Smoking in Estonia
There has been a steady overall downwards trend for prevalence of current smokers in the general population in Estonia since 2006. 23% of Estonians were current smokers in 2017, down significantly from 33% in 2006. The prevalence decreased every year until 2017, when it increased by 1% from the previous survey in 2014. These data come from the Eurobarometer surveys, the most recent of which was carried out in 2017. In the most recent survey a total of 27,901 respondents from different social and demographic groups were interviewed face-to-face at home, in their mother tongue, across all 28 of the EU countries. The sample for each country is representative, however the sample sizes are relatively small (e.g. most countries had just over 1000 participants, but for Italy, Malta and Lithuania the sample was around 500). Nevertheless, the Eurobarometer surveys are useful as they have estimates for smoking prevalence collected over a number of years which can show trends, as described here.
Read articles from Estonia
December 14, 2023 by err.ee
E-cigarettes more popular in Estonia as young people start smoking earlier
The number of people who smoke on a daily basis in Estonia has decreased on year, with more and more men in particular opting to quit. Among young people, however, that trend has now reversed, especially among girls and young women. This is mainly due to the introduction of e-cigarettes, the taste of which can be sweetened with different flavorings. Thus, e-cigarettes, which are primarily intended to help people quit regular cigarettes, have become a first step into the world of smoking for many young people.
November 16, 2022 by err.ee
Minister: Proliferation of e-cigarettes among youth a common Baltic concern
"We want to reduce nicotine consumption, and limit young people's access to it in particular," Minister of Health and Labor Peep Peterson (SDE) said according to a press release. "We know from the war on liquor that addictive substance policy may not be effective when working alone; coordinating with our neighbors will certainly lead to better results."
The Estonian minister acknowledged that the proliferation of e-cigarettes as well as nicotine pouches is a common Baltic concern, and added that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have to increase active cooperation on this issue in order to truly implement current regulations as well as support them with other measures.
April 16, 2021 by vapingpost.com
NNA Welcomes Estonia’s Decision to Suspend Excise Duty on E-Liquids
The Estonian Parliament has recently voted to suspend the excise duty on e-liquids between the 1st of April 2021 until 31 December 2022, with the aim of reducing cross-border trade and illicit trade. [...]
“Suspending the collection of excise duty will make it possible to lower the price of e-liquids and thus offer consumers controlled and safe products at a lower price. It has the potential to become a success story if we manage to reduce both the illicit trade and cross-border trade and at the same time offer less harmful alternatives to cigarettes at a more competitive price,” said Tarmo Kruusimäe, Member of the Estonian Parliament
December 23, 2020 by nna.ee
NNA Smoke Free Estonia Commends Estonia’s Decision to Suspend E-liquid Excise Duty, [...]
NNA Smoke Free Estonia announced that the Estonian Parliament voted to suspend the collection of excise duty on e-liquids in order to reduce cross-border trade and illicit trade. Excise duty will not be collected from 1 April 2021 until 31 December 2022. According to various estimates, self-mixed, cross-border and smuggled e-liquids account for 62-80% of the entire Estonian e-liquids market.
"Suspending the collection of excise duty will make it possible to lower the price of e-liquids and thus offer consumers controlled and safe products at a lower price. [...]