Explore the latest trends, demand drivers and growth opportunitie...
Explore the latest trends, demand drivers and growth opportunities in the Middle East, with in-depth market and data analysis from our in-country field researchers and regional experts.
Tobacco in the United Arab Emirates is a strong and a well-established industry. Although globally, tobacco is facing challenges, it still demonstrates healthy growth in the United Arab Emirates. One reason is cultural heritage and a strong habit of…
Tobacco in Saudia Arabia saw marginal volume growth overall in 2023. Cigarettes remained the largest category in tobacco despite the growing trend towards heated tobacco. Health and wellness trends as well as high taxation and increasing prices…
Falling demand for cigarettes in 2023 meant a forgettable year for tobacco in Qatar. Government efforts to curb tobacco use and the spreading preference among young adults for e-vapour products, the sale of which remains banned, have put huge…
Tobacco in Oman in 2023 is expected to grow gradually due to a slight population increase and moderate inflation at 1%. The Consumer Price Index for tobacco was also higher than in the past five years in July 2023. Growth is projected to accelerate…
2023 saw demand for tobacco continue to rise, despite the impact of Lebanon’s ongoing socioeconomic crisis. Cigarettes are seen as an affordable luxury, with the low prices charged for local brand Cedars a crucial factor in the category’s enduring…
In 2023, Kuwait witnessed a continued tradition of males smoking in public, particularly in cafés. Although volume sales of cigarettes declined, the overall value growth remained positive due to higher product prices. Kuwaiti consumers showed a…
In 2023, tobacco in Jordan has seen growth in current value sales, largely due to consumers shifting from cigarettes to more expensive alternatives. Although cigarette volumes experienced a slight decline as consumers moved towards reduced-risk…
The tobacco market saw growth in Israel in 2023. The Israel-Hamas War caused a lot of stress, fear and uncertainty amongst locals, with many existing smokers smoking more frequently, and some former smokers returning to the habit. The outbreak of the…
Surging demand for e-vapour products was the main trend in tobacco in Iraq during 2023, as demand for cigarettes and smoking tobacco falls. Notably, new consumers, including women and young adults, tend to find vaping preferable to smoking.…
Heated tobacco products in the United Arab Emirates recorded the most impressive growth rates within the local tobacco industry in 2023, followed by e-vapour products. Both tobacco heating devices and heated tobacco recorded double-digit retail…
With the entry of the new government in January 2023, the new Minister of Treasury decreased the taxes on single use e-cigs and refillable liquid from 270% to 145% with an additional ILS4.64/ml. However, overall tax cannot be lower than ILS8.9/ml.…
Overall smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco saw triple-digit rises in both volume and current value sales In Saudi Arabia in 2023. The popularity of heated tobacco products continued to expand, led by Phillip Morris as the main…
After cigarettes, pipe tobacco in the United Arab Emirates remains the most popular category in the local industry, which is determined by the historical significance of shisha, the traditional Middle Eastern pipe device. Shisha tobacco comprises the…
In Saudi Arabia in 2023, volume sales in cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco declined while current value sales saw an only marginal rise. Consumers continued to shift from cigars and cigarillos towards vapes and heated tobacco products. Such…
Cigars and cigarillos saw volume sales rise in Israel in 2023, while smoking tobacco also saw volumes increase. Smoking tobacco dominates category retail volume sales in Israel, with fine cut tobacco remaining a popular, more affordable alternative…
Despite the huge success of e-vapour products and heated tobacco products, cigarettes in the United Arab Emirates continued to record healthy growth in 2023. The smoking tradition is very strong in Arabic culture, and both locals and expatriates…
Consumption and sales of cigarettes in Saudia Arabia in 2023 remained severely impacted by the growing consumer shift from cigarettes to e-vapour products and heated tobacco. The number of consumers quitting smoking cigarettes has been increasing,…
Cigarettes saw a significant increase in volume sales in Israel in 2023. The outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War in October 2023 led to an increase in smoking, with more than one survey seeing a notable increase in the frequency of smoking amongst…