EU daily tobacco use falls to 16.5% in 2025 as Spain records largest decline

Daily consumption declines across the EU

The share of people aged 16 or older who used tobacco and related products every day in the European Union fell to 16.5% in 2025, according to Eurostat data reported by ConSalud. The rate stood at 17.5% in 2022. The category covers tobacco alongside electronic cigarettes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products, giving producers and distributors a broader measure of nicotine-market participation than cigarette consumption alone.

Eurostat also found that 77.5% of people did not use these products or had not used them during the 12 months before the data were collected. The figures point to a gradual contraction in the bloc’s pool of daily consumers, although national and demographic differences remain substantial. For tobacco companies, retailers and suppliers, the headline decline suggests continued pressure on mature EU demand rather than a uniform collapse across all markets and product categories.

Men and middle-aged consumers retain the highest rates

Daily use was more prevalent among men, at 20.8%, than among women, at 12.6%. Both rates decreased from 2022, when the corresponding shares were 22.2% for men and 13.1% for women. The larger reduction among men made that group an important contributor to the overall EU decline.

People aged 35 to 49 had the highest daily-use rate in 2025, at 21.3%. They were followed by those aged 25 to 34 at 19.9% and those aged 50 to 64 at 19.8%. The youngest and oldest age groups recorded the lowest proportions, at 12.1% and 9.1%, respectively. The concentration of consumption in the working-age population remains commercially relevant because these groups account for the strongest recurring demand, even as the bloc-wide rate eases.

National markets move in different directions

Bulgaria registered the EU’s highest proportion of daily users at 26.3%, followed by Sweden at 23.9% and Croatia at 23.6%. At the other end of the ranking, the Netherlands reported 9.9%, Ireland 11.7%, Belgium 13.6% and Luxembourg 13.8%. The gap between Bulgaria and the Netherlands reached 16.4 percentage points, illustrating how differently national tobacco and nicotine markets are developing within the same regulatory and economic bloc.

Daily use declined between 2022 and 2025 in 17 EU countries. Spain and Luxembourg recorded the largest decreases, each down 2.1 percentage points. Croatia and Lithuania moved in the opposite direction, with increases of 2.7 percentage points each. These divergent trends matter for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers allocating inventories and marketing budgets: the EU-wide average is falling, but countries with high or rising participation can follow a markedly different demand path from declining markets such as Spain and Luxembourg.