Smoking prevalence, vaping laws, snus in Belgium
Belgium - country profile
- Cigarettes Cigarettes
- Nicotine Vaping Devices (E-cigarettes) E-cigarettes
- Snus Snus
- Heated Tobacco Products HTP
- Nicotine Replacement Therapy NRT
Cigarettes in Belgium
The prevalence of current smokers in the general population in Belgium was 7% lower (at 19%) in 2017 than it was in 2006 (26%). Prevalence has fluctuated during this period but the trend has been decreasing steadily since 2009. 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.
All
Prevalence
Smoking-related mortality
Product promotion
Regulation
Availability
Regulations and restrictions
Perception of harm
Tax
Tobacco smoking prevalence
Number of current smokers:
2,380,960
A
Adult current tobacco smoking prevalence:
25.0%
A
Adult current tobacco smoking prevalence (female):
23.1%
A
Adult current tobacco smoking prevalence (male):
26.9%
A
A
(1) WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, third edition. (2019). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-global-report-on-trends-in-prevalence-of-tobacco-use-2000-2025-third-edition. (2) Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Ed.). (2019). World Population Prospects 2019 (Online Edition Rev. 1.; Population Division). United Nations. https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
Smoking-related mortality
Annual number of deaths attributable to tobacco smoking:
18,736
A
Annual number of deaths attributable to tobacco smoking (female):
5,507
A
Annual number of deaths attributable to tobacco smoking (male):
13,229
A
Annual percentage of all deaths attributable to tobacco smoking:
19.6%
A
Annual percentage of all deaths attributable to tobacco smoking (female):
9.6%
A
Annual percentage of all deaths attributable to tobacco smoking (male):
23.7%
A
A
The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
Nicotine Vaping Devices (E-cigarettes) in Belgium
Belgium abides by the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) (2014). While e-cigarettes are legal in Belgium, the use of them is prohibited in enclosed public places and on public transportation by the Tobacco Control Law. The royal decree of 28th October 2016, transposing the EU TPD into Belgian law, came into force on 17th January 2017. It includes retail restrictions, including the ban on online sales. Health warnings on packaging are required in Dutch, French & German. Internet sales and e-cigarette advertising are banned. Vaping is banned wherever smoking is banned, with possible fines ranging from €208 to €8,000 . It is also prohibited to vape in an e-cigarette shop. A new law banning vaping (and smoking) in vehicles carrying children is expected. Read more >>.
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Prevalence
Smoking-related mortality
Product promotion
Regulation
Availability
Regulations and restrictions
Perception of harm
Tax
Prevalence
Adult current e-cigarette vaping prevalence:
4.0%
1
A
Ever tried e-cigarette vaping:
16.0%
1
A
A
European Commission (2017). Special Eurobarometer 458: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes Available at: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2146_87_1_458_ENG
1
Eurobarometer data provides a representative sample of ~28,000 respondents and estimates the prevalence of vaping for the EU overall, as well as per country. The survey was conducted in March 2017. Covers 28 European Union (EU) countries. Total sample N = 27901, aged 15 and over.
Product promotion
1
Allowed or banned at place of sale or allowed or banned in all media.
Regulation
A
Data cross-referenced where possible using the following sources :1. Vapetrotter website. Available at: https://www.vapetrotter.com/laws/ ; 2. Global tobacco control website. Available at:https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/node/14052 ; 3. Tobacco Control Laws website. Available at : https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/
Availability
Legal to buy device online - personal use:
No
Legal to buy nicotine online - personal use:
No
Legal to import device - trade:
Yes
Legal to import nicotine - trade:
Yes
Legal to sell device:
Yes
Legal to sell nicotine:
Yes
Legal to purchase without prescription:
Yes
Regulations and restrictions
Notifications of new products required:
Yes
Child and tamperproof containers required:
Yes
Health warning on packaging required:
Yes
Minimum age restrictions on sales:
Yes
18 years
A
Restrictions on nicotine content:
Yes
Legal restrictions on use in public places:
Yes
Restrictions on tank size:
Yes
A
https://ec.europa.eu/health/tobacco/products/revision_en
Perception of harm
Don't know:
4.0%
1
A
Not harmful, or less harmful than cigarettes:
34.0%
1
A
Harmful, or more harmful than cigarettes:
62.0%
1
A
A
Reference: European Commission (2017). Special Eurobarometer 458: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes Available at: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2146_87_1_458_ENG
1
Question asked in this survey did not compare harmfulness with cigarettes. The question used was 'Do you think they are harmful to the health of people who use them?' 62% - YES, 34% - NO, 4% DON'T KNOW
Snus in Belgium
There are no comments specific to snus in Belgium in the database.
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Prevalence
Smoking-related mortality
Product promotion
Regulation
Availability
Regulations and restrictions
Perception of harm
Tax
Regulation
Regulatory status:
Banned
A
A
Tobacco Tactics website available at: http://tobaccotactics.org/index.php/Snus:_EU_Ban_on_Snus_Sales
Heated Tobacco Products in Belgium
There are no comments specific to heated tobacco products in Belgium in the database.
All
Prevalence
Smoking-related mortality
Product promotion
Regulation
Availability
Regulations and restrictions
Perception of harm
Tax
Regulation
Regulatory status:
No specific law
A
A
Philip Morris International website. Available at: https://www.pmi.com/smoke-free-products/iqos-our-tobacco-heating-system
Availability
Products are marketed:
No
A
A
Philip Morris International website. Available at: https://www.pmi.com/smoke-free-products/iqos-our-tobacco-heating-system
Nicotine Replacement Therapy in Belgium
There are no comments specific to nicotine replacement therapy in Belgium in the database.
All
Prevalence
Smoking-related mortality
Product promotion
Regulation
Availability
Regulations and restrictions
Perception of harm
Tax
Product promotion
Market size:
18.70 million €
A
Market size per smoker:
10.60 €
A
A
Consumer Health: Euromonitor from trade sources/national statistics. Date Exported: 8/9/2019. (c) Euromonitor International 2019
