Philip Morris International Cigarette and HTU Sales Breakdown By Region

IQOS and heat stick. Pixabay Image.

This article looks at Philip Morris International’s cigarettes and heated tobacco units (HTU) sales volume. In addition to the consolidated results, we also explore PMI’s cigarette and HTU sales breakdown on a regional basis.

For your information, heater tobacco units or HTUs refer to heated tobacco consumables such as HEETS, also known as Heatsticks in some markets. Besides, PMI’s HTUs are proprietary products that can only work on the company-produced IQOS blade.

Therefore, PMI’s IQOS is modeled based on the razor and blade concept where users having the company-produced IQOS blade must also purchase its proprietary HTUs in order for the device to work.

That said, let’s look at the sales numbers!

For other key statistics of Philip Morris International, you may find more resources on this page: PMI key stats.

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Definitions

To help readers understand the content better, the following terms and glossaries have been provided.

Europe Region: Europe Region is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, and covers all the European Union countries, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and also Ukraine, Moldova and Southeast Europe.

SSEA, CIS & MEA: South and Southeast Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States, Middle East and Africa Region (“SSEA, CIS & MEA”) is headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

It covers South and Southeast Asia, the African continent, the Middle East, Turkey, as well as Israel, Central Asia, Caucasus and Russia.

EA, AU & PMI GTR: East Asia, Australia, and PMI Global Travel Retail (“EA, AU & PMI GTR”) is headquartered in Hong Kong, and includes the consolidation of PMI’s global travel retail business with East Asia & Australia.

Americas: Americas Region is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, and covers the United States, Canada and Latin America.

Heated Tobacco Units (HTU): Philip Morris International’s heated tobacco units (HTUs) are designed as an alternative to traditional cigarettes. HTUs are made from processed tobacco and are used with specially designed devices that heat the tobacco rather than burn it.

This heating process generates an aerosol that contains nicotine, flavors, and other ingredients without producing the harmful byproducts associated with combustion. Key features of HTUs include:

1. Reduced Harm: HTUs aim to reduce harmful chemicals typically found in cigarette smoke by heating rather than burning tobacco.

2. Variety of Flavors: HTUs often come in various flavors, appealing to a broader range of consumers.

3. User Experience: They provide a similar experience to smoking while potentially offering lower health risks.

4. Regulatory Compliance: The development and marketing of HTUs are subject to specific regulations in different regions, which can affect their availability and branding.

Overall, HTUs represent PMI’s effort to innovate within the tobacco industry and provide alternatives for consumers seeking reduced-risk options.

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FAQs

To help readers understand the content better, the following FAQs have been provided.

How Does Philip Morris International Distribute Its Products?

Philip Morris International (PMI) distributes its products through a variety of channels. The primary methods include:

1. Direct Sales: PMI sells its products directly to wholesalers and retailers, which allows them to maintain a close relationship with their distributors and ensure product availability.

2. Distributors: The company often partners with local distributors with established networks and regional market knowledge. This is particularly important in markets where local laws and regulations may vary.

3. Retail Partnerships: PMI also collaborates with various retail chains, convenience stores, and supermarkets to ensure their products are widely available to consumers.

4. Online Sales: PMI offers e-commerce platforms where consumers can purchase products directly in some markets.

5. Market-Specific Strategies: The distribution approach may vary significantly by region, depending on local regulations, consumer preferences, and market dynamics.

These strategies help PMI reach a wide audience and adapt to different market conditions effectively.

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Insight & Summary of PMI’s Cigarette and HTU Sales Breakdown

PMI’s shipment volume data over 2018–2025 tells a clear structural story: total volume has stabilized, but its composition has shifted dramatically away from combustible cigarettes and toward heated tobacco units, with that shift playing out very differently across regions.

• Global Product Mix: A Steady, Accelerating Shift to HTU Total shipment volume actually declined from 781,687 million units (2018) to a low of 704,629 million (2020) before stabilizing in the 730–760 million range through 2025 — essentially flat over the most recent five years. Within that stable total, however, the mix moved substantially: cigarette volume fell every single year, from 740,315 million (2018) to 607,367 million (2025), while HTU volume nearly quadrupled, from 41,372 million to 155,133 million over the same period. As a share of total volume, cigarettes fell from 94.7% to 79.7%, while HTU rose from 5.3% to 20.3% — a 15-percentage-point mix shift in seven years, with the pace of that shift actually accelerating in the most recent years rather than slowing.

• Regional Cigarette Distribution: Growing Concentration in SSEA, CIS & MEA Within the current regional structure (2022–2025), cigarette volume is heavily concentrated in the SSEA, CIS & MEA region, whose share of total cigarette volume rose from 53.2% (2022) to 57.2% (2025) even as absolute cigarette volume elsewhere declined. Europe’s cigarette share fell from 27.4% to 25.3%, and EA, AU and PMI GTR’s share fell from 8.7% to 7.5% — both regions losing cigarette-volume share to SSEA, CIS & MEA. Americas held a stable ~10% share throughout, the most consistent of the four regions.

• Regional HTU Distribution: EA, AU and PMI GTR Leads, but Europe Is Catching Up HTU volume is most concentrated in EA, AU and PMI GTR (37–41% of total HTU volume across 2022–2025) and Europe (38–42%), together accounting for roughly 78–80% of global HTU volume throughout the period — SSEA, CIS & MEA and Americas remain comparatively minor HTU markets by contrast (around 20% and under 1%, respectively). Europe’s HTU share within its own regional mix is the most instructive data point: HTU represented just 21.0% of Europe’s combined cigarette-plus-HTU volume in 2022, rising to 27.8% by 2025 — the most advanced product transition of the four current regions. EA, AU and PMI GTR moved even faster on this same measure, from 42.8% HTU share in 2022 to 57.9% by 2025 — the only region where HTU now exceeds cigarette volume within its own mix.

• Legacy Regional View (2018–2022): East Asia & Australia Led the Earliest Transition The earlier six-region breakdown (2018–2022) shows East Asia & Australia was the clear first-mover on HTU adoption: HTU already represented 32.4% of that region’s combined volume in 2018, rising to 48.1% by 2022 — a region already near product-mix parity by the end of this window.

  European Union and Eastern Europe followed a similar trajectory at a steeper pace, with EU’s HTU share climbing from 3.2% (2018) to 20.4% (2022), and Eastern Europe from 4.4% to 23.3%. By contrast, Middle East & Africa, South & Southeast Asia, and Americas remained overwhelmingly cigarette-dominated throughout this window, each staying above 96% cigarette share even by 2022 — South & Southeast Asia in particular showed almost no HTU penetration (0.3% by 2022).

• Cross-Regional Comparison Reading both regional views together, PMI’s HTU transition has been sharply uneven: East Asia & Australia (now EA, AU and PMI GTR) and Europe have consistently led adoption and continued accelerating even after 2022, while South & Southeast Asia (now folded into the SSEA, CIS & MEA region) and Americas have shown persistently minimal HTU penetration across the entire eight-year window. This isn’t a story of gradual, uniform global transition — it’s concentrated adoption in specific regions with limited spread elsewhere so far.

• Structural Takeaway: PMI’s overall shipment volume has stabilized, but the business is being fundamentally reshaped from within: HTU now represents over a fifth of global shipment volume and continues gaining share every year, with EA, AU and PMI GTR already past the point where HTU exceeds cigarette volume, and Europe following a similar trajectory a few years behind. The key variable to watch going forward is whether SSEA, CIS & MEA and Americas — the two regions showing minimal HTU penetration despite representing the majority of cigarette volume — begin a comparable transition, since that would represent the next major leg of PMI’s product mix shift; absent that, the company’s HTU growth will likely remain concentrated in the same two regions that have driven it so far.

The table below combines all key Philip Morris International’s cigarette and HTU regional sales metrics into a single view for the latest three fiscal years.

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Cigarette & HTU Sales Volumes

The definition of PMI’s heated tobacco units (HTU) is available here: HTUs. HTUs or heated tobacco units are proprietary consumables that will only work on PMI-produced IQOS devices. Some of PMI’s HTUs include HEETS which are also referred to as HeatSticks in some markets.

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Cigarette & HTU Sales Mix

The definition of PMI’s heated tobacco units (HTU) is available here: HTUs. HTUs or heated tobacco units are proprietary consumables that will only work on PMI-produced IQOS devices. Some of PMI’s HTUs include HEETS which are also referred to as HeatSticks in some markets.

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Cigarette & HTU Regional Sales Volumes – New Regions

The definitions of PMI’s regions are available here: Europe, SSEA, CIS & MEA, EA, AU & PMI GTR, and Americas.

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Cigarette & HTU Regional Sales Mix – New Regions

The definitions of PMI’s regions are available here: Europe, SSEA, CIS & MEA, EA, AU & PMI GTR, and Americas.

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Cigarette & HTU Regional Sales Volumes – Legacy Regions

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Cigarette & HTU Regional Sales Mix – Legacy Regions

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References and Credits

1. All financial figures in this article were obtained and referenced from PMI’s quarterly and annual filings available in Philip Morris International’s Reports And Filings.

2. Pixabay Images.

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Disclosure

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist us in writing some of the text in this article. However, the data is directly obtained from original sources (usually the quarterly and annual reports) and meticulously cross-checked by our editors multiple times to ensure its accuracy and reliability.

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