Smoking in Peru
Smoking is legally allowed in Peru. The sale and import of cigarettes for trade is legal, including online purchases and sales through vending machines. The country enforces several regulatory measures, including mandatory health warnings on cigarettes packaging, restrictions on smoking in public places, and a minimum legal sales age of 18 years for cigarettes. Peru applies a total taxation rate of 73.32% with a specific excise tax of 58.06% on cigarette products. In terms of prevalence, as of 2024, 12.2% of adults in Peru were current tobacco smokers, including 2.9% of women and 21.9% of men. The total number of current smokers in the country was reported to be 3 million individuals in 2024. Daily smoking prevalence in 2021 was 1.2% overall, 0.5% among females and 2% among males. In 2021, tobacco smoking led to 6,800 deaths, including 1,400 female and 5,400 male deaths. These deaths accounted for 2.11% of all deaths in the country (1.07% among women and 2.86% among men).
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October 19, 2026 by daily-pouch.com
Latin American Survey Finds Widespread Confusion Among Adolescents About Nicotine Pouch Risks
A survey of nearly 13,000 adolescents across Argentina, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru reveals significant misconceptions about nicotine pouch risks. Almost 39% considered pouches more harmful than cigarettes, while only 2.4% reported using them in the previous month.
The findings highlight the need for clearer risk communication alongside effective youth protection. Accurate information should discourage nicotine initiation among adolescents without obscuring the substantial differences in harm between combustible tobacco and smoke-free alternatives.