Profile
China Flag
Cigarettes
Traditional Smokeless
HTP
E-cigarettes
Snus
Pouches
NRT
China Background
Profile
China Flag
Cigarettes
Traditional Smokeless
HTP
E-cigarettes
Snus
Pouches
NRT
Data sourced: 2025.   Page updated: 2025-10-30

In China, smoking and the sale of cigarettes is legal, and they can be purchased online, but buying from vending machines is not permitted. Importing cigarettes for trade is allowed with a license. However, there is a complete ban on all tobacco advertising, and health warnings on cigarette packaging are required. The minimum legal age for purchasing cigarettes is 18 years, and there are legal restrictions on smoking in public places as well. Cigarettes are subject to a total taxation rate of 52%.
As of 2024, China had an estimated 288.3 million current adult smokers, with an adult smoking prevalence of 24.4%. Among males, the smoking prevalence was 46.4%, and among females, it was only 1.9%. The number of daily smokers was approximately 256.9 million, with an adult daily smoking prevalence of 20.3%—38.6% among males and 1.3% among females. According to 2021 data, tobacco smoking caused about 2.7 million deaths in China—2.2 million among males and 490,700 among females. This presents that smoking accounted for 22.78% of all deaths in the country, including 31.81% of male deaths and 10.11% of female deaths.

Prevalence

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Year Value Reference/Comment
2019 289.6 million 1A
2024 288.3 million 1B
References:
  1. (1) WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, third edition. (2019). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-global-report-on-trends-in-prevalence-of-tobacco-use-2000-2025-third-edition. (2) Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Ed.). (2019). World Population Prospects 2019 (Online Edition Rev. 1.; Population Division). United Nations. https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  2. WHO. (2025). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2024 and projections 2025–2030 (6th edn). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240116276
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Year Value Reference/Comment
2019 24.7% 1A
2020 25.8% 1B A
2020 25.3% 1C
2024 23.2% 1D B
2024 24.4% 1E
References:
  1. WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, third edition. (2019). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-global-report-on-trends-in-prevalence-of-tobacco-use-2000-2025-third-edition.
  2. WHO. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-chn.pdf?sfvrsn=b8687156_3&download=true. Accessed: 10 June 2025.
  3. WHO. (2021). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, fourth edition (4th ed). World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/348537
  4. Zeng X, Liu S, Liu Y, Xiao L. Smoking Prevalence in Urban and Rural Areas - China, 2024. China CDC Wkly. 2025 May 30;7(22):751-759. doi: 10.46234/ccdcw2025.124. PMID: 40621203; PMCID: PMC12228068.
  5. WHO. (2025). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2024 and projections 2025–2030 (6th edn). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240116276
Comments:
  1. Adults survey: Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), 2020; National, ages 15+
  2. Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2024 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
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Year Value Reference/Comment
2019 1.8% 1A
2020 2.3% 1B A
2020 2.1% 1C
2024 1.8% 1D B
2024 1.9% 1E
References:
  1. WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, third edition. (2019). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-global-report-on-trends-in-prevalence-of-tobacco-use-2000-2025-third-edition.
  2. WHO. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-chn.pdf?sfvrsn=b8687156_3&download=true. Accessed: 10 June 2025.
  3. WHO. (2021). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, fourth edition (4th ed). World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/348537
  4. Zeng X, Liu S, Liu Y, Xiao L. Smoking Prevalence in Urban and Rural Areas - China, 2024. China CDC Wkly. 2025 May 30;7(22):751-759. doi: 10.46234/ccdcw2025.124. PMID: 40621203; PMCID: PMC12228068.
  5. WHO. (2025). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2024 and projections 2025–2030 (6th edn). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240116276
Comments:
  1. Adults survey: Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), 2020; National, ages 15+
  2. Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
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Year Value Reference/Comment
2019 47.7% 1A
2020 48.8% 1B A
2020 47.8% 1C
2024 43.9% 1D B
2024 46.4% 1E
References:
  1. WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, third edition. (2019). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-global-report-on-trends-in-prevalence-of-tobacco-use-2000-2025-third-edition.
  2. WHO. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-chn.pdf?sfvrsn=b8687156_3&download=true. Accessed: 10 June 2025.
  3. WHO. (2021). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, fourth edition (4th ed). World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/348537
  4. Zeng X, Liu S, Liu Y, Xiao L. Smoking Prevalence in Urban and Rural Areas - China, 2024. China CDC Wkly. 2025 May 30;7(22):751-759. doi: 10.46234/ccdcw2025.124. PMID: 40621203; PMCID: PMC12228068.
  5. WHO. (2025). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2024 and projections 2025–2030 (6th edn). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240116276
Comments:
  1. Adults survey: Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), 2020; National, ages 15+
  2. Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2024 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
256.9 million
2 A
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Year Value Reference/Comment
2020 22.5% 3A A
2024 20.3% 3B
References:
  1. WHO. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-chn.pdf?sfvrsn=b8687156_3&download=true. Accessed: 10 June 2025.
  2. Zeng X, Liu S, Liu Y, Xiao L. Smoking Prevalence in Urban and Rural Areas - China, 2024. China CDC Wkly. 2025 May 30;7(22):751-759. doi: 10.46234/ccdcw2025.124. PMID: 40621203; PMCID: PMC12228068.
Comments:
  1. Adults survey: Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), 2020; National, ages 15+
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Year Value Reference/Comment
2020 1.9% 3A A
2024 1.3% 3B
References:
  1. WHO. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-chn.pdf?sfvrsn=b8687156_3&download=true. Accessed: 10 June 2025.
  2. Zeng X, Liu S, Liu Y, Xiao L. Smoking Prevalence in Urban and Rural Areas - China, 2024. China CDC Wkly. 2025 May 30;7(22):751-759. doi: 10.46234/ccdcw2025.124. PMID: 40621203; PMCID: PMC12228068.
Comments:
  1. Adults survey: Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), 2020; National, ages 15+
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Year Value Reference/Comment
2020 42.6% 3A A
2024 38.6% 3B
References:
  1. WHO. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-chn.pdf?sfvrsn=b8687156_3&download=true. Accessed: 10 June 2025.
  2. Zeng X, Liu S, Liu Y, Xiao L. Smoking Prevalence in Urban and Rural Areas - China, 2024. China CDC Wkly. 2025 May 30;7(22):751-759. doi: 10.46234/ccdcw2025.124. PMID: 40621203; PMCID: PMC12228068.
Comments:
  1. Adults survey: Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), 2020; National, ages 15+
References:
  1. WHO. (2025). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2024 and projections 2025–2030 (6th edn). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240116276
  2. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2017, Country profiles http://www.who.int/tobacco/surveillance/policy/country_profile/en/
  3. Zeng X, Liu S, Liu Y, Xiao L. Smoking Prevalence in Urban and Rural Areas - China, 2024. China CDC Wkly. 2025 May 30;7(22):751-759. doi: 10.46234/ccdcw2025.124. PMID: 40621203; PMCID: PMC12228068.
Comments:
  1. These rates are modelled using all national survey data published since 1990 to estimate the underlying prevalence trends by sex, then applying age-standardization to allow comparison with other countries. They do not necessarily resemble country data from 2015

Smoking-related mortality

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Year Value Reference/Comment
2016 2.0 million 1A
2021 2.7 million 1B A
References:
  1. The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
  2. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
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Year Value Reference/Comment
2016 477,163 1A
2021 490,680 1B A
References:
  1. The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
  2. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
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Year Value Reference/Comment
2016 1.5 million 1A
2021 2.2 million 1B A
References:
  1. The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
  2. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
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Year Value Reference/Comment
2016 21.94% 1A
2021 22.78% 1B B
References:
  1. The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
  2. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
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Year Value Reference/Comment
2016 12.8% 1A
2021 10.11% 1B B
References:
  1. The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
  2. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
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Year Value Reference/Comment
2016 24.9% 1A
2021 31.81% 1B B
References:
  1. The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
  2. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
References:
  1. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
  2. Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.

Product promotion

References:
  1. WHO. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-chn.pdf?sfvrsn=b8687156_3&download=true. Accessed: 10 June 2025.

Regulation

References:
  1. WHO. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-chn.pdf?sfvrsn=b8687156_3&download=true. Accessed: 10 June 2025.
Comments:
  1. There are some restrictions.

Availability

References:
  1. WHO. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-chn.pdf?sfvrsn=b8687156_3&download=true. Accessed: 10 June 2025.
  2. World Bank. Cigarettes containing tobacco imports by country in 2023. Available at: https://wits.worldbank.org/trade/comtrade/en/country/ALL/year/2023/tradeflow/Imports/partner/WLD/product/240220. Accessed: 2 July 2025.
Comments:
  1. There are some restrictions.
  2. An import license is required.

Regulations and restrictions

References:
  1. WHO. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-chn.pdf?sfvrsn=b8687156_3&download=true. Accessed: 10 June 2025.
Comments:
  1. Restrictions exist only in some public places such as educational facilities and public transport.

Tax

References:
  1. WHO. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2023. Available at: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/country-profiles/tobacco/gtcr-2023/tobacco-2023-chn.pdf?sfvrsn=b8687156_3&download=true. Accessed: 10 June 2025.
Comments:
  1. Total taxes: 52%
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.