Regret it now? Brazil adds 690,000 vapers but loses 220 million reais to rampant black market

E-cigarettes gained 690,000 new users this year—roughly equivalent to the population of Aracaju—bringing the total number of users in Brazil to 2.9 million, about the size of the Federal District’s population. These figures come from the latest survey by the Ipec Institute.

Over six years, the usage rate of e-cigarettes, or electronic vaping devices, jumped from 0.3% to 1.8% of the population. According to the survey, one particularly notable trend was the expansion of these products in Mato Grosso, where the share of users rose from 1.8% to 4% of the population, an increase of 122% between 2022 and 2023 alone.

This growth rate was second only to Goiás (107%), Minas Gerais (100%), and Paraná (32.4%). In the Federal District, although usage fell by 18%, it still had the highest concentration of e-cigarettes per resident, with one device for every 4.5 people.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) is debating whether to maintain the ban or regulate consumption. In the meantime, a black market has already become entrenched in the country. According to a study conducted by the Federation of Industries of Minas Gerais (Fiemg), this market is estimated to generate 7.5 billion reais in annual trade. Most products come from China and Paraguay. In tax revenue alone, the federal government is losing 2.2 billion reais, while the country is also missing the opportunity to create 110,000 jobs.