Singapore is a high-income[1] island country with a population of 6.2 million people, situated just south of peninsular Malaysia. Post-colonization, Singapore was originally a part of Malaysia but became a sovereign nation two years later in 1965.
Smoking Prevalence
In Singapore, half a dozen of individuals is reported to smoking-related sicknesses each day. About 15% of adults in Singapore are smokers.[2]
Cigarette Retail price
The retail price of cigarette products in Singapore is relatively high compared to other countries in the region. In 2018, the average cost of a pack of cigarettes was 13.02 SGD a nearly 50% increase since 2004.[3]
Tobacco Leaf Production
According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)[4] the information of tobacco leaf production in Singapore in 2018 as presented in the table below;
| Element | Value |
| Area harvested | 0.00Im ha |
| Yield | 18,523.00Fc hg/ha |
| Production | 0.00Im tonnes |
Fc: Calculated data
Im: FAO data based on imputation methodology
Who Dominates the Market?
As of 2019, Philip Morris International (PMI) held the largest cigarette market share in Singapore (45%) followed by British American Tobacco (BAT) Singapore and Japan Tobacco International (JTI) at 24% and 22% respectively.[5]
Roadmap to Tobacco Control
Singapore ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on 14 May 2004 and became a Party to the treaty on 27 February 2005.[6] One of the first attempt for tobacco control measures was introduced in the 1990 Air Navigation Order, with the prohibition of smoking on all Singapore aircraft.[7]
Tobacco Control Legislation in Singapore[8]
| 1990 | Air Navigation Order |
| 1994 | Broadcasting Act |
| 1994 | Smoking Prohibition in Certain Places Act Notification |
| 2003 | Smoking (Control of Advertisements and Sale of Tobacco) (Labelling) Regulations |
| 2006 | Control of Advertisements and Sale of Tobacco (Labelling) (Amendment) Regulations |
| 2010 | Control of Advertisements and Sale (Licensing of Importers, Wholesalers and Retailers) Regulations |
| 2011 | Control of Advertisement and Sale of Tobacco Act Revised |
| 2012 | Advertisements and Sale (Labelling) Regulations |
| 2014 | Control of Advertisements and Sale Act Chapter 309, Prohibited Tobacco Products Regulations |
| 2018 | Control of Advertisement and Sale Act |
| 2019 | Control of Advertisements and Sale Act Chapter 309, Appearance, Packaging and Labelling Regulations Control of Advertisement and Sale (Amendment) Act |
[1] World Bank Country and Lending Groups. 2020. https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519
[2] Gianna Gayle Herrera Amul, Tikki Pang. Progress in tobacco control in Singapore: lessons and challenges in the implementation of the framework convention on tobacco control. Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies 2017; 5(1): 102-121, cited in Lee K. Don’t smoke me out, Cancerfocus: Vol 1 (2018) MCI (P) 127/03/2018, Singapore Cancer Society, https://www.singaporecancersociety.org.sg/images/publications/cancer-focus/Cancer-Focus-2018-vol-1.pdf page 1
[3] Global Data, Retail Prices, Cigarettes in Singapore, 2019, page 2
[4] Tobacco Production Quantity by Country, FAO Data: Food and Agriculture Organization <http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=FAO&f=itemCode%3a826>
[5] Ibid, Manufacturer Sales and Market Share 2000-2018, Cigarettes in Singapore, 2019, page 16
[6] https://untobaccocontrol.org/impldb/singapore/
[7] Air Navigation Order 1990, https://seatca.org/dmdocuments/Singapore%20-%20Air%20Navig.%20Order%20-%20national.pdf
[8] https://seatca.org/resource-center-asean-tc-singapore/