Overall the value of exported tobacco cigarettes dipped by an average -4.4% for all exporting countries since 2015 when worldwide shipments of cigarettes were valued at $21.2 billion. Year over year, the value of globally exported cigarettes declined by -22.6% from 2018 to 2019.
Among continents, European countries earned the most from tobacco cigarettes exported during 2019 with shipments valued at $12.2 billion or 60.5% of worldwide exported cigarettes. Asia supplied 32.3% of the global total, trailed by North American cigarette shippers at 4.6%.
Smaller percentages came from exporters in Africa (1.3%), Latin America (1%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania (0.4%) mainly Australia and New Zealand.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 240220 for cigarettes containing tobacco.
Tobacco Cigarettes Exports by Country
Countries
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of tobacco cigarettes during 2019.
- Poland: US$3.5 billion (17.3% of exported cigarettes)
- Germany: $2.3 billion (11.4%)
- Hong Kong: $1.1 billion (5.4%)
- Singapore: $1.1 billion (5.2%)
- Netherlands: $962 million (4.8%)
- Indonesia: $899.3 million (4.4%)
- United States: $834.7 million (4.1%)
- Czech Republic: $785.1 million (3.9%)
- Romania: $754.9 million (3.7%)
- Lithuania: $731.8 million (3.6%)
- South Korea: $717.4 million (3.5%)
- China: $705.9 million (3.5%)
- Ukraine: $652.7 million (3.2%)
- Portugal: $630.6 million (3.1%)
- Switzerland: $532.1 million (2.6%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 79.9% of global cigarettes exported in 2019.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of cigarettes since 2015 were: Ukraine (up 135%), Lithuania (up 130.2%), Poland (up 62.7%) and China (up 23.3%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported cigarettes sales were led by: Germany (down -30.2%), Romania (down -25.8%), South Korea (down -19.1%), Singapore (down -8.8%) and Portugal (down -8.6%).
Advantages
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for tobacco cigarettes during 2019. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s tobacco cigarettes exports and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Poland: US$3.4 billion (net export surplus up 68.9% since 2015)
- Germany: $1 billion (down -63.2%)
- Indonesia: $815.7 million (up 14.6%)
- Lithuania: $661.8 million (up 164.4%)
- South Korea: $661.2 million (down -22.4%)
- Romania: $639.2 million (down -33.2%)
- Ukraine: $600.3 million (up 195%)
- Portugal: $516.9 million (down -13.2%)
- Switzerland: $512.7 million (down -1.8%)
- Turkey: $470.1 million (up 4%)
- United States: $437.6 million (up 36.2%)
- Czech Republic: $403.8 million (down -12%)
- Hong Kong: $340.8 million (down -7.1%)
- Singapore: $273.8 million (down -41.4%)
- Netherlands: $272 million (down -3.2%)
Poland generated the highest surplus in the international trade of tobacco cigarettes in 2019. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Poland’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Opportunities
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for tobacco cigarettes during 2019. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s tobacco cigarettes import purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- Japan: -US$2.1 billion (net export deficit down -26.3% since 2015)
- Italy: -$2 billion (up 3.2%)
- Spain: -$1.3 billion (up 21.9%)
- France: -$1.2 billion (down -2.5%)
- Vietnam: -$797.7 million (reversing a $248.8 million surplus)
- Australia: -$606.7 million (up 20.4%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$515.8 million (down -54.8%)
- United Kingdom: -$419.3 million (up 121.7%)
- Belgium: -$331.5 million (up 13.6%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$292.6 million (reversing a $143 million surplus)
- Iraq: -$263.7 million (down -55.1%)
- Austria: -$239.8 million (up 10.8%)
- Israel: -$198.3 million (up 1.3%)
- Slovakia: -$185.4 million (up 38.9%)
- Norway: -$158.1 million (up 74.2%)
Japan racked up the highest deficit in the international trade of tobacco cigarettes. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights Japan’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for tobacco cigarettes-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand from Japanese consumers.
Companies
Tobacco Cigarettes Exporting Companies
Based on the Forbes Global 2000 rankings, the following tobacco companies are among the top largest companies in the world.
- Philip Morris International (United States)
- British American Tobacco (United Kingdom)
- Japan Tobacco (Japan)
- Altria Group (United States)
- Imperial Tobacco Group (United Kingdom)
- Reynolds American (United States)
- ITC (India)
- Lorillard (United States)
- KT&G (South Korea)
- Gudang Garam (Indonesia)
The above corporations are presented in the same order as they appear in the Forbes listing. Shown within parentheses is the country where each conglomerate has its headquarters.
According to global trade intelligence firm Zepol, the following are also international suppliers of tobacco cigarettes.
- Bommidala Enterprises (India)
- Cia Sulamericana De Tabacos (Brazil)
- Gunvor International (Netherlands)
- Joh Wilh Von Eicken (Germany)
- Majestica Enterprises (Hong Kong)
- Scandinavian Tobacco (Poland)
- Tabacalera Hondurena (Honduras)
Searchable List of Tobacco Cigarettes Exporting Countries in 2019
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that no 2018 data was available.
| Rank | Exporter | Exported Cigarettes (US$) | 2018-9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Poland | $3,499,293,000 | +3.7% |
| 2. | Germany | $2,301,117,000 | -17.5% |
| 3. | Hong Kong | $1,098,272,000 | -3.4% |
| 4. | Singapore | $1,061,119,000 | +0.5% |
| 5. | Netherlands | $961,995,000 | -24.8% |
| 6. | Indonesia | $899,272,000 | +5% |
| 7. | United States | $834,694,000 | -22.1% |
| 8. | Czech Republic | $785,075,000 | +8.1% |
| 9. | Romania | $754,911,000 | +10.1% |
| 10. | Lithuania | $731,822,000 | -14.2% |
| 11. | South Korea | $717,394,000 | -9.5% |
| 12. | China | $705,911,000 | -2.1% |
| 13. | Ukraine | $652,730,000 | +91.9% |
| 14. | Portugal | $630,613,000 | -2.3% |
| 15. | Switzerland | $532,132,000 | -6.1% |
| 16. | Turkey | $470,343,000 | +0.3% |
| 17. | Armenia | $272,920,000 | +2.7% |
| 18. | Philippines | $261,529,000 | +9.5% |
| 19. | Russia | $261,450,000 | -13.2% |
| 20. | Greece | $211,243,000 | -4.1% |
| 21. | Serbia | $195,488,000 | -10% |
| 22. | Thailand | $188,157,000 | +74.9% |
| 23. | Vietnam | $142,135,000 | -33.8% |
| 24. | Taiwan | $137,464,000 | 0% |
| 25. | Hungary | $136,608,000 | +6.8% |
| 26. | South Africa | $129,906,000 | +0.2% |
| 27. | Croatia | $129,084,000 | +2.9% |
| 28. | Japan | $121,931,000 | -15.8% |
| 29. | Canada | $103,910,000 | -0.8% |
| 30. | Spain | $100,818,000 | +11.5% |
| 31. | India | $100,527,000 | +13% |
| 32. | Luxembourg | $84,080,000 | -5.8% |
| 33. | Kazakhstan | $82,739,000 | -10.1% |
| 34. | Chile | $79,864,000 | -4.1% |
| 35. | Belgium | $71,880,000 | -9.4% |
| 36. | Bulgaria | $64,805,000 | -39.8% |
| 37. | Malaysia | $62,225,000 | -17.4% |
| 38. | Georgia | $57,585,000 | +4,529% |
| 39. | United Arab Emirates | $44,254,000 | -98.9% |
| 40. | Australia | $36,692,000 | -13.1% |
| 41. | New Zealand | $36,222,000 | +0.2% |
| 42. | Kenya | $33,952,000 | -48.4% |
| 43. | Senegal | $31,705,000 | -17.3% |
| 44. | Latvia | $27,866,000 | -16.4% |
| 45. | Paraguay | $25,254,000 | +59.3% |
| 46. | France | $23,658,000 | -9.3% |
| 47. | Myanmar (Burma) | $23,078,000 | -46.5% |
| 48. | Aruba | $21,834,000 | +103.3% |
| 49. | Kyrgyzstan | $21,833,000 | +107.3% |
| 50. | Malta | $19,996,000 | +14.8% |
| 51. | Brazil | $19,414,000 | +22.3% |
| 52. | Honduras | $19,081,000 | -40.9% |
| 53. | Cambodia | $17,935,000 | -13% |
| 54. | North Macedonia | $17,470,000 | +34.8% |
| 55. | Laos | $15,994,000 | -73.1% |
| 56. | Uruguay | $15,602,000 | -13.3% |
| 57. | Nigeria | $15,550,000 | -78.4% |
| 58. | Zimbabwe | $15,358,000 | +137.2% |
| 59. | Uzbekistan | $12,704,000 | +161.8% |
| 60. | Seychelles | $10,625,000 | +6.7% |
| 61. | Denmark | $8,834,000 | -13.2% |
| 62. | Belarus | $8,774,000 | 0% |
| 63. | Sweden | $7,337,000 | -36.7% |
| 64. | Trinidad/Tobago | $6,819,000 | -66.4% |
| 65. | Belize | $5,395,000 | -5.1% |
| 66. | Tanzania | $5,320,000 | -74.4% |
| 67. | Italy | $4,551,000 | -37.2% |
| 68. | Estonia | $4,081,000 | +3% |
| 69. | Namibia | $3,722,000 | +23.1% |
| 70. | Cyprus | $3,683,000 | +110.3% |
| 71. | Panama | $3,665,000 | +22.5% |
| 72. | United Kingdom | $3,452,000 | -6.8% |
| 73. | Cuba | $3,390,000 | -1% |
| 74. | Mauritius | $3,290,000 | -31.4% |
| 75. | Pakistan | $3,130,000 | +4187.7% |
| 76. | Morocco | $3,091,000 | -3.2% |
| 77. | Colombia | $2,662,000 | -59.4% |
| 78. | Jordan | $2,570,000 | +4,842% |
| 79. | Tajikistan | $2,475,000 | +2.4% |
| 80. | Bangladesh | $2,456,000 | +97% |
| 81. | Iran | $2,176,000 | -41.1% |
| 82. | Finland | $1,970,000 | +13.1% |
| 83. | Azerbaijan | $1,734,000 | +13% |
| 84. | Montenegro | $1,433,000 | -23.7% |
| 85. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $1,238,000 | -34.9% |
| 86. | Dominican Republic | $1,076,000 | -58.8% |
| 87. | Guatemala | $992,000 | +8.4% |
| 88. | Papua New Guinea | $884,000 | +94.7% |
| 89. | Barbados | $829,000 | -58.6% |
| 90. | Egypt | $706,000 | +36.6% |
| 91. | Madagascar | $666,000 | -19.2% |
| 92. | Slovenia | $446,000 | +61.6% |
| 93. | Bahrain | $429,000 | -99.6% |
| 94. | Solomon Islands | $255,000 | 0% |
| 95. | Nicaragua | $182,000 | -20.9% |
| 96. | Antigua/Barbuda | $149,000 | +16.4% |
| 97. | Zambia | $144,000 | +23.1% |
| 98. | Jamaica | $122,000 | -8.3% |
| 99. | Syria | $110,000 | +3.8% |
| 100. | Bermuda | $89,000 | -50.3% |
| 101. | Suriname | $86,000 | 0% |
| 102. | Sri Lanka | $70,000 | -87.1% |
| 103. | Dominica | $59,000 | +126.9% |
| 104. | Austria | $47,000 | -7.8% |
| 105. | Curaçao | $46,000 | +76.9% |
| 106. | Burundi | $43,000 | -99.1% |
| 107. | Anguilla | $39,000 | 0% |
| 108. | El Salvador | $38,000 | +375% |
| 109. | Somalia | $20,000 | 0% |
| 110. | Norway | $18,000 | -67.9% |
| 111. | Christmas Island | $15,000 | -91.3% |
| 112. | Fiji | $12,000 | -99.9% |
| 113. | Andorra | $7,000 | -36.4% |
| 114. | Algeria | $5,000 | 0% |
| 115. | Costa Rica | $5,000 | -95.7% |
| 116. | Moldova | $3,000 | -100% |
| 117. | Lebanon | $2,000 | -99.9% |
| 118. | Iraq | $1,000 | 0% |
| 119. | Israel | $1,000 | 0% |
| 120. | Oman | $1,000 | -100% |
| 121. | Albania | $1,000 | 0% |
| 122. | Angola | $1,000 | -99.3% |
| 123. | Slovakia | $1,000 | -92.9% |
| 124. | Saint Kitts/Nevis | $1,000 | 0% |
| 125. | Tunisia | $1,000 | 0% |
See also Tobacco Cigarettes Imports by Country, Coffee Exports by Country, Tea Exports by Country and Germany’s Top Trading Partners
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on May 12, 2020
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on May 12, 2020
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 12, 2020
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 12, 2020
Wikipedia, Category: Tobacco companies. Accessed on May 12, 2020
Zepol’s company summary highlights by HTS code. Accessed on May 12, 2020
