Georgia aims for a tobacco-free generation by 2040 but must contend with a pervasive tobacco industry.

Georgia has set itself the goal of becoming a tobacco and nicotine-free country by 2040.[1]. However, according to the Tobacco Control Alliance, smoking prevalence remains very high, and recent developments are cause for concern, particularly the sharp increase in the use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products over the past three years. The Alliance therefore proposes that the country, in accordance with international best practices, adopt a series of strong anti-smoking measures and actively combat tobacco industry interference, which is among the most entrenched in the world according to the latest Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index.

Despite still high consumption levels, the country is pursuing the goal of a tobacco-free generation

The 2025 Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) shows that the prevalence of smoking in Georgia has decreased from 33 per 100,000 adults (1PT3T) to 24.8 per 100,000 adults (1PT3T) in a decade, with 46.1 per 100,000 adult men and 5.8 per 100,000 adult women now using tobacco products, including an increasing use of smokeless tobacco such as heated tobacco..

This significant decrease has motivated the government to persevere in its national "end of tobacco" strategy, with the objective of reducing the proportion of consumers of all tobacco and nicotine products to less than 5% of the population by 2040.

However, the objective remains hampered by still very high levels of male consumption and an increase in the consumption of heated tobacco which today concerns 1.9 % of adults (2.4 % of men and 1.4 % of women).

In addition, there has been an increase in the use of electronic cigarettes, used by 1.7% of adults, including 2.6% of men and 1% of women.

According to the Alliance, this objective is essential to reducing the heavy health and financial burden associated with smoking. Tobacco is responsible for a quarter of male deaths in the country and accounts for more than 7,000 premature and preventable deaths each year.[3]. Its cost of approximately 1.6 billion laris (500 million euros) in health expenditure and productivity losses is estimated to be about ten times higher than the tax revenue from the sale of tobacco products.

Several recommended anti-smoking measures enjoy strong public support

To achieve this goal, the Tobacco Control Alliance recommends to the government a set of measures for legislation that transposes the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), of which the Caucasus country is a Party.

Among the measures under consideration are the harmonization of taxation on all tobacco and nicotine products to avoid shifting purchases to cheaper products, raising the legal age from 18 to 21 for the purchase of tobacco products, strengthening the smoking ban by including casinos and theater stages, as well as the re-establishment of a sales licensing system for retailers and Georgia's accession to the Protocol aimed at eliminating the illicit trade in tobacco products.

The legislative framework would also include a measure of a generational ban for people born from 2015 onwards.

Regarding vaping products in particular, the Alliance urges the country to extend the advertising ban and implement plain packaging, including for nicotine-free e-cigarettes and herbal smoking products. It also calls for a ban on all non-tobacco flavors, given the strong appeal of these products to children and teenagers.

The Alliance also advocates for support for these measures and for strengthened controls and sanctions to ensure their enforcement. Specifically mentioned are checks in indoor and outdoor public spaces, such as the metro and the areas around schools and kindergartens. According to the organization, the amount of fines should be progressive and dissuasive, depending on the severity of the offenses.

In its advocacy, the Alliance calls for mandatory transparency in the government's dealings with representatives of the tobacco industry. It emphasizes that combating tobacco use requires a minimum level of resources, including strengthening the capacity of the National Center for Disease Control and restoring tobacco control funding, which was reduced in 2025. According to the Alliance, funding for tobacco control should stem from the application of the polluter-pays principle, thus requiring the industry to pay to repair the damage caused by its products and activities.

According to the 2025 survey, 75% of the population supports stricter anti-smoking policies, which the Alliance interprets as a clear mandate for stronger public action.[4].

These objectives are threatened by the powerful influence of the tobacco industry.

The Alliance asserts that a genuine political commitment to protecting present and future generations must translate into concrete actions. Otherwise, it warns, it would suggest that the interests of the tobacco industry take precedence over public health priorities.

The primacy of the public interest over that of the industry is indeed a prominent issue in this country. According to the 2025 edition of the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index (GTIII), which measures the degree of industry interference in public health policies, the country ranked particularly poorly. It is among countries like Japan, the United States, Switzerland, and the Dominican Republic where the industry is especially influential. Tobacco companies still enjoy privileged access to policymakers and participate in the development of permissive and ineffective regulations. This influence in these countries also allows tobacco companies to easily promote all their products and improve their image.

According to GTIII, the industry is actively contributing, for example, to the reversal of tax increases on tobacco products in Georgia. Parliament, under pressure from local tobacco producers such as Tbilisi Tobacco, approved a 50% tax reduction on raw tobacco, chewing tobacco, snus, and hookah tobacco in May 2024.

It is also one of the seven countries that delayed the implementation of plain packaging: the adoption of standardized packaging, initially planned for January 2018, was postponed three times until January 1.^er April 2025. The tobacco industry and its allies have lobbied the Office of the Business Ombudsman, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and the Ministry of Finance to support their request for a postponement.

Irakli Nadareishvili, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, was also the commercial director of the tobacco company Imperial Brands for Georgia and Moldova from 2013 to 2016, reflecting serious conflicts of interest.

Finally, as an example, the tax authorities and customs accepted a donation of detection dogs and drones from Japan Tobacco International (JTI) to combat smuggling, in addition to training sessions for staff. However, the tobacco industry's responsibility in smuggling has been repeatedly established, and these initiatives by the manufacturer are primarily aimed at preventing the adoption of measures it deems detrimental to its interests.

This situation is not unique to Georgia but it is part of a global movement of aggressive intensification of industrial interference.

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[1]Mariam Razmadze, Georgia targets tobacco-free status by 2040 amid surge in e-cigarette, Georgia Today, published January 21, 2026, accessed January 22, 2026

[2]Fact Sheet Georgia 2025, GATS – Global Adult Tobacco Survey, published October 23, 2025, accessed January 22, 2026

[3]Drope J, Hamill S, Country profile: Georgia, Tobacco Atlas, New York: Vital Strategies and Economics for Health, updated in 2025, accessed January 22, 2026

[4]Tobacco Control Alliance warns of e-cigarette surge, calls to raise purchase age to 21, Georgia Today, published January 21, 2026, accessed January 22, 2026

National Committee Against Smoking |