Although the number of smokers in Denmark has increased, sales of cigarettes have fallen in 2018, The Copenhagen Post reported.

According to recent Tax Ministry figures, the number of cigarettes sold in Denmark dropped from 6,130 million to 5,280 million (down 14 per cent) in 2018. This decrease could be attributable to more people using products such as e-cigarettes, Swedish-style snuff that is placed in the mouth, or heat-not-burn tobacco, the report said.
The Danish cancer organisation Kræftens Bekæmpelse is pleased with the new figures. “This is excellent. The fewer cigarettes sold the better, and it would be wonderful if the trend continues,” CEO Jesper Fisker was quoted as saying.
The health minister, Ellen Trane Nørby, urges caution when it comes to interpreting the new figures. “We must remember there is no one simple solution and that we must work on a number of fronts to get the number of smokers down,” she told Politiken.
For the first time in 20 years the number of smokers in Denmark has increased significantly, according to the figures of the national health board Sundhedsstyrelsen. In 2018, the smoking prevalence was 23.1 per cent.