INTERNATIONAL
Tobacco Regulation: Latin America
October 2026: Guyana Bans Recreational Vaping Products, Restricting Imports Amid Public Health Concerns The government of Guyana has announced a ban on the importation and distribution of recreational vaping products, moving to restrict electronic cigarettes to safeguard youth and combat rising rates of nicotine addiction. Under the new policy, the
Global Vape Market
October 2026: China Deepens Tax Overhaul, Eliminating VAT Rebates for E-Cigarette Exports In a progressive tightening of fiscal policies governing key manufacturing sectors, Chinese regulatory authorities have moved to completely eliminate value-added tax (VAT) export rebates for e-cigarettes, nicotine products, and associated non-combustible inhalation devices. Following initial policy trims, Announcements
South Africa: Tobacco Market
October 2026: BAT to Exit South African Manufacturing as Illicit Cigarettes Take 75% Market Share British American Tobacco (BAT) is bringing down the curtain on over 50 years of cigarette manufacturing in South Africa, sticking to its plan announced in January to close its Heidelberg factory by the end of
Turkey: Cigarette Market
September 2026: Turkey Targets 2040 Total Tobacco Ban in Sweeping Anti-Smoking Legislation Turkey has drawn up draft legislation outlining a phased strategy to achieve a complete, nationwide ban on the production, sale, import, and consumption of all tobacco and nicotine products by January 1, 2040. The ambitious measure targets one
Illicit Trade – RRPs: International
August 2026: Illicit High-Nicotine Vapes Flood European Markets Amid Enforcement Gaps A parallel market for non-compliant e-cigarettes is rapidly expanding across Europe, granting consumers easy access to hyper-concentrated, massive-capacity disposable vapes. Recent investigations by public health advocacy groups reveal that illicit e-cigarettes vastly exceeding legal safety thresholds can be purchased
International: Illegal Cigarettes
August 2026: Nearly 60% of Cigarette Packs in Ireland Avoided Domestic Tax, Research Reveals A major research study tracking discarded cigarette packaging across Ireland has revealed that nearly six in ten cigarette packs consumed in the country avoided Irish tax, pointing to widespread tax avoidance and illegal smuggling. The Empty
Africa: Tobacco Market
March 2026: BAT Faces Rising Illicit Trade in African Markets British American Tobacco (BAT) reported a 12.5% year-on-year revenue decline in Kenya in 2025, as domestic market performance continued to be undermined by illicit trade. Illicit cigarettes now account for 45% of the Kenyan market, up from 37% in 2024,
Egypt: Tobacco Market
February 2026: Philip Morris Egypt raises cigarette prices by E£5-7 Philip Morris Egypt announced new prices for its portfolio of traditional cigarettes and heated tobacco products in the Egyptian market. Under the updated price list, Merit is now priced at E£111 per pack ($2.4), Marlboro at E£102 ($2.2) and L&M at
Russia: Cigarette Market
January 2026: Russia to Begin Extra-Judicial Blocking of Online Tobacco Sales Sites Russian authorities will start blocking websites that sell tobacco and nicotine-containing products without a court order beginning in March 2026. The measure, passed by the State Duma and set to take effect on March 1, 2026, aims to
Little Cigars
June 2025: Global little cigar sales dropped 4% in 2024, outside China Little cigar sales, outside China, dropped 3.9% to 18.4 billion sticks in 2024. Top-3 markets, USA (5.75 billion), Japan (2.92 billion), and Germany (2.45 billion), accounted for 60.4% of the global sales volume in 2024. Sales revenue for
International Cigar Market
June 2025: The Dominican Republic remains the world’s top exporter of premium cigars The Dominican Republic remains the world’s top exporter of premium cigars, producing around 8.4 billion cigars each year – including 181 million handmade cigars and more than 8.2 billion machine-made cigars. 88% of the premium (handmade) cigars
