Top Stories from Barbados
6.5% of the adult population are current smokers
There are approximately 30,000 current smokers in Barbados
11.7% of men are current smokers but only 1.7% of women
Country profile
Data sourced:
2025.
Page updated:
2026-06-16
Smoking in Barbados
Current smoking prevalence in the general population in Barbados has decreased slightly from 8% in 2000 to 7.6% in 2015, but with no further decrease projected by 2025. The prevalence for men has hardly changed from 14% in 2000 to 13.9% in 2015, followed by a projected increase to 14.6% by 2025. For women there was a slight decrease from 3% in 2000 to 2% in 2015, and a further reduction to 1.55% is projected by 2025. The WHO published prevalence trend estimates in tobacco smoking, as shown here, in their 2018 2nd edition report, which show slightly different smoking prevalence to the WHO country profiles. Data for the estimates are not age standardised, and were obtained from WHO databases. The trend lines are projections, not predictions, of future attainment. A projection indicates a likely endpoint if the country maintains its tobacco control efforts at the same level that it has implemented them to date. Therefore the impact of recent interventions could alter the expected endpoint shown in the projection. While the methods of estimation used in the first and second editions of the WHO report are the same, the volume of data available for the second edition is larger i.e. 200 more national surveys. The results presented are therefore more robust.
119
Deaths
tobacco smoking causes 119 deaths per year in Barbados.
6.5%
tobacco smoking
In Barbados, the estimated prevalence of Cigarettes use was 6.5% in Barbados.
Nicotine Vaping Devices
in Barbados
In Ireland, e-cigarettes are legally allowed, including purchase through online channels and vending machines. They are available in general retail outlets. The law mandates notification for new e-cigarette products and requires them to be sold in child-resistant and tamper-proof containers. Health warnings on packaging are mandatory, and the minimum legal age for purchase is 18 years. Notably, there are no restrictions on product flavours. However, there are limits on nicotine content, which must be equal to or less than 20 mg/ml. Restrictions also apply to their use in public places, and tank sizes must not exceed 2 ml. There is no excise tax on e-cigarettes in Ireland.
In a survey conducted in 2017, 14% of respondents stated that they had no idea whether vaping is harmful to health, 27% believed that vaping is not harmful or is less harmful than cigarettes, and 59% responded that vaping is harmful to health or more harmful than cigarettes.
In terms of prevalence, there were an estimated 265,457 current vapers in 2021. As of 2025, adult current e-cigarette use prevalence was 8%. In 2024, 11.1% of adult females and 11.3% of adult males reported being current e-cigarette users. The adult daily e-cigarette vaping prevalence was 5% in 2023, and in the same year, 20% of respondents stated that they had ever tried e-cigarettes.
Heated Tobacco Products
in Barbados
There are no specific regulations for Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) in Barbados. If you have any updates, please send an email to the GSTHR team.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy
in Barbados
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is allowed in Barbados, including the sale and purchase of NRT products without a prescription from pharmacies. Notably, NRT products are included on the country’s essential drugs list, but the government does not cover NRT cost.
Snus
in Barbados
Used in Scandinavia for more than 200 years, snus is providing smokers in Sweden and Norway with an alternative to combustible cigarettes. Find out what it is, and why it is considered a safer nicotine product in our briefing paper.
Pouches
in Barbados
Nicotine pouches are a relatively new product which can provide users of high-risk tobacco with an alternative that poses fewer risks to their health. Read more about nicotine pouches in our briefing paper
The GSTHR database is updated regularly by our team.
However, please be aware that the information we provide does not constitute legal advice.
We cannot guarantee that the information is up to date or accurate, as the regulatory status of different product
categories can change at short notice and with little publicity.
If you wish to check the legal status of use or possession of any safer nicotine product in a specific country or region,
you should verify the information independently.
If you have reason to think that the information supplied on the GSTHR is inaccurate, please contact us with details
and any references and we will rectify any errors.