Tobacco

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…

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…

Argentina faced an uncertain macroeconomic scenario, with political dysfunction and economic instability, and one of the highest inflation rates in the world. However, following Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (Cepal: United…

Until recent years, much of the supply of e-vapour products in Bolivia was through small business operators who imported small batches both legally and illegally and sold them in specialised independent stores or through social networks. However, in…

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…

In recent years, there has been a growing supply of cigars, cigarettes and pipe tobacco entering illegally from Argentina and Peru. This is mainly because neighbouring countries have experienced significant currency devaluation in recent years, while…

Cigars and cigarillos sales recovered in retail volume terms in 2022, following a double-digit decrease during and after the COVID-19 crisis. Both imported cigars and cigarillos rebounded, driven by premium cigars, as well as the expansion of a wide…

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…

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…

Paraguay’s consumption of tobacco declined once again in 2022 as smoking prevalence continued to fall. The increased awareness of the harmful effects of smoking on health, anti-tobacco policies, such as bans on advertising, the inclusion of health…