Legal cigarette sales down by 52% as black market booms
March 03, 2026 by londonlovesbusiness.com
Legal cigarette sales down by 52% as black market booms
Legal cigarette sales in the UK dropped significantly from 40.6 billion sticks in 2021 to 19.8 billion in 2025, due to a rise in excise tax. Despite stable smoking rates, tobacco duty revenues decreased from £10.4 billion to £7.9 billion. Dr. Snowdon from IEA notes a surge in the illicit tobacco market, reflecting a mismatch between declining legal sales and modest smoker reductions.
11.80% of the adult population are current smokers. There are approximately 6.7 million current smokers in United Kingdom 13.60% of men are current smokers but only 10.10% of women.
SOURCE: GSTHR
