Market intelligence · 26 October 2026 · Stefan Bensmo

Snus in Sweden: why Swedes use snus – and what the “Swedish model” really means

Short answer: Sweden has the lowest smoking rate in the EU – 8% of adults smoke, against an EU average of 24% (Eurostat, 2023) – and according to the research institute CAN, daily smoking fell to about 5% in 2025. At the same time, about one in five Swedes use snus or nicotine pouches every day. Snus has been part of Swedish culture since the 1800s, and Sweden is the only EU country where it may be sold. Whether snus explains the low smoking rate is the most debated question in tobacco policy.

Sweden in numbers

Do not compare the 8% and the 5% directly: Eurostat counts everyone who smokes, while the Swedish surveys measure daily smoking. Men and women smoke at about the same rate in Sweden, but men use snus far more than women. The fastest growth is among young women using tobacco-free nicotine pouches.

What is snus, and why is it Swedish?

Snus is moist tobacco placed under the upper lip, either loose or in portion pouches. According to Swedish Match, moist snus developed in Sweden during the 1800s, sales peaked in 1919, and portion snus helped the product make a comeback from the 1970s (Swedish Match). Tobacco-free nicotine pouches, often called white snus in Sweden, are a newer category that grew rapidly in the 2020s. Read more in our history of nicotine pouches.

Why snus is only legal in Sweden

The EU banned the sale of tobacco for oral use in 1992 (Directive 92/41/EEC). When Sweden joined the EU in 1995, it negotiated an exemption, and the current Tobacco Products Directive keeps the ban “without prejudice” to Sweden’s accession act (TPD Article 17). The EU Court of Justice has upheld the ban, most recently in 2018. Tobacco-free nicotine pouches fall outside the ban because they contain no tobacco, which is why their legal status differs from country to country.

In Sweden, snus and nicotine pouches are also regulated under food law, with an approved list of additives and limits for contaminants such as nitrosamines (Livsmedelsverket). Snus is taxed at SEK 435 per kilogram in 2026 (Skatteverket).

Is Sweden “smoke-free”?

It depends on the definition. Sweden’s political target is for fewer than 5% to smoke daily. CAN measured just under 5% for 2025 – the first time in its series – while the Public Health Agency’s latest published figure is 5.4% for 2024 (CAN, Public Health Agency). The EU’s target under Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan is stricter: fewer than 5% using any tobacco by 2040 (European Commission). By that measure Sweden is far from the goal, because more than 15% use tobacco-based snus daily (WHO/OECD).

What the health data show

• Lung cancer: incidence among Swedish men is 39 per 100,000, against 95 in the EU. For women, Sweden is roughly at the EU level (EU/OECD Country Cancer Profile).
• Tobacco-related deaths: a 2014 study based on WHO data found that Swedish men had the lowest tobacco-attributable mortality in the EU (Ramström & Wikmans). It is an ecological study, and the lead author runs an institute for tobacco studies.
• Snus is not harmless: a Swedish cohort of 169,103 never-smoking men found 28% higher all-cause mortality among exclusive snus users than among non-users (Byhamre et al. 2020).
• The US view: in 2019 the FDA allowed General snus to be marketed with the claim that using it instead of cigarettes lowers the risk of several diseases, and renewed the order in 2024 (Business Wire).

The pattern fits the fact that Swedish men switched to snus much more than women did, but it does not prove causality. CAN’s researcher points out that smoking fell before snus use rose, and that no study shows snus caused the decline (TT).

The debate over the “Swedish model”

Supporters argue that Sweden shows how lower-risk products can replace cigarettes. Critics, including Swedish tobacco control groups quoted by WHO Europe, credit Sweden’s tobacco laws – smoke-free restaurants since 2005, outdoor smoking bans since 2019 and advertising restrictions – and call “smoke-free Sweden” an industry narrative. The campaign Smoke Free Sweden, launched in 2023 by the consultancy Health Diplomats, does not disclose its funding; according to Tobacco Tactics, its founder told Swedish Radio in May 2026 that it works indirectly with several tobacco companies.

What it means for the industry

Our read Sweden is the reference market for snus and nicotine pouches: the most mature, the most data-rich and the place where trends such as stronger and tobacco-free pouches show up first. But “the Swedish model” is a contested claim, not a neutral fact. Brands and investors that use Swedish data abroad should do three things: cite the primary sources, separate individual risk (snus versus cigarettes) from population effects, and avoid claiming that snus alone made Sweden smoke-free. That claim invites exactly the scrutiny that regulators in the EU already apply. See also nicotine pouch regulation in Sweden and Sweden’s most-searched nicotine pouch.