For the dedicated smokers in this time of ever-increasing tobacco prices, it is good to have in mind the cheapest places to buy cigarettes in the world.
Use of tobacco, just as well as the use of alcohol and other psychoactive substances has great importance and a long history in human society. Characteristics of plants with psychoactive substances, such as cannabis, coca or betel, for example, have long been known to people throughout the world, and they were not only used for their psychoactive properties, but for medical purposes as well.
But tobacco was being used since 4000 of years ago among the peoples of South America, being chewed or smoked. In these cultures, smoking, and use of tobacco and other psychoactive substances, in general, was of the ritual importance and was consumed by shamans. It was of course introduced to the rest of the world when American continent was “discovered” by Europeans in the 15th century when the mass production and cultivation of tobacco started. Even though there are more ways of tobacco use than smoking, such as sniffing or chewing, the most common way of tobacco use remained in the shape of cigarettes.
Certainly, smokers are fed up and bombarded with the information on the harmful impacts of tobacco on health. Surely the warning signs about the impact of tobacco on health on each cigarette pack were irritating at the beginning, but now it is just an integral part of the pack design.
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But nevertheless, we will still put some facts here. According to the data of the World Health Organization, tobacco kills half of its users, which is about 7 million people around the globe each year. But it is not only smokers that are affected by this, in this figure of 7 million about 890,000 deaths of passive smokers are included. So, maybe the smoking prohibitions on public places are not as bad idea as it might seem to smokers in the end.
By the way, you can watch the video below to find out 7 cigarette brands that contain the lowest tar and nicotine.
And of course, the price, of tobacco influences its use. Bigger taxes and higher prices, in general, are the important factors, especially for the younger population. That is why the heaviest health issues caused by tobacco consumption are observed in low and middle-income countries, where the use of tobacco is also much higher among the younger population. So, with the higher prices comes, the lesser consumption, and for the matter of the highest cigarette prices in the world, you can check our article on most expensive countries to buy cigarettes in the world. On the contrary, but following the rule, on the issue of the cheapest cigarettes in Europe in 2017 we find countries such as Albania, Serbia, Ukraine, Belarus – you get the point, not the wealthiest ones.
Of course, nowadays the easiest way to buy things is online, so the cigarettes fall into this category as well. For that matter, we have chosen some of the 8 Trusted Online Cigarette Stores to Buy Cigarettes Legally that you can check out.
So, the question for our research rose – should we make a comparison based on a certain cigarette brand? For example, how much is a pack of Marlboro Reds? For example, we have found Marlboro price list on Numbeo, according to which you can buy the cheapest Marlboros in Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and the most expensive packs in Australia, New Zealand, and Norway.
But anyway, in the end, we have decided to look for any brand of cigarettes and focus more on the cheapest place to buy cigarettes rather than the brand. So that is why we have tried to obtain information on the cigarette prices by country. The resources we have found were Euronews, Independent.ie, Money, but we got the most comprehensive information from the Cigarette Prices. There we have gotten the information on cigarette prices by country in 2017, which of course represent an approximation, and are based on Marlboro and similar cigarette brands such as Camel, Pall Mall, or Winston.
The additional data on the countries on our list providing with the information on taxation, advertisement bans, public places tobacco prohibition, most sold cigarette brand, etc., was gained from the World Health Organization for each country, and also being the data from 2017. So our final score was taken from both sources combined, showing the price of the most sold cigarette brand in the countries on the list.
Let’s proceed now down to our list to see which the cheapest places to buy cigarettes in the world are:
10. Timor-Leste
Cigarette price for 2017: $1.5
Even though the efforts of the government of Timor-Leste for raising the awareness of the health issues connected with tobacco consumption are on a good path, it is still one of the cheapest places to buy cigarettes in the world. For example, the total taxes as a percent of a retail price is 28% on the most sold brand (which is LA Light in this case), the price for a pack does not exceed $1.5.
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9. Djibouti
Cigarette price for 2017: $1.13
Cigarettes have actually become more affordable in the period between 2008 and 2016 in Djibouti despite the government efforts to lower the tobacco and cigarette use and therefore is one of the cheapest places to buy cigarettes in the world. Smoking is forbidden at the most of the public places excluding restaurants and bars. The most sold cigarette brand in Djibouti is Benson & Hedges with the price of $1.13.
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8. Zimbabwe
Cigarette price for 2017: $1
Interesting fact regardless the price of tobacco and cigarettes in Zimbabwe is that the male, female smokers ratio is huge, having 25% of males and 0.4% of females in adult population smoking cigarettes according to the current data. But the ratio is more equal in the youth population having 11.3% of male and 8.9% female smokers under the age of 15 which is an alarming and obviously a rising problem.
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6. Kyrgyzstan
Cigarette price for 2017: $0.86
As a middle-income country, Kyrgyzstan is showing the pattern of the countries of the similar economic status regarding the cigarette and tobacco use. That means that the pack of cigarettes is affordable, being only $0.86 (including the taxes of 39% in total) for the pack of Winston as the most sold brand in Kyrgyzstan. Smoking is forbidden in the more official places such as hospitals, government buildings educational buildings, but not in offices and some working places, and neither in bars and restaurants.
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6. Philippines
Cigarette price for 2017: $0.86
Even though there are smoke-free laws in the official places such are hospitals, educational facilities, government facilities, etc., it is not applied in more ordinary places such as restaurants, bars or even workplaces and offices. If we take into account the price (as little as $0.86 for the most sold brand – Fortune) no wonder there is a huge percentage of the smoking population in the Philippines.
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5. Guinea Bissau
Cigarette price for 2017: $0.85
It is no wonder this country also takes place on among the cheapest places to buy cigarettes in the world since there are no serious efforts applied by the government in order to lower the use of tobacco and cigarette sales. The most sold cigarette brand in Guinea Bissau is Brusson with the price of $0.85 including the taxes which are 19.5% in total.
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4. The Gambia
Cigarette price for 2017: $0.8
The data showing that the cigarettes have become less affordable in the Gambia in the period between 2008 and 2016 (having raised the taxes and therefore the prices) still does not put this country off the cheapest places to buy cigarettes in the world. Even with the total taxes of 54.1%, the price of the most sold cigarette brand in the Gambia (which is Bond Street) is around $0.8-0.9.
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3. Liberia
Cigarette price for 2017: $0.64
There are no laws in Liberia that prohibit smoking even in places such as health care facilities, educational facilities, or any other places on that matter. Even the taxations are very low, being only 23.2% on the most sold cigarette brand which is Bond-street, and with the price of only $0.64, it is no wonder why Liberia takes the first place among the cheapest places to buy cigarettes in the world.
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2. Cambodia
Cigarette price for 2017: $0.5
Cambodia ranks second on our list of cheapest places to buy cigarettes in the world. The country is doing well on spreading the awareness of tobacco and cigarette use on health through mass media, smoke free policies (smoking is forbidden in many public places including educational facilities, hospitals, government facilities, offices and workplaces, restaurants and bars) though the affordability of cigarettes is the same compared to 2008. That is because with the taxes in a total of 25.2% for the most sold cigarette brand (which is ARA in this case) the pack of cigarettes only costs about $0.5.
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1. Somalia
Cigarette price for 2017: $0.49
Somalia does not put any efforts towards lowering tobacco use and cigarette sales. Smoking is allowed in any public place and taxes are only between 4 and 5%. The most sold cigarette brand in Somalia is Sports which is also the cheapest one. Taxes on Sports are only 4.5% and the cost of a pack of 20 of these is only $0.49. The most expensive cigarette brand is Marlboro which only costs as double as the Sports. So, if you want to get yourself the cheapest pack of cigarettes out there, Somalia is among the cheapest places to buy cigarettes in the world.
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