There are approximately 4.1 million current smokers in Romania
36.2% of men are current smokers but only 16.6% of women
The overall trend for prevalence of current smokers in the general population in Romania has been gently downwards since 2006. 28% of Romanians were current smokers in 2017, down from 31% in 2006. The trend was mostly downwards, with a slight upwards blip in the 2017 survey (+1%). 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.
Each year, 29,482 deaths in Romania are attributed to tobacco smoking.
The estimated size of the NRT market is 0.4 million €.
E-cigarettes are legally allowed in Romania. However, there are several restrictions that users and manufacturers must follow. The minimum legal age for purchasing e-cigarettes is 18 years. Notifications of new vaping products must be submitted to the authorities before they are placed on the market. Child-resistant and tamper-proof containers must be used. In addition, health warnings are required on their packaging. There are no restrictions on flavours, but the maximum allowable nicotine concentration is 20 mg/ml.
In 2021, there were an estimated 61,209 current vapers in Romania. Current vaping prevalence was 1% in 2023. Adult daily vaping prevalence was 0.4% in 2023, corresponding to an estimated 63,441 daily vapers.
In Romania, Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) are legally allowed for sale and use including sales through online channels. HTPs are also available and can be purchased from general retail stores. The law, however, does not allow health benefit claims about these products and requires health warnings on their packaging. There are also restrictions on their flavours.
Data show that there were an estimated 206,184 adult users of HTPs in Romania in 2023 which indicates an increase from an estimated 80,000 adult HTP users in 2020. The current HTP use prevalence among adults was 1.3% in 2023, which shows an increase from 0.5% in 2020. The daily prevalence of HTP use was 0.5% in 2023 which is also a slight increase from 0.4% in 2020.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is legally allowed in Romania, including the sale and purchase of its products without a prescription. NRT products can be found in pharmacies. Although they are not included on the country’s essential drugs list the government partially covers the cost of NRT. NRT market size value in Romania was estimated to be 0.4 million € in 2019.
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.
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
Top Stories from Romania
October 31, 2026 by vapingpost.com
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