Cigar Consumption And Revenues In Europe

Cigar consumption in Europe (2011-2019) 

Cigars and cigarillos are niche products within a much larger manufactured tobacco market and constitute enjoyment products, which contribute only marginally to smoking prevalence across the EU.

The market for cigars and cigarillos continues to decline across Europe (from 10.37 billion sticks in 2011 to 9.23 in 2019) with no signs that this trend will reverse anytime soon.

Estimated Market Shares of Tobacco Products in the European Union in 2019 ()

Number of pieces, billions% of total market
Factory-made cigarettes458.482.9
Fine-cut tobacco79.2514.3
Cigars and Cigarillos9.231.7
Other smoking tobacco3.860.7
Novel Tobacco products 1.90.4 
Total552.65100.0

Sales developments of cigars in the EU Member States 2012-2019 (in millions of units)

Source: ECMA estimates based on market data. 

Revenue from tobacco excise duty (in € millions)

DG TAXUD Excise Duty Tables (Tax receipts – Manufactured Tobacco), July 2019

2018Country Cigarettes Cigars and CigarillosOther Smoking Tobacco (including Fine Cut Tobacco)
Belgium1774,9111,95577,8
Bulgaria 1254,611,440,7
Czech Republic2193,476,3983,89
Denmark895,156,3247,82
Germany12294,4793,161945,93
Estonia191,261,886,77
Greece2252,46NANA
Spain6214,09103,27595,33
France 10089,78185,941674,15
Croatia648,72NANA
Ireland 739,975,553,23
Italy9784,51101,8695,58
Cyprus158,112,8926,87
Latvia 205,852,664,42
Lithuania283,113,065,93
Luxembourg381,332,141,91
Hungary 804,818,46270,69
Malta90NA4
Netherlands1948,168,72672,9
Austria1911,1NANA
Poland4611,54NANA
Portugal1263,2826,5969,61
Romania2090,132,4223,28
Slovenia 402,160,9515,53
Slovakia7002,4923
Finland 966,6934,58105,05
Sweden8445,6817,03
UK8139,5282,071585,98
Rounded Total73.1007008.500

[1] DG TAXUD, Releases for consumption of cigarettes and fine cut tobacco (2002-2019), ECMA figures for cigars and EA 2019 figures for ‘Other smoking tobacco’ and ‘Novel Tobacco products’. As per Commission SWD(2020) 33 final; the estimate of ‘pieces’ for the fine-cut and ‘other’ categories (pipe tobacco and similar) are based on a conversion of tonnage data at 1 gramme per piece.

* Included under “cigarettes’.