About

29.3% of the adult population are current smokers

There are approximately 2.4 million current smokers in Hungary

34.6% of men are current smokers but only 24.5% of women

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

Smoking in Hungary

There has been an overall downwards trend for prevalence of current smokers in the general population in Hungary since 2006. 27% of Hungarians were current smokers in 2017, down from 36% in 2006. Smoking prevalence reduced steadily during the period, with the exception of 2006-2009 where there was a 2% increase. These data come from the Eurobarometer surveys, the most recent of which was carried out in 2017. In the most recent survey a total of 27,901 respondents from different social and demographic groups were interviewed face-to-face at home, in their mother tongue, across all 28 of the EU countries. The sample for each country is representative, however the sample sizes are relatively small (e.g. most countries had just over 1000 participants, but for Italy, Malta and Lithuania the sample was around 500). Nevertheless, the Eurobarometer surveys are useful as they have estimates for smoking prevalence collected over a number of years which can show trends, as described here.

26,081

Deaths

26081 people die every year due to tobacco smoking in Hungary.

3.3 million €

Market size of NRT.

Estimated NRT market size is 3.3 million €.

Nicotine Vaping Devices

in Hungary

Hungary abides by the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) (2014) and has added some extra regulations of its own. E-cigarettes can only be bought from tobacco shops; trading any e-cigarette product requires a license; and there is a total ban on flavoured e-liquids – all e-cigarette flavours apart from 'tobacco flavour' are banned. Vaping is prohibited anywhere where smoking is not allowed. Fines for breaking the law are reportedly heavy e.g. up to $980 for vaping in a prohibited area, up to $9,800 for a business allowing vaping indoors, and $196,000 for selling products without a license. Cross-border sales are banned. The tax on nicotine-containing fluid is capped at 55 Forints (€0.18)

Heated Tobacco Products

in Hungary

You can't advertise HTP in Hungary.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

in Hungary

Estimated NRT market size is 3.3 million €. In Hungary you don't need a prescription to purchase NRT. Advertising NRT is allowed. NRT is available in Pharmacy.

Snus

in Hungary

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

Pouches

in Hungary

Advertising Pouches are allowed.

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.