Kazakhstan’s Tobacco Output Surges as Smoking Rate Holds Steady

Cigarette production in Kazakhstan rose sharply at the start of 2026, even as the country’s smoking rate remained almost unchanged, Orda.kz  reports, citing Energyprom analysts.

In January and February 2026, Kazakhstan produced four billion tobacco products, one and a half times more than in the same period a year earlier.

For comparison, output for the same period in 2025 stood at 2.7 billion units. Over the whole of 2025, production reached 24.4 billion cigarettes, up 36.2% year on year. In 2024, the figure was 17.9 billion units.

At the same time, exports rose sharply. Analysts said 795.2 million cigarettes were exported from Kazakhstan in a single month, 2.7 times more than a year earlier. Domestic sales increased by 7.2% to 1.1 billion units.

Prices, however, continued to climb. In March 2026, cigarettes were 13.1% more expensive than a year earlier. That is lower than in previous years, but the increase remains steady.

The sharpest price growth was recorded in the Mangistau region, where cigarettes rose by 19.6%. Other regions with notable increases included West Kazakhstan at 14.8%, and Atyrau and Kostanay regions at 14.5% each. The lowest growth was recorded in East Kazakhstan and Ulytau regions, at around 11%.

Despite rising prices, smoking rates have changed little. In 2025, 17.5% of Kazakhstanis aged 15 and older smoked, or roughly one in six people.

The largest group of smokers consumed 15 to 24 cigarettes a day, accounting for 35.1%. Another 32.9% smoked 10 to 14 cigarettes a day. Those who smoked 25 or more cigarettes daily made up 1.8%.

Men were more likely to fall into the 15-to-24-cigarettes-a-day category, at 36.1%. Among women, the largest share smoked 10 to 14 cigarettes a day, at 37.3%.

Original author: Alexander Zhdanov

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