Western Europe

Sales of cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco declined in retail volume terms in 2023. Smoking prevalence also dropped in 2023 compared to 2022. More people are quitting smoking for health and financial reasons while some smokers are…

Tobacco in Italy in 2023 continued to perform well in value terms, despite rising costs caused by inflationary pressures, reduced disposable consumer incomes, and various measures taken to curb the practice of smoking overall. In fact, was something…

Tobacco in 2023 was impacted by the Irish government’s decision to keep increasing tobacco taxes, positioning the price for a pack of 20 cigarettes and per stick as the most expensive in western Europe. Further, Ireland continues to have one of the…

Tobacco in Greece posted only modest growth in volume terms in 2023. This occurred within the context of rising levels of health awareness in the country, which had a negative impact on consumption. The cost of living crisis, spurred by a sharp rise…

In 2022, next-generation products were increasing their share in the tobacco market. While cigarette consumption is declining, it remains at a relatively high level compared to other European markets. The reluctance of German politicians to support a…

Tobacco saw continued decline in France in 2023 in both volume and value terms. The increase in taxes on cigarettes during the year led to higher prices, with popular brands such as Marlboro Red 20 priced at EUR11.50, Camel Filters 20 at EUR11.00,…

Retail sales of tobacco in Finland continued to fall in volume terms in 2023, consistent with the downward trend in smoking prevalence across the country. Finns are very aware of the harmful impact of smoking, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic,…

Overall, tobacco in Denmark saw a further strong decline in retail volume sales in 2023. However, there were oases of retail volume growth to be found within the industry. In general, tobacco consumption continued to be adversely affected by…

Sales of traditional tobacco products in Belgium continued to decline rapidly in 2023, primarily due to an increase in excise taxes on cigarettes and smoking tobacco. The diminishing price gap with neighbouring countries, such as France, has also…

In Austria, retail volume sales of cigarettes experienced a notable decline in 2023, falling below pre-COVID-19 levels for the first time. This decline follows a pandemic-induced increase when travel restrictions limited access to cheaper cigarettes…