E-cigarettes are legally allowed in Cyprus. However, there are several regulatory measures for e-cigarettes. Their sale and use are permitted, but purchasing them online or from vending machines is prohibited. Advertising them is subject to certain restrictions. Notifications of new products are required, and all products must have child- and tamper-proof containers as well as health warnings on packaging. The minimum age for purchase is 18 years. Additionally, restrictions apply to nicotine content, which must not exceed 20 mg/mL, and to tank size, limited to 2 mL or less. There are also restrictions on flavour range, and the use of e-cigarettes in public places is restricted. In 2023, there were around 40,700 current vapers in Cyprus. The adult current e-cigarette vaping prevalence was 4%, and the adult daily e-cigarette vaping prevalence was 2.5%. Data from 2017 show that 21% of adults stated that they had ever tried e-cigarette vaping. A survey conducted in the country in 2017 on the perception of harm showed that 76% of adults believed e-cigarettes were harmful or more harmful than cigarettes, 11% thought they were not harmful or less harmful than cigarettes, and 13% did not know.
Prevalence
| Year | Value | Reference/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 3% | 2A A |
| 2021 | 2.38% | 2B |
| 2023 | 4% | 2C |
| 2023 | 4% | 2D |
- European Commission (2017). Special Eurobarometer 458: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes Available at: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2146_87_1_458_ENG
- European Commission. (2021). Special Eurobarometer 506: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes (S2240_506_ENG). European Commission. http://data.europa.eu/88u/dataset/S2240_506_ENG
- European Commission. (2024). Special Eurobarometer 539: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products [Dataset]. European Commission. https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2995
- Eurobarometer 539 2023 cited in 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
- Eurobarometer data provides a representative sample of ~28,000 respondents and estimates the prevalence of vaping for the EU overall, as well as per country. The survey was conducted in March 2017. Covers 28 European Union (EU) countries. Total sample N = 27901, aged 15 and over.
- European Commission. (2021). Special Eurobarometer 506: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes (S2240_506_ENG). European Commission. http://data.europa.eu/88u/dataset/S2240_506_ENG
- Eurobarometer 539 2023 cited in 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
- 1. European Commission. (2024). Special Eurobarometer 539: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products [Dataset]. European Commission. https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2995 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
- European Commission. (2024). Special Eurobarometer 539: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products [Dataset]. European Commission. https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2995
- European Commission (2017). Special Eurobarometer 458: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes Available at: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2146_87_1_458_ENG
- E-cigarettes with nicotine World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
- E-cigarettes with nicotine
- Eurobarometer data provides a representative sample of ~28,000 respondents and estimates the prevalence of vaping for the EU overall, as well as per country. The survey was conducted in March 2017. Covers 28 European Union (EU) countries. Total sample N = 27901, aged 15 and over.
Product promotion
| Year | Value | Reference/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 or earlier | Yes | A |
| 2023 | Yes | 1A B |
- Global Tobacco Control. Country Laws Regulating E-Cigarettes. Available at: https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/en/policy-scan/e-cigarettes/countries?country=76. Accessed: 24 July 2025.
- Allowed or banned at place of sale or allowed or banned in all media.
- There are some restrictions on advertising.
- Global Tobacco Control. Country Laws Regulating E-Cigarettes. Available at: https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/en/policy-scan/e-cigarettes/countries?country=76. Accessed: 24 July 2025.
- There are some restrictions on advertising.
Regulation
| Year | Value | Reference/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 or earlier | Allowed | 1A |
| 2023 | Allowed | 1B |
- Data cross-referenced where possible using the following sources :1. Vapetrotter website. Available at: https://www.vapetrotter.com/laws/ ; 2. Global tobacco control website. Available at:https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/node/14052 ; 3. Tobacco Control Laws website. Available at : https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/
- Global Tobacco Control. Country Laws Regulating E-Cigarettes. Available at: https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/en/policy-scan/e-cigarettes/countries?country=76. Accessed: 24 July 2025.
- Global Tobacco Control. Country Laws Regulating E-Cigarettes. Available at: https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/en/policy-scan/e-cigarettes/countries?country=76. Accessed: 24 July 2025.
- Data cross-referenced where possible using the following sources :1. Vapetrotter website. Available at: https://www.vapetrotter.com/laws/ ; 2. Global tobacco control website. Available at:https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/node/14052 ; 3. Tobacco Control Laws website. Available at : https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/
Availability
- Global Tobacco Control. Country Laws Regulating E-Cigarettes. Available at: https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/en/policy-scan/e-cigarettes/countries?country=76. Accessed: 24 July 2025.
Regulations and restrictions
| Year | Value | Reference/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 or earlier | YES | |
| 2023 | YES | 1A |
- Global Tobacco Control. Country Laws Regulating E-Cigarettes. Available at: https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/en/policy-scan/e-cigarettes/countries?country=76. Accessed: 24 July 2025.
| Year | Value | Reference/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 or earlier | YES | |
| 2023 | YES | 1A |
- Global Tobacco Control. Country Laws Regulating E-Cigarettes. Available at: https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/en/policy-scan/e-cigarettes/countries?country=76. Accessed: 24 July 2025.
| Year | Value | Reference/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 or earlier | YES | |
| 2023 | YES | 1A |
- Global Tobacco Control. Country Laws Regulating E-Cigarettes. Available at: https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/en/policy-scan/e-cigarettes/countries?country=76. Accessed: 24 July 2025.
| Year | Value | Reference/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Yes: 18 years | 1A |
| 2023 | Yes: 18 years | 1B |
- https://ec.europa.eu/health/tobacco/products/revision_en
- Global Tobacco Control. Country Laws Regulating E-Cigarettes. Available at: https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/en/policy-scan/e-cigarettes/countries?country=76. Accessed: 24 July 2025.
| Year | Value | Reference/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 or earlier | Yes | |
| 2023 | 20 mg/mL or less | 1A |
- Global Tobacco Control. Country Laws Regulating E-Cigarettes. Available at: https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/en/policy-scan/e-cigarettes/countries?country=76. Accessed: 24 July 2025.
| Year | Value | Reference/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 or earlier | YES | |
| 2023 | YES | 1A |
- Global Tobacco Control. Country Laws Regulating E-Cigarettes. Available at: https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/en/policy-scan/e-cigarettes/countries?country=76. Accessed: 24 July 2025.
| Year | Value | Reference/Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 or earlier | YES | |
| 2023 | 2 ml or less | 1A |
- Global Tobacco Control. Country Laws Regulating E-Cigarettes. Available at: https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/en/policy-scan/e-cigarettes/countries?country=76. Accessed: 24 July 2025.
- Global Tobacco Control. Country Laws Regulating E-Cigarettes. Available at: https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/en/policy-scan/e-cigarettes/countries?country=76. Accessed: 24 July 2025.
Perception of harm
- Reference: European Commission (2017). Special Eurobarometer 458: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes Available at: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2146_87_1_458_ENG
- Question asked in this survey did not compare harmfulness with cigarettes. The question used was 'Do you think they are harmful to the health of people who use them?' 76% - YES, 11% - NO, 13% DON'T KNOW
Publications
Top Four Reasons for Starting to Use E-Cigarettes
- No Fire, No Smoke: The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction
This figure illustrates the most important reasons that motivate smokers to switch to e-cigarettes, across the 28 member states of the European Union in 2017.
The top reason across the EU for using e-cigarettes is to stop using tobacco. The clear majority of people using e-cigarettes did so to stop, or to reduce tobacco use (61%). Following this the next reason was because they thought e-cigarettes were less harmful than cigarettes (31%), or less expensive (25%). Only 6% said they started because they felt using e-cigarettes was cool or attractive.
See also p. 44 of the report: No Fire, No Smoke: The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2018 — Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (gsthr.org)
Ratio of Current Vapers to Current Smokers
- No Fire, No Smoke: The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction
This figure provides a simple metric giving the ratio of current e-cigarette users to current smokers amongst the 28 EU member states in 2017. This shows that the UK has the most e-cigarette users per smoker at 0.29. In other words, there are 29 e-cigarette users for every hundred smokers in the UK. In many other EU countries, the ratio is above 0.10.
These data were gathered by the European Union for the Eurobarometer 458 survey, which aimed to conduct an extensive survey of e-cigarette use across the EU as part of a wider review of smoking habits. Across the 28 EU member states this survey found that:
» Around 15 percent of those aged 15 or over had tried an e-cigarette at least once – compared to 12 percent in 2014;
» Two percent of the total EU population are current users of e-cigarettes and this has remained stable since 2014;
» Almost one in twenty current smokers now currently use e-cigarettes or similar devices (four percent), and four percent of ex-smokers;
» Current use of e-cigarettes among people who have never smoked is rare. At most, one percent of e-cigarette users in any EU country are people who have never smoked.
See also p. 42 of the report: No Fire, No Smoke: The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2018 — Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (gsthr.org)
Comparison of Current Smoking and Vaping Levels
- No Fire, No Smoke: The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction
The European Commission used Eurobarometer, a public opinion gathering resource, to conduct an extensive survey of e-cigarette use across the EU as part of a wider review of smoking habits. The key findings were that across the 28 countries of the EU in 2017:
» Around 15 percent of those aged 15 or over had tried an e-cigarette at least once – compared to 12 percent in 2014;
» Two percent of the total EU population are current users of e-cigarettes and this has remained stable since 2014;
» Almost one in twenty current smokers now currently use e-cigarettes or similar devices (four percent), and four percent of ex-smokers;
» Current use of e-cigarettes among people who have never smoked is rare. At most, one percent of e-cigarette users in any EU country are people who have never smoked.
See also p. 42 of the report: No Fire, No Smoke: The Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction 2018 — Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (gsthr.org)