The tobacco market in Romania could grow to EUR 4.2 billion in 2012, from a level of EUR 3.6 billion reported in 2010, while Romanians smoke far less than their Eastern European neighbors and have reduced their cigarette intake compared to two years ago, Romania-Insider.com has learned from Euromonitor.  The retail value of the Romanian market, calculated using current prices, would cover less than 10 percent of the Eastern Europe tobacco market in 2012, according to Euromonitor data. For 2011, the total value of the tobacco market in Romania will reach around EUR 4 billion.

On average, a Romanian will smoke around  1,374 cigarettes - or 68 packs of cigarettes in 2011. This will be down on the 82 packs of cigarettes a year in 2009 and below the average of 105 packs of cigarettes per person in East European countries.

Romania is also among the last countries when it comes to how much one person spends on tobacco, with EUR 39.4 in 2010, being followed by Ukraine with EUR 28.8 and Belarus with 27.1, according to Euromonitor’s data.  The highest spending is in Slovenia, with EUR 306 a year- almost ten times Romania's spending,  followed by the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Cigarettes will make the bulk of the market in Romania this year, with around EUR 3.9 billion in Romania in 2011, while the cigars market will reach only EUR 15 million. The Eastern European total tobacco market size will be EUR 44.7 billion in 2011, and the cigarettes value will amount to EUR 43.5 billion, according to Euromonitor.

For 2012, Romania’s total cigarettes market is expected to reach the value of EUR 4.1 billion, while the total value for the East European countries will be about EUR 47.4 billion.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Photoxpress)