Ethiopia Background
Data sourced: 2025.   Page updated: 2025-06-19

Traditional smokeless tobacco is allowed and regulated as a tobacco product in Ethiopia. The sale and use of the product are legal, but online purchasing is not permitted. In addition, there is a ban on all advertising, and health warnings are required on packaging. The minimum legal age for purchase is 21 years. In terms of statistics, in 2016, there were approximately 983,400 current users of traditional smokeless tobacco in the country. The adult current use prevalence of these products was 1.7% overall, with 2.6% among men and 0.8% among women. The adult daily use prevalence was 1.5%.

Prevalence

Comments:
  1. Adults survey: Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), 2016; National, ages 15+

Product promotion

References:
  1. 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-eth.pdf?sfvrsn=78baa83d_3&download=true. Accessed: 19 May 2025.

Regulation

References:
  1. Tobacco Control Laws. Legislation by Country/Jurisdiction Ethiopia. Available at: https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/ethiopia/sales-restrictions. Accessed: 30 May 2025.
  2. 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-eth.pdf?sfvrsn=78baa83d_3&download=true. Accessed: 19 May 2025.

Availability

References:
  1. Tobacco Control Laws. Legislation by Country/Jurisdiction Ethiopia. Available at: https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/ethiopia/sales-restrictions. Accessed: 30 May 2025.
  2. 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-eth.pdf?sfvrsn=78baa83d_3&download=true. Accessed: 19 May 2025.

Regulations and restrictions

References:
  1. 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-eth.pdf?sfvrsn=78baa83d_3&download=true. Accessed: 19 May 2025.
  2. Tobacco Control Laws. Legislation by Country/Jurisdiction Ethiopia. Available at: https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/ethiopia/sales-restrictions. Accessed: 30 May 2025.
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.