Tobacco use in figures
Smoking decreases, while snus increases.
Swedes smoke least in Europe. The differences in smoking habits are also considerable when compared with neighboring countries, particularly among men. This can largely be attributed to snus. Of Swedish men in the 16-84 age group, 9 percent smoked every day and 18 percent used snus every day in 2017 and 2018. Of women, 11 percent smoked every day and 4 percent used snus every day.
Sources: Folkhälsomyndigheten, SE; Statistisk sentralbyrå (SSB), NO; Sundhetsstyrelsen, DK; 2017-2018.
Cigarettes
Cigarette sales in Sweden have decreased steadily over time. Changes in taxation have led to temporary market fluctuations. A major tax hike on cigarettes in the late 1990s, for example, led to a decline in legal trade, while illicit trade in cigarettes increased. When the tax was later reduced, legal trade increased again. But the trend is clear; smoking has continued to show a gradual decline.
Volume changes snus and cigarettes
Source: Swedish Match
Snus
Approximately 1 million Swedish adults currently use snus, and snus sales have increased over a long period of time, while cigarette sales have declined. Tax changes on snus may also have impacted consumer behavior, such as a temporary hoarding effect prior to an adopted tax increase. Excise tax on snus has increased 251 percent over the past decade, with one subsequent effect that the proportion of untaxed snus products sold in Sweden has risen in recent years. But the long-term trend is clear; the use of snus is growing, while smoking is declining.
