According to the industry, sales of tobacco products in Germany will continue to decline in 2023. After the significant decline last year, cigarette sales will also fall in 2023, said the general manager of the Federal Association of the Tobacco Industry and Novel Products (BVTE), Jan Mücke, in Berlin. The amount of fine cutting for do-it-yourself turning or stuffing will also be below the previous year’s figure.
Cigarette sales from January to November 2023 were almost 60 billion units, 2.0 percent below the level of the same period last year, the association said, citing data from the Federal Statistical Office. In 2022, cigarette sales fell by 8.3 percent to 65.8 billion units. According to the association, sales of fine cutting remained stable in 2022 with an increase of 0.4 percent compared to 2021.
Smokers smoke less
According to the association, fewer and fewer people are smoking and smokers are reducing their consumption. Tobacco consumers also turned to cheaper bulk packs or cheaper brands. This trend will continue unbroken in 2023, as the sales statistics for tax stamps show.
The proportion of cigarettes not taxed in Germany is currently 18.7 percent and is therefore stable at the pre-Corona level of 2019. The association sees this as an indication that the proportion of smokers in the population has not increased disproportionately after the pandemic.
