With a smoking rate of 19.5% and a high burden of smoking-related illness, Pakistan is increasingly turning to lower-risk alternatives — most notably a rapidly growing nicotine pouch market. That shift offers a win for health advocates and opens new business opportunities.

Philip Morris (Pakistan) Limited has begun local production of ZYN at its Sahiwal facility, joining British American Tobacco, which entered the market earlier with Velo in 2019. Their moves underline Pakistan’s emergence as a key growth market for modern oral nicotine products. Demand is being driven by adult tobacco users looking for alternatives to cigarettes and to traditional oral products such as paan, naswar, and gutka.

A recent LMIC case study identified Pakistan as having the world’s largest consumer base for nicotine pouches and reported that toxicant levels in these pouches are far lower than in conventional oral tobacco.

Local production is also supporting jobs, generating tax revenue, and strengthening regulatory oversight. As the category expands, authorities are expected to consider tighter age restrictions, clearer product standards, and more extensive monitoring.

This article was adapted from an original report published on tobaccoreporter.com. All rights belong to the original publisher.