site.btaNearly 27% of Bulgarian Pupils Use Tobacco Products, Experts Report in Sofia

A total of 26.6% of pupils in Bulgaria currently use tobacco products, including heated tobacco devices, experts have reported during a round-table discussion on urgent measures to address this country’s nicotine crisis. Organized by the Smoke Free Life Coalition in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) Office in Bulgaria, the event took place at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia on Tuesday.

The Global Youth Tobacco Survey is a nationally representative study of tobacco use among 13- to 15-year-old pupils. In Bulgaria, the survey was conducted online in 2023 by the National Center of Public Health and Analyses. A total of 4,074 seventh- to ninth-grade pupils took part, of whom 3,378 were aged 13 to 15.

The findings show that tobacco use is more prevalent among girls than boys, WHO Bulgaria head Kristina Mauer-Stender said. She noted that 33% of girls reported using some form of tobacco - including cigarettes, hookah, or smokeless tobacco - compared with 20.4% of boys in the same age group.

The survey indicates that 23.6% of pupils currently smoke tobacco. Among them, 19.8% smoke cigarettes, and 20.5% use heated tobacco products, while 2.9% use smokeless tobacco.

The data also show that 23.3% of students smoke e-cigarettes. Almost six in ten pupils who smoke tobacco have tried to quit in the past year, and more than four in ten say they want to quit.

Data was also presented on passive smoking and pupils’ knowledge and attitudes toward tobacco use. More than half - 54.7% -had been exposed to tobacco smoke at home, while 62.7% had been exposed to second-hand smoke in enclosed public spaces. According to the survey, 46.2% said they had purchased cigarettes themselves from stores, supermarkets, bars, restaurants, and kiosks. A majority of pupils - 78.7% - support banning smoking in enclosed public areas.

Dimitar Sabev, Chief Assistant Professor at the Economic Research Institute at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences drew attention to the financial burden tobacco places on households. National Statistical Institute (NSI) data show that 52.3% of households had tobacco-related expenses in 2024. Today, it is more common to find a household with a smoker than without one. This is especially true for low- and middle-income families, he said.

He cited a 2025 study based on NSI household budget monitoring, which used structural equation modeling and analyzed data from 26,473 households comprising more than 57,000 individuals. The study covers the years 2015 to 2024, excluding 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"On average, Bulgarian households that smoke spent 7.6% of their budget on tobacco for the 2015–2024 period," Sabev said. Having broken down households in three groups based on their income, the survey shows that low-income households spent the most - 8.2% of their budget - over the ten-year period, while middle-income households spent 7.6%, and high-income households 7.1%.

Sabev noted that spending on tobacco reduces household budgets for health care, education, clothing, recreation, and housing. He also examined the potential impact of introducing the European Commission’s proposed minimum rates on manufactured tobacco products in 2026. The average price of a pack would increase to BGN 11.66, or EUR 5.95, compared with the current price of under BGN 6.50, he said. Sabev added that in Romania a pack of cigarettes currently costs RON 25–30, or EUR 5.15–6.15.