In 2025, Romania lost over 500 million euros in fiscal revenues due to the illegal cigarette market, reports Digi 24 TV, noting that Bulgaria was the main source of this type of product last year, BTA reported.
The black market for cigarettes grew in November 2025 by 3 percentage points, reaching 12.6 percent of total consumption, compared to 9.6 percent in September, according to data from a study by the company "Novel Research". This is the highest level recorded in the last six years, the television station notes.
The average level of illegal cigarette trade in 2025 amounted to 10.6 percent compared to 9 percent in 2024, which is the largest annual growth since 2014, the study shows.
"In November, an increase in legal trade was recorded in almost the entire country. The most significant increase of over 10 percentage points was found in the western part, which is the most affected by the black market with a share of 20.8 percent," commented the general director of "Novel Research" Marian Marku, quoted by Agerpres.
He added that in Bucharest and the neighboring Ilfov County this share is 14.6 percent, an increase of over 8 percentage points.
"From the point of view of the origin of the products, the first source for the black market in Romania remains Bulgaria with over 30 percent, although it has decreased by 5.1 percentage points. The share of products coming from the Republic of Moldova has increased by 5.4 percentage points to 23.8 percent," Marku pointed out.
He added that for the whole of 2025, the average annual share of products coming from Bulgaria amounts to 31.4 percent, reporting a growth of 10.1 percentage points compared to 2024, while for products from Moldova this share is 17.3 percent, reporting a decrease of 3.7 percentage points.