The consumption of so-called white snus, which does not contain tobacco but can have high amounts of nicotine, has increased significantly for several years. According to CAN's new report on tobacco and nicotine consumption, the increase continued last year, up 20 percent from 2023.
The report, which is released annually, is based on data on tax revenues from the sale of tobacco and nicotine products and shows that 221 million cans of white snus were sold in 2024.
Sales figures for white snus have been available since 2021. Then, an average of 9 cans were sold per person, compared to 25 cans last year. Consumption is then spread out across all Swedes over the age of 15.
There has been almost a tripling during that period, says Mats Ramstedt.
New snus products added
Before white snus was introduced in 2016, snus consumption in Sweden was fairly stable. Although there have been no major changes in tobacco snus, overall consumption has now skyrocketed.
The number of snus cans consumed has doubled in 2024, compared to the year before the white snus was introduced, says Mats Ramstedt.
Because the increase is so significant, it cannot only be people who have switched from brown to white snus.
There has been a recruitment of new groups, it must be so because the total is increasing so much.
No longer increasing
At the same time as white snus was introduced, snus use increased significantly among young people and women in Sweden. This development is of concern to the Public Health Agency because the product is highly addictive and has relatively unexplored health risks.
Like brown snus, no major changes are seen in the remaining categories. Cigarette smoking is largely unchanged – and somewhat surprisingly, e-cigarette consumption is also the same as the year before.
E-cigarette smoking, which was previously very high, has leveled off. We don't know why, says Ramstedt, who, however, points out that increased media coverage of health risks may have had a certain effect.
In 2024, approximately 1.1 kilograms of snus were consumed per inhabitant 15 years of age and older, compared to just under 1 kilogram in 2021. This corresponds to an increase of 8 percent.
During the same period, white snus has increased by 180 percent – and now accounts for 39 percent of all snus consumption. In 2021, white snus only accounted for 17 percent of snus consumption.
The use of tobacco snus decreased slightly from 2023 to 2024, down 3 percent.
Source: CAN report “Total consumption of tobacco and nicotine products in Sweden 2003–2024”
E-cigarettes and nicotine snus, also called white snus, contain nicotine, which is an acutely toxic substance and highly addictive.
In the short term, nicotine can impair blood vessel function and increase heart rate and blood pressure, which can contribute to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Nicotine during pregnancy can pose risks to the woman and the baby.
There is still a lack of knowledge about the health risks of nicotine snus, but risk assessments should take into account the knowledge available about nicotine, according to the Swedish Public Health Agency.
Source: Public Health Agency of Sweden
