Top Stories from Germany
24% of the adult population are current smokers
There are approximately 17.1 million current smokers in Germany
Country profile
Data sourced:
2023.
Page updated:
2025-01-07
Smoking in Germany
The overall smoking prevalence in Germany has been going down since 2006. 28% of the adult population in Germany are current smokers, up from 30% in 2006. This means there are now approximately 20.1 million smokers in the country. 29.9% of men smoke, whilst for women this figure is 26%.
The most recent data show there were 124,789 annual deaths attributable to tobacco smoking (approximately 42,000 women and 82,800 men). The annual percentage of all deaths attributable to tobacco smoking was 15.21% (women: 8.9%; and men: 18.4%).
Nicotine vapes (e-cigarettes) are legal in Germany and there are 1.5 million vapers in the country, giving an adult vaping prevalence of 2.1%. There is a requirement to ensure vape packaging contains a health warning, and vapescan only be sold to those aged 18 and older. Vaping devices can be purchased without a prescription but there are legal restrictions on their use in public places.
Heated tobacco products are legal and can be marketed, but the situation is a bit more complicated for snus. While it is illegal to import snus for trade or buy the product online, it is possible to import it for personal use.
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) products can be marketed and are available to buy in pharmacies. The NRT market in Germany is worth €45.8 million.
For further information and full references, click through to the detailed datasheets above.
98,991
Deaths
In Germany, 98991 people die each year due to tobacco smoking.
45.8 million €
Market size of NRT.
NRT market size is estimated to be 45.8 million €.
Nicotine Vaping Devices
in Germany
Germany abides by the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) (2014). Nicotine-containing e-cigarettes are classified as tobacco related products and are regulated by the Federal Government law on the Implementation of the Tobacco Products Directive and Related Products 2016. Since 2016, it is prohibited for young people under 18 to use, or to be sold, e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes can be sold and advertised within the confines of EU legislation. Although e-cigarettes don’t precisely fall under the laws for protecting non-smokers (yet), there is a federal smoking ban in some instances and e-cigarettes are usually dealt with similarly. Vaping on a train or bus is not allowed, and there are designated areas for vaping/smoking at stations, however there are state by state differences in the rules. There is currently no excise tax on e-cigarette fluid.
Heated Tobacco Products
in Germany
Heated tobacco products are taxed similarly to pipes in Germany. The prevalence of daily using HTP among adults is 0.4%.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy
in Germany
NRT is legal to market.
Snus
in Germany
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 Germany
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.