The direction of tobacco in Taiwan depends on the progress of government legislation. In 2023, the Tobacco Hazards Prohibition Act was announced, followed by more specific standards for additives in 2024. There is still uncertainty regarding the final scope and implementation timeline, with industry players waiting for further clarification. The government has stated that certain chemical additives, including those in tobacco, will be restricted. However, the exact enforcement timeline and full list of prohibited substances remain unclear. Companies are waiting for more details before making strategic decisions.
Retail volume sales of tobacco in Taiwan saw a second consecutive year of strong decline in 2024. Meanwhile, retail current value sales dropped at a faster rate in 2024, compared with 2023. Only heated tobacco products posted positive retail volume growth at the end of the review period. Following the 2023 amendment to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, heated tobacco products were legally given the opportunity for market entry, while there were bans for e-cigarettes and flavoured tobacco, including cigarettes.
JT Tobacco International Taiwan Corp consolidated its clear leadership of tobacco with significant retail volume share growth in 2024. The company produced brands like Mevius, Winston, Mine and LD in cigarettes. Mevius remained the leading brand, utilising a wide offer to grow retail volume share in tobacco overall in 2024. However, retail volume sales decreased, as the brand witnessed price increases of TWD5.00 on all of its core options (except menthol and soft packs) from September 2024. Meanwhile, Mine, which has even clearer premium positioning than Mevius, saw a reduction in price.
Convenience stores continued to grow its retail volume share in 2024, to consolidate its position as the leader in terms of the distribution in cigarettes. Taiwan's network of convenience stores rose steadily through the review period to reach over 13,000 outlets in 2024. In terms of sales structure, beverages and tobacco/alcoholic drinks accounted for significantly more than one half of convenience stores’ total sales.
Over the forecast period, tobacco is projected to see a negative retail volume CAGR and a positive, if modest, retail value (constant 2024 prices) CAGR. Due to the government's active smoking reduction policies, the implementation of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, and the increase in tobacco taxes, more consumers are expected to quit smoking or reduce consumption. Additionally, the rise of new tobacco products is likely to exert a significant influence on the industry.
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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.
See all of our definitionsThis report originates from Passport, our Tobacco research and analysis database.
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