Overview
- The customs report, published Wednesday, estimates that in metropolitan France 17.7% of tobacco consumed in 2023 was not bought from licensed retailers.
- That share equals 8,081 tonnes out of an estimated 45,755 tonnes consumed, based on comparing self-reported consumption with official delivery data by department.
- Roughly 80% of untaxed volume—about 6,863 tonnes—stems from cross-border purchases where prices are lower than in France.
- Border departments saw tobacco deliveries to tobacconists fall by more than 45% between 2016 and 2023, while some non-border areas recorded declines under 25%.
- The remaining untaxed supply is linked to duty-free purchases (777 tonnes), street vendors (366 tonnes), and purchases abroad outside neighboring countries (275 tonnes), with price cited by 74% of respondents as the main motivation and packs costing about €12–€13 in France.