Cigarettes and Alternative Nicotine Products in Asia Pacific

August 2024

While cigarettes were recording declining volume sales in 2023, positive growth was being seen in real value terms, helped in no small part by an ongoing trend towards premium brands in China, the region’s dominant market. However, e-vapour products saw another major decline due to the raft of new regulations on these products in China. Heated tobacco continued to record strong growth, with Japan remaining the biggest market for these products globally.

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Key findings

Premium products expected to continue gaining share in Chinese cigarettes

With the Chinese authorities actively pursuing a policy of curbing the supply of low-end and cheap products and increasing the penetration of premium brands, this is seeing cigarettes recording a stronger performance in real value terms than in volume terms, with the latter only seeing a very modest increase in 2023.

Tax hikes and weakening rupiah hit legal sales of cigarettes in Indonesia

Legal cigarettes saw a significant decline in volume sales in Indonesia in 2023. The Indonesian government increased the excise tax by an average of 10% for cigarettes at the start of the year. With global uncertainty and a weakening rupiah, consumer spending was constrained by falling disposable incomes. Cigarette smokers became more budget conscious, which negatively impacted overall volume sales of legal cigarettes during the year.

Losses from Chinese ban on e-vaping flavours unlikely to be recouped

The ban on flavours in e-vapour products will continue to undermine the e-vaping market in China – and therefore also the whole region – in the coming years. With e-vapour products banned in Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, this will also serve to limit the potential of this category in Asia Pacific.

Heated tobacco expected to continue growing in Asia Pacific

In Japan and South Korea, Asia Pacific houses the first and fourth biggest heated tobacco markets globally, with both expected to continue growing in the coming years. Dynamic performances are expected in relatively new heated tobacco markets like the Philippines, although the absence of heated tobacco products in the region’s two most populous nations (China, India) will continue to limit this category’s development over the forecast period.

Scope
Key findings
Asia Pacific the biggest regional market for sales of cigarettes
Thanks to Japan, Asia Pacific has the biggest regional market for heated tobacco
Stagnation expected for cigarette unit volumes from 2025
Smokeless tobacco, e-vapour products and heated tobacco will be growing again from 2024
Japanese cigarette sales decline by more than 44 billion sticks over 2018-2023
Double-digit heated tobacco product CAGRs recorded in Japan and South Korea
Slim and superslim cigarettes gaining share in China
Convenience stores helping to drive heated tobacco sales in Indonesia
Unit volume sales of cigarettes decline in Asia Pacific over 2018-2023
State Tobacco Monopoly Administration with a clear focus on high-end cigarettes in China
Cigarette sales declining in Japan as smokers switch to heated tobacco
Heated tobacco products driving growth in the overall category
Heated tobacco continues to dominate sales in next-generation products
Sales of e-vapour products devastated by the raft of new regulations in China
E-vapour products banned in a number of markets in Asia Pacific
Small local grocers the main distribution channel for cigarettes in Asia Pacific
Convenience stores lead sales in Japan and South Korea
Convenience stores the main distribution channel in Japan and South Korea
Vaping specialists a key channel in Indonesia
Concentrated competitive landscapes nationally for cigarettes
JTI taps into the price-sensitive consumer segment with new low-price products
PMI, JTI and BAT present across much of the region
China National Tobacco Corp’s brands dominate the top 10 rankings
RELX Technology losing sales but gaining share in Chinese e-vapour products
Philip Morris International the leading player in heated tobacco products in Asia Pacific
General flatlining of unit volume sales of cigarettes expected over the forecast period
Modest annual growth expected in real value terms for cigarettes in Asia Pacific
Heated tobacco to set the pace, but e-vapour products will return to positive growth
Philippines most dynamic, but Japan and South Korea will drive heated tobacco growth
Bans and stricter regulations will continue to suppress e-vaping growth in the region
China: Market Context
China: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Hong Kong, China: Market Context
Hong Kong, China: Competitive and Retail Landscape
India: Market Context
India: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Indonesia: Market Context
Indonesia: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Japan: Market Context
Japan: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Malaysia: Market Context
Malaysia: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Pakistan: Market Context
Pakistan: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Philippines: Market Context
Philippines: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Singapore: Market Context
Singapore: Competitive and Retail Landscape
South Korea: Market Context
South Korea: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Taiwan: Market Context
Taiwan: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Thailand: Market Context
Thailand: Competitive and Retail Landscape
Vietnam: Market Context
Vietnam: Competitive and Retail Landscape

Tobacco

Passport Tobacco covers the seven major tobacco categories: Cigarettes, Cigars & Cigarillos, Smoking tobacco (made up of Pipe tobacco and RYO tobacco), Smokeless Tobacco (snuff and chewing tobacco), E-Vapour Products (closed and open); Heated Tobacco; and Tobacco Free Oral Nicotine. Smoking paraphernalia such as pipes, rolling papers, lighters or matches, etc., are not included, nor are nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products, which are part of Euromonitor's Passport Consumer Healthcare database.

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