Asia Pacific

Rising inflation has been denting households’ purchasing power and consumer spending in 2023. Nevertheless, despite certain shifts in consumer behaviour, willingness to spend on chocolate confectionery is still rising in 2023, and retail volume sales…

Chocolate confectionery saw a slowdown in demand in retail volume terms in 2023, thanks to inflationary pressures, which had a negative impact on purchasing power. As a result, consumers had less disposable income to spend on non-essential items,…

The Chongqing in China report provides comprehensive city level information benchmarked against other cities in the country and region. The report includes historic data and forecasts on city population, consumer expenditure, digital penetration,…

Cider/perry posted only marginally positive growth in 2022 as its recovery after the steep decline seen in sales in 2020 seemed to run out of steam. Following the double-digit decline in 2020, cider/perry showed a modest rebound in volume sales terms…

In 2023, cider/perry in China maintained high growth rates, with total volume and current value growth rates in the double digits. Particularly high growth was seen in the on-trade channel, with growth rates exceeding 20%. The strong growth of…

Following the removal of pandemic restrictions, demand for cider/perry in Hong Kong continued to improve in 2023 due to the strong performance of off-trade in the city. In addition, the sustained openings of on-trade outlets led to a marginal…

Cider/perry held only a negligible presence in India in 2021. Given the country’s hot climate and interest in sparkling drinks it would suggest there is a potential market for these products, although currently cider/perry is only being produced on a…

Cider faces significant competition in the on-trade setting. Amongst the products providing notable competition to cider is shochu/soju. In the Indonesian market, shochu/soju is mostly consumed mixed with juice, which dilutes it to a similar level of…

In 2023, cider/perry in Japan witnessed a total volume decline. However, the on-trade rebound was significant, continuing the double-digit growth observed in 2022. Despite the lifting of COVID-19 quasi-emergency measures across all prefectures in…

Cider has always been a tiny niche in Kazakhstan, with a fragmented presence of brands imported from Russia, Sweden, France, and Lithuania. Due to low consumer awareness and no culture supporting cider, it remains as an occasional alternative to beer…

There was high global inflation in 2022 due to various factors including the fallout from the pandemic and importantly Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This in turn led to an increase in the cost of raw materials. In particular packaging costs…

Despite the easing of restrictions on nightlife businesses, the on-trade consumption of cider/perry failed to return to growth in 2022. However, the strongest volume decline was seen by the off-trade channel. Historically, much of the consumption of…

Sales of cider/perry remain minimal in South Korea.

Cider/perry gained momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic when local consumers stayed home due to fears around contagion. However, Taiwan reopened its national border in 2023, and with a resumption of travel and more opportunities to socialise outside…

The cider/perry market has benefited significantly from the removal of restrictions imposed to limit the spread of COVID-19. This is due to the fact that cider/perry is most popular through foodservice channels, as well as amongst health conscious…

Cider/perry, which is a niche market in the Philippines, continued to see modest, albeit positive growth in volume terms in 2023. The category competes closely with other alcoholic drinks, such as beer and RTDs, which have a more established…

Cider/perry remained a relatively niche product in terms of volume sales in Vietnam in 2023, due to the overwhelming popularity of beer in the country. While it can be advertised, due to its low ABV, its higher unit price compared to beer is a…

While cigarettes were recording a second year of positive growth in 2022, boosted by further normalisation post-pandemic, enabling a fuller return of mobility, inbound tourists and social lives, there was a mixed picture in the newer alternatives to…

Asia Pacific continues to be the largest cigarette market in the world. The region’s cigarette consumption experienced a decline caused by the impact of COVID-19 leaving consumers to reduce their consumption of cigarettes or shift to illegal trade.…

There was some volume growth of cigarettes in Azerbaijan in 2023. While the government has imposed policies to reduced prevalence, including increasing excise taxes, banning advertising and imposing restriction on smoking in public places, smoking…

In 2023, retail volume sales of cigarettes in China maintained negligible growth. Cigarettes in China is strictly regulated by The State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA). In recent years, cigarette production remained relatively stable. With…

Following slowing growth post-pandemic, volume sales of cigarettes in Hong Kong declined in 2023, in line with a stronger fall in smoking prevalence among the adult population. This downward trend was despite the relaxation of pandemic-related rules,…

With mobility returning to pre-COVID levels, the frequency of consumption occasions has increased. This has led to the fastest volume growth in a decade, primarily driven by India's sizable population of working individuals. As of 2022, according to…

Cigarettes saw volume sales decline in Indonesia in 2023. Retail volume sales of legal cigarettes in Indonesia have experienced fluctuation in recent years, with a significant fall in the final year of the review period. While legal cigarette volumes…

Cigarettes in Japan continued to decline in retail volume terms in 2023, marking the 11th consecutive year of decline. Cigarettes is still the largest tobacco category in Japan, accounting for over half of value sales; however, the decreasing…

In 2023, cigarettes in Kazakhstan continued to experience negative trends, leading to the ongoing decline in retail volume sales. This was informed by the ongoing gradual decrease in the number of smokers and reduced smoking prevalence, as well as a…

Overall, economy and premium cigarettes gained retail volume share at the expense of mid-priced brands in 2023. The main reason for this trend was high inflation, which drove up living costs and increased cigarette prices. British American Tobacco…

In 2023, volume sales for cigarettes in Pakistan fell by over a quarter. This was due to significant tax hikes, with the sales tax increasing to 18%, from 17% and the Federal Excise Duty increasing by 146%. At the same time as these significant tax…

Tobacco in Singapore saw a retail volume decline in 2023, although current value sales increased. Retail volume sales of cigarettes continued to decrease, with mid-priced cigarettes suffering the most significant fall in sales. Meanwhile, the economy…

Retail volume and current value sales of cigarettes declined in 2023, maintaining the trend seen in 2022. Nevertheless, cigarettes still constitute a large proportion of sales in the overall tobacco industry. Whilst cigarettes experienced a negative…

The decline of cigarettes sales in Taiwan accelerated in volume terms over 2023 due to several factors, including the expansion of non-smoking areas, the increase in smoking age, and increased penalties to business owners, stakeholders and end users.…

The market for cigarettes in Thailand exhibited a decline in volume terms in 2023, albeit at a slower rate than in 2022. Besides the impact of ongoing economic uncertainty, performance continued to be negatively affected by the impact of excise tax…

Cigarette sales in the Philippines continued to see deep declines in both volume and current value terms in 2023, in a trend that is accelerating in 2024 as manufacturers struggle to generate domestic demand through retail. Beyond the inflationary…

In 2023, cigarettes in Uzbekistan witnessed significant developments. Total smoking prevalence in terms of cigarettes rose in 2022-2023. This was due to a significant increase in smoking prevalence among adult males, as the rate among adult females…

In 2023, cigarettes continued to record positive total volume growth in Vietnam despite the economy encountering difficulties during the year. Smoking has become deeply ingrained in the daily routines and habits of many people in Vietnam. Even in the…

Overall, cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco registered healthy volume growth in 2023 in Azerbaijan. That being said, in terms of cigars, value sales were still low, Cigars appeal to a niche consumer base and are considered expensive by the…

Compared with cigarettes, cigars is still a niche category in China, with a relatively low penetration rate. This is primarily because the compact and convenient nature of cigarettes aligns better with consumers’ busy lifestyles and work rhythms.…

Demand for cigars in Hong Kong marginally improved in 2023, supporting sales through offline distribution channels in line with the waning impact of the pandemic. One notable development was the opening of cigar shops in the Tsim Sha Tsui East…

Manufacturers express deep dissatisfaction with the current taxation of cigars and cigarillos, which equates them to cigarettes. Manufacturers argue that these products are considered luxuries and are less addictive, with most consumers not inhaling…

Cigars and cigarillos saw volume sales increase in Indonesia in 2023, while smoking tobacco witnessed a dramatic rise in volumes during the year. Cigars and cigarillos are expected to remain a niche interest, particularly as they are unappealing to…

Following an exceptional decline in 2022, which saw volume sales fall by half from 2021, cigarillos saw another significant drop in sales in 2023. Compared with 2020, which was the peak of volume sales, sales in 2023 were close to a quarter.

Overall, cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Kazakhstan registered a stronger decline in retail volume sales in 2023, compared to 2022. However, this was due to the weak performances of cigars and cigarillos, while pipe tobacco and fine cut…

The continuous pressure of inflation and a weakening of the local currency against the US dollar has increased prices across the category, slowing the post-pandemic retail volume recovery of cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco. Local consumers…

In Pakistan, cigars remained the most popular product within cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco, with value sales for the three latter products being negligible. That being said, volume sales are also low for cigars, though cigars registered…

Cigars and cigarillos in Singapore saw a retail volume decline in 2023. However, this followed a huge spike in sales in 2022. The dynamic volume growth in 2022 was due to increased footfall to Singapore’s casinos, due to heightened restrictions in…

Cigars and cigarillos in South Korea has shown significant increases in retail volume sales for four consecutive years, with double-digit growth seen in 2023. One of the main drivers behind the growth in consumption of cigars and cigarillos is a…

According to government data, the import of cigars and cigarillos during 2019 to 2023 increased significantly with 184% growth in volume. The growth of year-to-year got eased in 2023 as the traveling resumed since the fourth quarter 2022.…

The market for cigars , cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Thailand experienced healthy growth in current value terms throughout 2023, with all three segments seeing a significant increase in sales. In the case of cigars and cigarillos, this was due…

In 2023 in the Philippines, cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco was spared the hindrances that beset cigarettes, benefitting from its products’ positioning as niche and appealing to a loyal consumer audience. Cigars Local consumers who gravitate…

Within cigars, cigarillos and smoking tobacco in Uzbekistan, pipe tobacco remained the only significant category at the end of the review period. Smoking a pipe remains a very common and traditional activity in Uzbekistan. Despite government…