Cigarette sales in Korea continue to see a downward trend while alternatives such as HNB products and e-cigarettes see growth. Photo credit: PxHere.
Cigarette sales in South Korea declined for the second consecutive year in 2024, while demand for electronic alternatives continued to climb, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Consumers in Korea purchased 3.53 billion packs of cigarettes—each containing 20 sticks—last year, a 2.2% decrease from 3.61 billion packs in 2023. This followed a 0.6% year-over-year decline in 2023, marking two straight years of reduced cigarette sales.
When including duty-free purchases, total tobacco product sales in 2024 reached 3.68 billion packs, down 1.7% from the previous year.
According to The Korea Times, traditional cigarette sales, broken down by category, fell 4.3% year-over-year to 2.87 billion packs, continuing a downward trend now in its fourth year. In contrast, heat-not-burn electronic cigarettes recorded growth, with sales rising 8.3% to 660 million packs. E-cigarettes have steadily gained market share, rising from 2.2% of total tobacco sales in 2017 to 10.5% in 2019, 12.4% in 2021, and 18.4% by 2024.
Government data also showed that in 2021, the smoking rate among Korean men aged 19 and older had declined to a historic low of 19.3%. In 2024, youth smoking rates in South Korea reached a 20-year low, with 4.8% of boys and 2.4% of girls reporting cigarette use, down from 5.6% and 2.7% respectively in 2023.
The South Korean government has implemented various tobacco control measures over the years, including an 80% increase in cigarette prices in January 2015, raising the cost from KRW2,500 to KRW4,500 per pack. Additionally, graphic health warnings on cigarette packages became mandatory in 2016. Despite these measures, the tobacco industry in South Korea remains significant, with approximately 109 billion cigarettes produced in the country in 2023. As consumer preferences evolve, the market continues to shift towards alternative nicotine products, reflecting broader changes in tobacco consumption patterns across the country.