About

30.9% of the adult population are current smokers

There are approximately 2.7 million current smokers in Greece

35.2% of men are current smokers but only 26.7% of women

Quick links to detailed datasheets for Greece
Country profile
Data sourced: 2022.   Page updated: 2023-10-10

Smoking in Greece

The overall smoking prevalence in Greece has been going down in recent years, but it still has one of the highest rates of smoking in the world. There are approximately 3.5 million people smoking in the country. 39.1% of the adult population in Greece are current smokers, down from 42% in 2006. 45.3% of men smoke and for women the figure is 32.8%.

The most recent data show there were 22,759 annual deaths attributable to tobacco smoking (approximately 6,600 women and 16,200 men). The annual percentage of all deaths attributable to tobacco smoking was 20.87% (women: 10.4%; and men: 25.1%).

Nicotine vapes (e-cigarettes) are legal in Greece and there are 185,600 vapers in the country, giving an adult vaping prevalence of 2.07%. There are no requirements to ensure vape packaging contains a health warning and they can only be sold to those 18 and older. Vaping devices can be purchased without a prescription and there are no legal restrictions on their use in public places.

Heated tobacco products 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) can be marketed and it is legal to purchase it without a prescription. The NRT market in Greece is worth €3 million.

For further information and full references, click through to the detailed datasheets above.

22,759

Deaths

In Greece, 22759 people die each year due to tobacco smoking.

3 million €

Market size of NRT.

NRT market size is estimated to be 3.0 million €.

Nicotine Vaping Devices

in Greece

Greece abides by the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) (2014). Vaping is permitted anywhere that smoking is allowed, and Greece has put a strict anti-smoking legislation in place, however the ban is not effective in practice. In September 2018 the sale of non-nicotine e-cigarettes became prohibited. Greeks cannot buy e-cigarettes or vaping fluids from other countries by mail order. A tax on e-cigarettes came into effect in January 2017 (at €0.10 per ml) and covers all e-cigarettes and e-cigarette fluid regardless of whether they contain nicotine. New rules are being implemented in Greece (as of 2019) which ban the sale of the raw ingredients in e-liquids: propylene glycol, glycerol and flavorings.

Heated Tobacco Products

in Greece

HTP is legal to market.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

in Greece

NRT market size is estimated to be 3.0 million €. In Greece you don't need a prescription to purchase NRT. NRT is legal to market. You can buy NRT in Pharmacy.

Snus

in Greece

The sale of Snus is banned. Use of Snus is permitted by law in Greece.

Pouches

in Greece

There is currently no information about using pouches

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.