Cigarettes increasingly affordable in Europe, WHO report finds

DUBLIN — Cigarettes are becoming more affordable in much of Europe, the World Health Organization has warned, as the European Commission mulls new super-taxes on tobacco products and vapes to curb their use.

The cost of cigarettes, measured by the share of gross domestic product per capita needed to buy 2,000 individual cigarettes of the most popular brand, fell in 14 out of 27 EU countries over the decade from 2014 to 2024, according to the WHO’s Global Tobacco Epidemic report published Monday.

The WHO says governments worldwide aren’t taxing tobacco heavily enough, even though higher levies are the most effective way of reducing consumption. In 2024, just 15 percent of the world’s population lived in countries that tax cigarettes at the WHO’s recommended level of 75 percent or more of the price of the most popular brand. 

Europe still taxes tobacco heavily compared to the rest of the world, with 21 out of 27 EU countries hitting the WHO’s recommended minimum level. Germany has the lowest score in the EU, taxing 61.4 percent of the price of the most popular brand.

But the European Commission is aiming higher. The EU executive's tax directorate has suggested increasing minimum taxes for cigarettes from €90 to €215 for 1,000 units. According to the impact assessment, the tax on rolling tobacco should rise by 258 percent.

Aligning with the WHO's report, the Commission document said that higher tobacco taxes and prices “have been demonstrated to be the single most effective measure to reduce overall tobacco use.” But the current minimum tax levels have “lost traction in terms of making an effective contribution to reducing tobacco consumption.” Some 40 percent of the decline in smoking in the EU over the past decade can be attributed to taxation, the assessment said.

“We know what works, we’ve seen it work, now we must close the gaps,” said Rüdiger Krech, director of health systems and innovation at the WHO, during the launch of the report at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin on Monday.

“I urge countries to double down on proven policies that save lives, especially in areas that the report shows are stalling, like taxation, cessation support and mass media campaigns.”

The tobacco industry opposes big tax rises in the EU, arguing that high taxes fuel the illegal tobacco trade. But a recent report from European crime agency Europol found that while high taxes are a factor, illegal production is also supported by the disruption of supply chains due to crisis situations, improved security in the trade of original branded cigarettes, and the increased capacity of illicit factories.

The United Nations is also debating tobacco taxes to tackle the noncommunicable diseases — such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and lung disease — caused by smoking and other risk factors. Speaking to POLITICO after the publication of a draft political declaration in May, experts lauded the document's ambitious target to see 80 percent of countries apply the WHO’s recommended tobacco levies by 2030.

Responding to the WHO report, campaigners urged governments to keep taxes “front and center” of the declaration.

“Raising taxes is one of the most effective measures, [one] that offers governments a triple win of reducing tobacco consumption, saving lives and health care costs, while raising much-needed revenue,” Alison Cox, director of policy and advocacy at the NCD Alliance nonprofit, said in a statement.