According to the latest research from the global tobacco harm reduction organization GSTHR, the number of global e-cigarette users increased by 20% from 2020 to 2021, and it is estimated that there are currently 82 million e-cigarette users worldwide. The European region has a population of 740 million. Even if the e-cigarette penetration rate is only 10%, the total number of users can reach 70 million, and the market prospects are broad.
According to statistics, there are currently about 100 million adult smokers in the European market, and the annual cigarette consumption is about US$6.4 billion. Most of the countries/regions with higher per capita tobacco consumption are in Europe.
Euromonitor data shows that the European e-cigarette market is concentrated in Western Europe, and has grown from 3.72 billion euros in 2016 to 6.75 billion euros in 2021 at a CAGR of 12.6%. The average CAGR forecast for the future size of the European e-cigarette market is 11.2%. .
European countries have looser regulations on atomized e-cigarettes
European countries have relatively independent control. Unlike the PMTA review in the United States, the TPD is a programmatic document and does not impose strict restrictions on the flavors and tax intensity of e-cigarettes. According to the WHO report, European countries generally have low tax rates on e-cigarette oil. Only Portugal imposes a tax of no less than 75% of the price of open e-cigarettes. Therefore, European countries are generally open to the regulation of e-cigarettes.
According to the list of e-cigarette products allowed for sale in the country published by the Italian Customs and Monopoly Agency (ADM), a total of 22,729 e-cigarette products are officially registered in Italy, of which 10,322 contain nicotine and 12,407 do not contain nicotine.
Disposable e-cigarettes dominate European e-cigarette market
At one time, e-cigarettes were not accepted in Europe due to their low nicotine content and the need to frequently change devices when using e-liquids. However, after the introduction of disposable e-cigarettes in Europe, the situation changed dramatically.
Disposable e-cigarette manufacturers will use synthetic nicotine as the base material, allowing disposable e-cigarettes to be sold on the market. This not only ensures that customers can enjoy multi-flavored e-cigarettes with confidence, but also meets the profit needs of manufacturers.
At the same time, disposable e-cigarettes are equipped with batteries and pre-installed e-liquid, so consumers do not need to purchase cigarette cartridges and assemble them by themselves. This makes disposable e-cigarettes very convenient to use and carry, and has a larger customer base due to lower production costs, large puff count, and high cost performance.
