Tobacco Use and Trends
- In 2022, an estimated 363.9 thousand people (271.5 thousand males and 93.5 thousand females) aged 15 years and older were tobacco product users in Costa Rica. This positions the country as the 120th globally and the 19th in the WHO Region of the Americas in terms of number of tobacco users.1,2
The 2022 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATs) revealed that 8.7% or 0.4 million adults (13.1% males and 4.3% females) aged 15 years and over were current tobacco users (Figure 1).
5.4% of adults (8.6% males and 2.3% females) were daily cigarette smokers.
0.2% or 0.01 million adults (0.2% males and 0.2% females) were current smokeless tobacco products users.
Nicotine Alternatives
In 2022, 1.6% adults (2.2% males and 1% females) aged 15 years and over reported as current users of e-cigarettes. There is a slight increase in e-cigarette use as compared with 2015 were 1.3% adults (1.6% males and 0.9% females) were reported as current users of e-cigarettes.
In 2022, heated tobacco products (HTPs) use was not prevalent as 0.04% adults (0.05% males and 0.02% females) reported as current HTPs users.
Health and Economic Burden From Tobacco Use
In 2021, it was estimated that tobacco was the 6th highest risk factor driving the most death and disability combined in Costa Rica.
Tobacco was responsible for an estimated 1.6 thousand deaths, which is about 13.2% of total deaths.
Of tobacco-related deaths, 1.4 thousand or 87.1% were due to smoking, and 237 or 15.1% were due to secondhand smoke.
In 2021, the top 10 causes of the most deaths in Costa Rica included Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) ranking 2nd, Stroke ranking 4th, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) ranking 5th.
Tobacco was responsible for an estimated 420.5 or 14.8% of all IHD deaths, 125.7 or 10.1% of all Stroke deaths, 192.6 or 76.7% of all Lung Cancer deaths, and 296.2 or 57.0% of all COPD deaths.
In 2021, tobacco use caused an estimated loss of 46.2 thousand disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which was about 11.3% of total DALYs. Tobacco accounts for 11.3 thousand DALYs for IHD, 3.4 thousand DALYs for Stroke, 4.4 thousand DALYs for Lung Cancer, and 5.7 thousand DALYs for COPD.
Regulatory Environment and Economics
Public Health Commitment
Costa Rica ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2008, and WHO Illicit Trade Protocol in 2017.
Costa Rica adopted graphical health warnings (GHWs) on combustible cigarettes (CCs) in 2014, covering 50% of the front and 50% of the back of the packages.
Diverse Tobacco Market
Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) and e-cigarettes with nicotine content are classified as “tobacco products”, while those without nicotine content are considered “consumer products”.
Graphic and text health warnings cover 50% of both surfaces of e-cigarettes.
Taxation Policy
Total tax rate on retail prices of a pack of cigarette was 55.1% in 2022.
In 2023, HTPs and e-cigarettes are subject to an ad valorem tax at 20% of the manufacturers’ prices.
A differential excise tax policy is applied between CCs and HTPs. The excise value for HTPs is CRC 349.37/pack, with its share (15.88%) on the retail price (CRC 2,200/pack) in 2023. The excise value of CCs is CRC 1,043.05/pack, with its share (43.46%) on retail selling price (CRC 2,400/pack) in 2023.
Smoking and Advertising Bans3
- Complete smoking bans with complete level of compliance, and moderate advertising bans with complete level of compliance are enforced in Costa Rica in 2022.
Age Restrictions
- Tobacco products and e-cigarettes cannot be sold to individuals younger than 18 years of age.
Illicit Cigarette Trade
- Estimated figures indicate that Costa Rica has been facing a significant and increasing illicit cigarette trade, rising from 7.9% in 2008 to reaching 41.5% in 2022. (Euromonitor [accessed November 2023])
Tobacco Production and Diversification
In 2022, Costa Rica produced about 47.2 tons of unmanufactured tobacco. This positioned Costa Rica as the 117th largest tobacco producer in the world.
When compared to 2010, when Costa Rica produced about 79tons of unmanufactured tobacco, there was a 40.2% decrease by 2022.
In 2022, Costa Rica utilized approximately 25 hectares of land for tobacco cultivation, reflecting a 50% decrease compared 2010. (FAOSTAT [accessed January 2024])