ABS Data Shows Nicotine Consumption Up 40% Since 2017 as Illegal Tobacco Share Rises to 80%

Nicotine consumption across Australia rose 40% between 2017 and 2025, the Australian Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday, even as the population grew 14%. The increase coincided with a shift to cheaper products: 80% of cigarettes smoked in 2025 were illegal, up from 12% in 2017. The dollar value of household spending on cigarettes fell to levels last seen in 2016.

Legal cigarette prices tripled over the period while illegal tobacco prices stayed roughly constant, the ABS analysis found. The figures mark the first time the bureau has published estimates of illegal tobacco consumption. The estimates drew on nicotine metabolite concentrations measured in wastewater samples and remain experimental, the ABS said.

9 billion shortfall in the federal budget. ” “As we face one of the toughest cost-of-living challenges in living memory I can only see excise-free products become more and more attractive,” Park said. He added that the shift had forced states and territories to spend more on licensing, enforcement and health services.

5 million or up to seven years in prison. Victoria imposes fines of up to $370,000 or up to 15 years in jail for selling illicit tobacco.