Fuel is among the excise products that are experiencing high consumption and, as a result, continuously increasing imports. On the other hand, coffee and tobacco are “inseparable” from the daily lives of Albanians, as bars have for years become not only places for conversation, but also an “institution” for business meetings. This has also led to an increase in the consumption trend of these two excise products this year.
Official figures from the Ministry of Finance show that by October 2025, 620 thousand tons of fuel had been cleared, a significant increase compared to October 2024, when imports were recorded at approximately 548 thousand tons, thus increasing by 72.1 thousand tons. This consumption has been influenced by the influx of tourism in the country, which brings higher vehicle traffic, but also the movements made by Albanian citizens themselves, trying to take advantage of weekends or holidays.
On the other hand, by October, 8,293 tons of coffee were imported and consumed, the highest amount consumed in at least the last 5 years for the same period. While in September alone, 1,266 tons were consumed, the highest figure of the entire year.
The same trend has been with cigarettes. In the first 10 months, 2,865 tons of cigarettes were imported, recording the highest amount since 2020. And it seems that Albanian citizens are not giving up smoking despite the fact that every year the prices of packages are increasing significantly and occupy a significant part of the annual direct expenses for an individual smoker and on the other hand, cigarettes are consumed only in open environments.
As for beer, it is the only product among excise goods that has experienced a decline in imports, with 48.5 thousand tons going for consumption in 10 months out of 51 thousand tons imported in the same period a year ago.
Total excise revenue in the first 10 months reached 58.2 billion lek or nearly 600 million euros, with a significant increase from year to year and nearly doubling compared to 2015.
These indicators reflect higher economic activity and broader consumption in the market. /SCAN/
