Western Europe

Sales of cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco declined in retail volume terms in 2023. The resumption of cross border trade with Sweden together with price increases in Norway were among the drivers of this decline. During the height of the…

Sales in cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Italy were supported by the positive performance of smoking tobacco in 2023. Indeed, smoking tobacco managed to achieve positive volume sales, as well as value sales, due to such products offering a…

In 2023, retail volume sales of cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Ireland continued their downward trend. While cigars and cigarillos are not subject to as many tax increases as cigarettes, in comparison to some other European countries they…

The market for cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Greece saw a decline in volume sales in 2023, continuing the trend of the previous year. While the largest product area, fine cut tobacco, has proved to be more resilient than cigarettes,…

Fine cut tobacco volume sales recorded positive growth in 2022 following the decline seen in 2021, with actual volume sales in 2022 remaining above their pre-pandemic level, helped by the strong growth seen in 2020. The continued prevalence of remote…

Cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco saw volumes continue to fall in France in 2023. By comparison with other categories, fine cut tobacco was spared during the COVID-19 years due to the fact that it was subject to lower taxation than cigarettes.…

The market for cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Finland showed a mixed performance in 2023. On a positive note, cigars managed to maintain the broadly positive growth trend which had been in evidence since the start of the pandemic. The…

Overall, retail volume sales of cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Denmark continued to see a double-digit decline in 2023. The demand for these types of tobacco products remained negatively affected as they tend to have an older consumer…

Smoking tobacco experienced a significant decline in Belgium during 2023, primarily driven by escalating prices following recent excise hikes. The skyrocketing prices have led to a sharp reduction in sales, particularly to French consumers who…

Volume sales of cigars and cigarillos continued to decrease in Austria in 2023, but at a significantly slower rate than cigarettes. Demand for these products experienced a strong push during the pandemic, and volume sales for both cigars and…

In 2023, cigarette sales in Turkey experienced a significant increase in retail volume, growing at a double-digit rate. This surge can be partly attributed to a rebound in sales following a period of decline in the previous year due to adverse…

Retail volume sales of cigarettes in the UK declined by double digits in 2023, even though smoking prevalence experienced a limited drop. The main reason behind the highest decline in legal cigarette sales in the last decade was the significant unit…

Cigarettes saw another year of retail volume decline in 2023, with the smoking prevalence continuing to fall in the Netherlands, and the number of young people starting to smoke also decreasing. With the regulatory environment becoming ever stricter…

The long-term trend of declining volume sales of cigarettes continued in 2022, with consumers increasingly aware of the levels of harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke. Cigarettes posted negative performances in both retail volume and current value…

In 2023, retail volume sales of cigarettes declined marginally in Sweden. The Swedish government’s strategy to reduce the smoking rate has been successful with smoking prevalence steadily falling to a record low of 5.5% in 2023, which is extremely…

Cigarettes experienced significant value growth in Spain in 2023. The increase in value sales was driven by inflation and an increase in unit prices. However, even though value sales increased, volume sales registered a decline, largely due to the…

Despite the positive impact from sales to tourists, this was not enough to prevent cigarettes from declining in in retail volume terms in 2023. The difficult economic context, high inflation and relevant price increases on cigarettes due to tax…

Volume sales of cigarettes continued to decline in Norway in 2023. Smoking prevalence dropped in 2023 compared to 2022 with more people quitting smoking or switching to smokeless tobacco such as snus. The government is making concerted efforts to…

Cigarettes in Italy continued to decline in volume terms in 2023, as the number of cigarette smokers diminish. At the same time, the rising tax on cigarettes is pushing up prices, supporting value sales but also acting as a deterrent to cigarette…

In 2023, the Irish cigarette market continued to decline, with volume sales dropping fast. Many factors contributed to this double-digit decline – the high cost of living and rising tobacco product taxes are two of the main causes. Ireland is…