Top Stories from Portugal
23.4% of the adult population are current smokers
There are approximately 2.1 million current smokers in Portugal
30.8% of men are current smokers but only 16.7% of women
Country profile
Data sourced:
2025.
Page updated:
2025-11-05
Smoking in Portugal
In Portugal, the overall smoking prevalence has been increasing since 2006. There are approximately 2.5 million people smoking in the country. 27.9% of the adult population are current smokers, up from 24% in 2006. 33.3% of men smoke whilst 22.4% of women are current smokers.
The most recent data show there were 11,900 annual deaths attributable to tobacco smoking (approximately 2,600 women and 9,300 men). The annual percentage of all deaths attributable to tobacco smoking was 13.85% (women: 4.7%; and men: 16.4%).
Nicotine vapes (e-cigarettes) are legal in Portugal and there are 8,300 vapers in the country, giving an adult vaping prevalence of 0.09%. Vaping devices can only be sold to those 18 and older, packaging must contain a health warning and there are restrictions on the level of nicotine they can contain. 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) cannot be marketed but the NRT market in Portugal is worth €8.7 million.
For further information and full references, click through to the detailed datasheets above.
8,087
Deaths
8,087 people die every year due to tobacco smoking in Portugal.
8.7 million €
Market size of NRT.
NRT market size is estimated to be 8.7 million €.
Nicotine Vaping Devices
in Portugal
E-cigarettes are allowed in Portugal and can be purchased in general retail outlets, though online and vending machine sales are not allowed. Health-related claims are prohibited, and advertising is banned. Manufacturers must notify authorities of new products before introducing them into the market, and all e-liquids must be sold in child-resistant and tamperproof packaging. Health warnings are required on product labels, and the sale of e-cigarettes is restricted to adults aged 18 years old and older. There are no legal restrictions on public vaping, though flavour bans are in place. Nicotine concentrations cannot exceed 20 mg/mL, and refillable tanks are limited to 2 mL.
As of 2021, around 8,300 people in Portugal were estimated to be current vapers and the adult current vaping prevalence was 0.09%. In 2017, about 8% of adults reported having tried vaping at least once. Public perceptions of harm in 2017 showed that 58% of respondents believed vaping is as or more harmful than smoking, 26% viewed it as less harmful, and 16% were not sure to answer the question.
Heated Tobacco Products
in Portugal
Law No. 37/2007 transposes Article 19 of the EU Tobacco Products Directive which covers novel tobacco products and applies to heated tobacco products. Regulations cover reporting, notifications and health warning labels. Heated tobacco is subject to the tobacco excise tax, which is the same rate as for combustible tobacco. In addition, there is a 15% ad valorem tax and a 0.080 euros/gram of tobacco tax.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy
in Portugal
You can't advertise NRT in Portugal.
Snus
in Portugal
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 Portugal
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.