80% of UK Smokers Buy Illegal Tobacco

Between October-December 2023, the UK Tobacco Manufacturers’ Association (TMA) commissioned a nationwide poll of 12,000 smokers on their attitudes, awareness and understanding of illegal tobacco. This is the ninth year this survey has been carried out.

The survey found that the illegal tobacco market is now growing despite repeated government attempts to curb the problem. While the number of adult smokers in the UK has decreased by 30% (to 12% of the population) since the TMA commissioned its first survey in 2014, the number of respondents purchasing non-UK duty paid tobacco has reached a new high of 80%, with one in five smokers only buying ‘branded’ tobacco, even though all legal tobacco has been sold in plain packaging since 2016.

Repeated tax rises coupled with continuing cost of living pressures have had a cumulative impact on consumer spending behaviour, and pushed many consumers towards buying illegal tobacco through criminal channels.