Affordability of cigarettes in Japan

Japan: Affordability of cigarettes was 1.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
1.4%
Change on year
up 14.3%
World rank
158th
of 176 countries
All-time high
1.4%
in 2022
All-time low
1.0%
in 2018
Years of data
6
2012–2022

Affordability of cigarettes in Japan, 2012–2022

00.511.52012201720222012: 1 %2014: 1.1 %2016: 1 %2018: 1 %2020: 1.2 %2022: 1.4 %

Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2022, affordability of cigarettes in Japan stood at 1.4%. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.

That represents a change of up 14.3% on the previous year and up 30.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, affordability of cigarettes in Japan peaked at 1.4% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2018.

Japan ranks 158th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

Affordability of cigarettes in Japan, year by year

Annual values for Affordability of cigarettes in Japan, 2012 to 2022.
Year % Change
2012 1.0%
2014 1.1% +1.0%
2016 1.0% -1.9%
2018 1.0% -2.9%
2020 1.2% +19.0%
2022 1.4% +14.3%

Japan compared with similar countries

  • Japan's 1.4% is below the median for high income countries, which is 1.9%, 70% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
  • Japan's 1.4% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5.2%, 26% of the median. (27 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 1.0% 1.0% 1.1% 4
2020s 1.3% 1.2% 1.4% 2

Countries ranked near Japan

  1. 156 Libya 1.4% compare
  2. 157 Denmark 1.4% compare
  3. 159 Singapore 1.3% compare
  4. 160 Sweden 1.3% compare
  5. 161 United Arab Emirates 1.2% compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for Japan

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is affordability of cigarettes in Japan?
Affordability of cigarettes in Japan was 1.4% in 2022, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest affordability of cigarettes recorded in Japan?
The highest recorded value was 1.4% in 2022.
What is the lowest affordability of cigarettes recorded in Japan?
The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2018.
How does Japan rank for affordability of cigarettes?
Japan ranks 158th out of 176 countries with data for 2022.
Is affordability of cigarettes rising or falling in Japan?
Over the last ten years it is up 30.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Affordability of cigarettes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Affordability of cigarettes in Japan. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/affordability-cigarettes/japan/

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About this data

Indicator
Affordability of cigarettes
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 1,044 data points, 2012–2022
Last refreshed

Price of 100 packs of cigarettes as a share of GDP per capita. This price is based on the most-sold brand of cigarettes in a given country and includes taxes. Lower values indicate that cigarettes are more affordable.