Eastern Europe

Smoking prevalence in Bosnia and Herzegovina has continued to decline throughout the review period, a trend that persisted into 2023, exerting a downward pressure on cigarette consumption. This decline is attributed to a growing number of…

Cigarette consumption in Bulgaria recorded a marginal decline in 2023. The switch to alternative products among younger adults, such as heated tobacco products and single use cigarettes, has become very popular over the last year. Millennials and Gen…

Despite continuously rising prices, cigarettes in Croatia saw a further increase in retail volume sales in 2023, albeit a moderate upturn and significantly slower than in 2021 and 2022. Croatia is one of the rare EU markets that is seemingly showing…

Smoking prevalence continues to decline in Eastern Europe, with retail volume sales of cigarettes also falling. Some consumers continue to try and cut down on their smoking or quit altogether for health reasons, brought into even greater focus by…

In 2023, cigarettes in Estonia witnessed another year of retail volume sales decline. The downward trajectory is partly due to consumers becoming more conscious of health and therefore likely to quit the habit. However, the major reason for the fall…

There was a significant increase in volume sales of cigarettes in Georgia in 2023. This was partly due to an increase in population, as there were increased numbers of immigrants from Russia, as a result of the war in Ukraine. Also, inflation…

Tobacco in Hungary saw a decline in volume terms overall in 2023, attributed to several and various factors. Despite price hikes that remained below the annual inflation rate, the market's largest segments struggled to stem the fall. Volume sales of…

Throughout 2023, retail sales of cigarettes in Latvia sustained a downward trajectory. This trend was primarily driven by the steady increase in average unit prices, attributed to excise tax policies and heightened competition from alternative…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes continued to decline in Lithuania in 2023. Consumers are increasingly aware of the health risks associated with smoking, a concern further amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, which created additional impetus for…

As was the case throughout the review period, cigarettes in North Macedonia saw retail volume sales contract in 2023 as smoking prevalence among the adult population continued to fall in line with rising health-consciousness. Having recently become…

Sales of cigarettes experienced a slight decline in volume terms in 2023. Sales saw strong growth in 2022 as large numbers of refuges entered Poland following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In 2023, many of these refugees from Ukraine returned to…

Cigarettes saw strong growth in retail volume terms in 2023. Sales were boosted by the end of the pandemic and the return to more normalised behaviour in terms of work and socialising. The end of the pandemic lowered concerns about the complications…

There was a slight fall in volume sales of cigarettes in Serbia in 2023. This was partly due to continuing population decline. Price hikes and tax hikes, along with high inflation, also dampened volume sales somewhat. However, smoking prevalence only…

Slovakia’s cigarettes market continued to decline in 2023 after new excise taxes were introduced, leaving smokers under growing economic pressure to downgrade to more affordable cigarettes or seek out alternatives. Rising demand for soft cigarette…

The consumption of cigarettes is declining in Slovenia. Constant campaigns to educate consumers about the dangers of smoking are helping to drive an ongoing decline in smoking prevalence and in the actual number of smokers of cigarettes. New plain…

A worsening economic situation in 2023 had a significant effect on cigarettes in the Czech Republic. While lower than in 2022, the rate of inflation in the Czech Republic remained high, exerting upward pressure on production and transportation costs…

Cigarettes saw a slight rise in volume sales in Ukraine in 2023. This came after several years of marked volume decline. Amongst the reasons for this upturn in volumes were the low starting base following a steep decline in the previous year because…

Cigars and cigarillos continued to achieve moderate double-digit retail volume growth in Bosnia Herzegovina in 2023 as consumer demand among niche consumer groups and cigar aficionados remained stable. Both the cigars and cigarillos categories remain…

The economy segment of cigars and cigarillos in Bulgaria has been most heavily impacted by the rising cost of living and high rate of inflation in 2023. The large consumer base of cigar and cigarillo smokers are switching to cheaper alternatives,…

Cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Croatia continued to see retail volume growth in 2023. The growing interest in cigars among a wider range of consumers pushed up retail volume sales. Previously, cigars were predominantly smoked by…

The performance of cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Estonia in 2023 diverged according to category. Cigars and, to a much lesser extent, cigarillos saw faster retail volume growth, compared to 2022, while smoking tobacco saw a stronger…

There was a significant increase in volume sales of cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Georgia in 2023. This was partly due to an increase in population, as there were increased numbers of immigrants from Russia, as a result of the war in…

Cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Hungary saw overall category volume sales fall in 2023. Volume sales of smoking tobacco continued to drop, exacerbated by a more challenging household economic situation. With lower disposable incomes and…

The year 2023 witnessed significant declines in the demand for cigars and cigarillos in Latvia. This downward trend is indicative of the niche status and limited demand for these products. In the case of cigars, the sales decline observed in 2023…

The cigarillos category did not see much positive activity in Lithuania in 2023. The major competitive battles are fought outside this category, leaving it with little attention from market players and consumers. However, the government did not…

Fine cut tobacco was the most dynamic performer within cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in North Macedonia in retail volume growth terms in 2023. This product type continued to gain ground as an economical substitute for cigarettes as unit…

Sales of fine cut tobacco declined in retail volume terms in 2023. Like cigarettes, this category received a sales boost in 2022 as large numbers of refugees entered Poland following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. However, in 2023 the influence of…

The pandemic led to changes in lifestyle and smoking patterns with increased interest in cigars, cigarillos, pipe tobacco and fine cut tobacco. These products were seen as exotic and tapped into the increasing search for new experiences. Although the…

Both cigars and cigarillos registered volume growth in Serbia in 2024, unlike cigarettes, which saw volume sales fall. One reason for the positive performance of cigars and cigarillos is that the price gap between cigarettes and cigars and cigarillos…

Cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Slovakia saw excise taxes rise sharply in 2023. This move attempted to improve the situation of the Slovak fiscal budget. However, in combination with squeezed household budgets. of Slovak households, raised…

Cigars and cigarillos saw steady growth in current value terms in 2023 with cigars seeing the strongest growth. The premiumisation trend was behind the strong value growth seen in cigars, with some consumers seeking a high quality and luxurious…

Overall, cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in the Czech Republic registered a moderate decrease in retail volume sales in 2023. However, this was mainly due to the decrease in retail volume sales of fine cut tobacco, which dominates in terms of…

Cigars and cigarillos saw a double-digit decline in volume sales in Ukraine in 2023, while smoking tobacco volumes also fell during the year. Both the cigars and cigarillos, and the smoking tobacco categories have suffered significantly during…

The briefing introduces the Cities Households Necessities Spending Index. The index ranks 1,075 cities by household expenditure on non-discretionary items, namely food, housing, and clothing and footwear. This analysis focuses on 160 major cities.…

Slower growth, surging inflation, rising geopolitical risks and an accelerating deglobalisation trend are factors shaping the global economic, financial and trade landscape in 2022 and beyond. Despite the challenges, there are opportunities for…

This report examines inflation levels and drivers globally and in key countries. Global inflation is reaching a peak, although geopolitical risks and uncertainty in the energy market remain key risks. The impact varies between countries, with…

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered the most severe global recession since World War II. In Q4 2020, the end of the pandemic started as countries began administering effective vaccines among the population; however, vaccine distribution…

This report considers what socialising will look like in a post-COVID-19 era, focusing on several key questions. A return to the “Roaring Twenties” in the beverages space or a continuing decimation of the on-trade? How has socialising changed (eg…

Smokeless tobacco, heated tobacco and e-vapour products in Bulgaria posted dynamic growth despite rising unit prices across all categories. The growing popularity of such products has led to higher excise duty on e-liquids and nicotine free liquids,…

E-vapour products and heated tobacco products were the two most dynamic areas of tobacco in Slovenia in 2023. Increasing awareness about the harmful impact of smoking cigarettes and tobacco has resulted in some consumers switching to alternatives…

Smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco in Croatia performed well overall in 2023, although chewing tobacco and moist snuff remained negligible. Both e-vapour products and heated tobacco are on an upward retail volume sales…

Smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco in Estonia performed well in retail volume sales terms in 2023. E-vapour products and heated tobacco are emerging as the major competitors to regular combustible cigarettes. These product types…

In 2023, e-vapour products in Lithuania continued to show strong growth. A significant number of consumers are shifting from regular cigarettes to alternatives perceived as less harmful, particularly single-use vaping devices and heated tobacco.…

In 2023, retail value sales of e-vapour products and heated tobacco recorded double-digit growth in Bosnia Herzegovina. While the smoking prevalence and cigarette consumption, including illicit trade, continue to decline in the country, two other…

Smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products, and heated tobacco in Latvia continued its upward trajectory in 2023, primarily driven by the increasing popularity of heated tobacco and single-use vaping systems. While this growth trend has been consistent…

Both e-vapour and heated tobacco registered healthy volume growth in 2023. That being said, sales were still low. In particular in terms of e-vapour, there is concern that vaping is as harmful as cigarette smoking. In April 2023, the government…

New regulations were introduced for e-vapour products in Serbia in 2023. Amendments to the Tobacco Law, effective from November 2023, established a new category for electronic cigarettes and associated products, regardless of their nicotine content.…

E-vapour products saw a fall in sales in current value terms in Ukraine in 2023, while heated tobacco products saw growth in both current value and volume terms. E-vapour products experienced a significant change in market conditions in Ukraine…

Smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco in Slovakia saw double-digit rises in volume and current value sales growth in 2023. In February 2023, tobacco products were subject excise taxes increase, though retailers of e-vapour products…

Smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco in Hungary in 2023 expanded in terms of volume and current value sales. By autumn 2023, all major international tobacco manufacturers had entered the heated tobacco market, with Japan…