Average price of a pack of cigarettes in the Benelux 2021, by country

The price of a pack of cigarettes in 2020 varied greatly between Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Although originally founded as an economic partnership, retail prices are very different in the three Benelux countries, especially between Luxembourg and its two mainly Dutch-speaking partners. Whereas a pack of 20 cigarettes costed more than six euros in Belgium and the Netherlands in 2020, a Luxembourgish smoker could purchase a pack for three-quarters of that price. Indeed, the monetary cost of smoking in the Netherlands has been rising steadily in the last few years.

Smoking habits in the Benelux

In the two largest Benelux countries, smoking behavior has become less occurring. Firstly, in the Netherlands, the share of smokers decreased by nine percentage points since 2008. Secondly, a similar trend can be observed in Belgium, where the share of daily smokers decreased to below the 20 percent mark in 2015. Aside from lighting up tobacco cigarettes, smokers in the Benelux are known to smoke a cannabis joint from time to time. The Netherlands and Belgium are quite high on the list of cannabis usage in Europe, whereas Luxembourgians seem to be less enthused by marijuana products.

An international perspective

Cigarette prices in the Netherlands and Belgium are among the highest in Europe. This may have contributed to the low share of smokers in these countries: the Netherlnads had the 2nd-lowest share of regular smokers in Europe in 2020, while Belgium was also low on the list. In Luxembourg, where cigarette prices were significantly lower, the share of smokers was also higher. The Benelux trend of a decrease in smoking can also be observed on a global scale. The amount of tobacco produced globally decreased by approximately 1.5 million metric tons since 2013.