Middle East

The two major trends in alcoholic drinks in Lebanon in 2023 were falling off-trade volume sales and rising on-trade demand. While the socioeconomic crisis has curbed spending, many local people are socialising in bars and restaurants more often and…

Alcoholic drinks saw volume sales rise in Israel in 2023 despite the fact that there was a large increase in the prices of alcohol. In January 2023, the tax on alcohol increased along with the increase of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), by 5.3%.…

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…

Alcoholic drinks in Iraq faced huge challenges in 2023 after the Iraqi Government announced stricter enforcement of the 2017 ban on the sale of alcohol. In the KRG meanwhile, strong sales growth is being seen as the alcohol ban is not enforced there.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Beer in Saudi Arabia in 2023 remained the only relevant category in alcoholic drinks, as non-alcoholic beer is the only AD product allowed to be consumed in the Kingdom. This is due to the strict laws prohibiting the consumption of alcoholic drinks…

Alcoholic drinks in Saudi Arabia in 2023 continued to be characterised by the fact that alcohol is prohibited by Saudi law. As such, all sales in the category come from non-alcoholic beer. Indeed, Saudi Arabia is one of the top ten markets for…