Cigarette sales at the beginning of the year fell by 2%… A total of 3.59 billion packs of cigarettes were sold last year
▲ KT&G’s cigarette-type electronic cigarette device ‘Lil Hybrid’
Provided by KT&G
Last year, sales of cigarette-type e-cigarettes increased by about 17% compared to the previous year, and the market continues to expand. On the other hand, sales of cigarettes, commonly called ‘tobacco’, decreased by 2.0%, while overall cigarette sales remained at the same level as the previous year.
According to the ‘2021 Tobacco Market Trend’ released by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance on the 28th, the total number of cigarettes sold last year was 3.59 billion packs. This is a decrease of 0.01% from 2020 (3.59 billion packs). Cigarette sales amounted to 3.15 billion packs, down 40 million packs (2.0%) from the previous year, while cigarette-type e-cigarette sales increased by 160 million packs (17.1%) to 440 million packs. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance analyzed, “The preference for cigarette-type e-cigarettes that do not contain tobacco ash and have less odor compared to cigarettes is increasing due to the strengthening of social distancing and the expansion of telecommuting.”
In addition, it explained that sales of ‘CSV e-cigarettes’, liquid e-cigarettes containing nicotine and other liquids in closed containers, and e-cigarettes with solid tobacco products in the market were recalled due to a decrease in demand, he explained. Last year, the tax burden decreased by 2.1% to 11.7 trillion won. Last year’s cigarette sales were down 17.7% from the 2014 sales (4.36 billion packs) before the price hike. The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said, “It is judged that the effects of the smoking cessation policy, such as the cigarette tax increase, are continuing.”
Reporter Sejong Lim Joo-hyung
