…

The consumption of cigars and cigarillos in Bolivia remained niche in 2023, with these products having limited distribution. They are mainly available in small tobacco speciality stores, which in recent years have also started offering e-vapours, or…

In 2023, the consumption of cigars and cigarillos in Argentina experienced a slight decline in volume terms. This decline was primarily due to the import restrictions imposed by the former Alberto Fernandez government, which included a partial…

In 2023, sales of cigarettes in Colombia returned to a declining trend following a slight increase in the year prior. The downward trend is not only caused by lower smoking prevalence, but the shift towards alternatives like e-vapour products.…

In 2023, cigarette sales in Argentina experienced a notable retraction, primarily driven by the country’s ongoing economic crisis, which significantly impacted consumer purchasing power. The weakening economy led to a moderate decline in cigarette…

Tobacco in Latin America was recording positive value growth in 2022, driven by the still dominant cigarettes category, but with e-vapour and heated tobacco products recording more dynamic growth. However, the development of these next-generation…

Technological advances in 2024 will continue to reshape consumer behaviour. This annual report explores the top five digital shopper trends that will redefine commerce the most in the year ahead. Some of the trends included in this report’s edition…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries in Q4 2023 and 2024. Global inflation is moderating, although divergence remains among the key economies. Higher volatility in the energy markets and disruption of…

For many years, Mexico was characterised by healthy demographic growth, which led to an increasing number of people of legal smoking age each year and, with it, an increase in the number of smokers, which resulted in positive demand for tobacco…

In 2022, cigarettes remained the primary tobacco category in Brazil. The volume growth of cigarettes in 2022, although slower than in 2019, was indicative of the dynamics surrounding illicit trade rather than an increasing preference for tobacco…

Smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products, and heated tobacco are no longer available in the Mexican market after being banned in 2020, so there is no current data available.

In 2022, Mexico suffered its largest inflationary impact in the past two decades. Nonetheless, cigars, cigarillos, and smoking tobacco demonstrated a certain level of resilience, driven mainly by cigars, which holds the largest value share in the…

The year 2020 saw a poor performance for cigars, marked by a rapid and significant increase in the dollar exchange rate. In addition, the limited opportunities for socialising due to the pandemic resulted in fewer occasions for smoking cigars.…

Since the pandemic, an increasing number of Mexicans have become more aware of health and self-care, encouraging them to take greater interest in leading healthier lifestyles, improving their diets, exercising more frequently, and aspiring to have…

In 2022, cigarettes in Brazil observed a sustained shift in consumer preference, as economy cigarettes gained share from mid-priced cigarettes. This change can be attributed to growing price sensitivity amongst consumers, and their perception of…

Uruguay struggled with high inflation in 2022. Consequently, people’s purchasing power fell. Also, the exchange rate of the UYU against the American dollar appreciated by about 10% in 2022. The combination of high inflation and currency appreciation…

The headline story for tobacco in Peru in 2022 was the continued high level of illicit trade, with more than half of volume sales of cigarettes in 2022 believed to be from illicit channels. The problem has become even more acute since 2020. One…

Since the main consumers of e-vapour products are young, they have limited purchasing power and as a result, they are attracted to the more affordable single-use e-vapour products. As a result, there has been a significant increase in single-use…

Fine cut tobacco continued to account for considerable value sales in 2022, and unlike cigarettes, registered a healthy volume increase. Part of the reason for the growth was with inflation on the rise, consumers opted to roll their own cigarettes…

With society completely opened up in 2022, as fears about the pandemic eased significantly, cigars, cigarillos and fine cut tobacco all registered very high-volume growth, and in particular cigarillos. With people socialising again and having events…

Several factors contributed to a significant drop in volume sales of cigarettes in 2022. Smoking prevalence is gradually declining as authorities’ efforts to stem smoking are bearing fruit. In addition, in 2022, inflation was high, caused by global…

Illicit trade of cigarettes is a very significant issue, with more than half of volume sales in 2022 believed to be from illicit channels. The problem has become even more acute since 2020. One reason for the increased appetite for illicit cigarettes…

Positive value growth was recorded across tobacco in the Dominican Republic in 2022 despite volume sales of cigarettes falling over the course of the year. Demand for cigars increased significantly due to the full reopening of the local hospitality…

The burgeoning heated tobacco category continued to register rising demand during 2022 as smokers who had previously preferred more traditional cigarettes continued to migrate towards this next generation alternative to cigarettes. At the time of…

La Aurora SA maintained its very strong position in cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in 2022 as the company’s wide portfolio of cigars ensured another consecutive year of category leadership for the local player. La Aurora continues to benefit…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

E-vapour products have become extremely popular in Chile, finding a solid consumer base amongst people in their 20s and 30s. Small specialist stores and informal online sellers have taken advantage of this trend, promoting an important increase in…

Like cigars, cigarillos is a niche category in Chile. These are considered speciality products, available only to a small segment of the population, despite the high smoking prevalence in Chile. As such, until 2021, sales of cigarillos were below a…

Probably the biggest development in the Chilean tobacco industry in 2022 was the explosive increase in sales of illicit products. According to a study carried out by British American Tobacco (BAT) and the MIDE Centre from the Catholic University of…

In line with the economic crisis, cigarette consumption showed a third consecutive year of moderate retail growth, driven by the trade down from premium to mainstream brands and from mid-term price brands to economy options. As illicit trade saw a…