In 2025 Germany collected €66.4 billion in cigarette taxes. The German Statistical Office (Destatis) noted that this represented a rise of 0.2 % – or 100 million pieces – compared with 2024. When the figure is put in a long‑term context, the sales of cigarettes have fallen to just over half of their levels in 1991, when 146.5 billion were sold.
Per‑capita consumption in 2025 was 795 cigarettes, a steep decline from 1,831 in 1991. The volume of fine‑cut tobacco that was taxed fell by 1.2 % to 24,864 tonnes compared with the previous year. Sales of cigars and cigarillos dropped 6.6 % year‑on‑year, reaching 2.1 billion pieces.
Shisha (water‑pipe) tobacco sales amounted to 1,162 tonnes in 2025, a decrease of 8.8 % from the prior year. Since the amended tobacco duty regulations came into force on 1 July 2024, all package sizes for shisha are again permitted; the 25‑gram cap introduced in 2022 was rescinded. In contrast, classic pipe‑tobacco sales increased by 2.9 % to 323 tonnes.
The taxed volume of tobacco substitutes – such as e‑cigarette liquids and vapourisers – reached 1.5 million litres in 2025, reflecting an 18.2 % rise over the previous year.
