47 countries have banned e-cigarettes

As tobacco industry interests ramp up pressure on the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Conference of the Parties to embrace e-cigarettes and the industry’s harm reduction marketing frame, it is important to keep in mind that many countries have rejected e-cigarettes and other ENDS completely.

Here is a list that Clear the Air Hong Kong put together updated from on a list first published by the vaping site Vaped by Totally Wicked:

01 Antigua and Barbuda
02 Argentina
03 Australia. The sale or importation of nicotine containing e-liquid is illegal. Prescription needed
04 Bahrain
05 Barbados
06 Bhutan
07 Brazil
08 Brunei Darussalam
09 Cambodia – Completely banned.
10 Colombia
11 Costa Rica
12 Ethiopia
13 Gambia – Completely banned.
14 India – Completely banned.
15 Iran
16 Japan – Banned by proxy. No nicotine containing e-liquid allowed.
17 N. Korea – Completely banned.
18 Kuwait
19 Lao PDR
20 Lebanon – Completely banned.
21 Mauritius
22 Mexico
23 Nepal
24 Nicaragua – Completely banned.
25 Oman
26 Palestine
27 Panama
28 Qatar – Completely banned.
29 Seychelles
30 Singapore – Completely banned. Possession is also a crime and can carry a fine of up to $1500.
31 Sri Lanka
32 Suriname
33 Syria
34 Thailand – Some of the harshest punishments for vaping in the world.
35 Timor-Leste
36 Turkey
37 Turkmenistan
38 Uganda
39 Uruguay
40 Vatican City – Completely banned.
41 Venezuela
42 Macao https://tinyurl.com/y9fbthjz
43 Bangladesh https://tinyurl.com/2b54pbke
44 Egypt https://tinyurl.com/z8ypb7rx Sales import + distribution banned since 2015
45 Jordan https://tinyurl.com/sr98365e
46 Saudi Arabia https://tinyurl.com/6reyxz8c Import banned by law but lax enforcement
47 Hong Kong https://tinyurl.com/rzwu6tu6 Includes E-cigarettes, HNB + herbal cigarettes

WHO put together an earlier list:

There are some differences between the attached list above and WHO’s information on the bans on ENDS, which could be as a result of how the law is interpreted or time of adoption of laws under consideration.  The information WHO has is on the basis of data collected from country tobacco control legislation adopted as of 31 December 2020.  

As of then the sale of ENDS is banned in the following 32 countries and territories: –

1. Argentina
2. Bahrain
3. Brazil
4. Brunei Darussalam
5. Cambodia
6. Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
7. Egypt
8. Ethiopia
9. Gambia
10. India
11. Iran (Islamic Republic of)
12. Iraq
13. Jordan
14. Kuwait
15. Lebanon
16. Malaysia
17. Mauritius
18. Mexico
19. occupied Palestinian territory
20. Oman
21. Panama
22. Qatar
23. Singapore
24. Sri Lanka
25. Suriname
26. Syrian Arab Republic
27. Thailand
28. Timor-Leste
29. Turkmenistan
30. Uganda
31. Uruguay
32. Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Further information on other types of bans applied to ENDS in the respective regions of WHO is contained in the 2021 report on the global tobacco epidemic, with the page numbers provided below: 

• Africa                                         Table 2.1.1, Page 154
• America                                      Table 2.1.2, Page 156
• South East Asia                          Table 2.1.3, Page 158
• Europe                                        Table 2.1.4, Page 160
• Eastern Mediterranean                Table 2.1.5, Page 162
• Western Pacific                            Table 2.1.6, Page 164

Details:

Argentina	Sales, import, distribution, commercialization, advertising, promotion
Bahrain	Sales, import, distribution
Brazil	Sales, import
Brunei Darussalam	Sales, import
Cambodia	Sales, import
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea	Sales, import, export
Egypt	Sales, import, trade
Ethiopia	Sales, manufacture, wholesale, distribution, offer for sale, import to trade
Gambia	Sales, import, manufacture, distribution, possession, offer for sale
India	Sales, production, manufacture, import, export, transport, distribution, storage.
Iran (Islamic Republic of)	Sales, import, production, supply, export
Iraq	Sales, import, trade, manufacture
Jordan	Sales, import, distribution, manufacture
Kuwait	Sales, trade, import
Lebanon	Sales, import
Malaysia	Sales only
Mauritius	Sales, offer for sale, distribution
Mexico	Sales, import, distribution, display, promotion, production
Nepal	Manufacture, import, distribute, promote (bans restricted to some places only)
occupied Palestinian territory	Sales, import, manufacture
Oman	Sales, import
Panama	Sales, import
Qatar	Sales, import, trade, display, distribution, manufacture
Singapore	Sales, import, distribute, offer for sale, possession
Sri Lanka	Sales, manufacture, import, offer for sale
Suriname	Sales, import, distribution
Syrian Arab Republic	Sales, manufacture, distribution, trade
Thailand	Sales, import
Timor-Leste	Sales, import
Turkey	Import (except for personal consumption)
Turkmenistan	Sales only
Uganda	Sales, import, manufacture, distribution, process, offer for sale, bring into the country
Uruguay	Sales, commercialization, importation, registration as a trademark or patent
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)	Sales, promotion, commercialization

Please note that 13 countries have both a sales ban and additional ENDS regulation in place, and these are classified as sales-ban countries in the report on page 100. Please see Annex II Table 2.1 for further details on these countries

Excluding countries that ban sale of ENDS, 30 countries completely ban the use of ENDS in all public places, workplaces and public transport:

1. Congo
2. Argentina
3. Barbados
4. Brazil
5. Costa Rica
6. Ecuador
7. El Salvador
8. Guyana
9. Honduras
10. Jamaica
11. Panama
12. Paraguay
13. Saint Lucia
14. Uruguay
15. Jordan
16. Lebanon
17. Albania
18. Greece
19. Malta
20. Norway
21. Russian Federation
22. Tajikistan
23. Turkey
24. Nepal
25. Brunei Darussalam
26. Lao Peoples Democratic Republic
27. New Zealand
28. Niue
29. Papua New Guinea
30. Singapore

An additional 45 countries partially ban their use in these places:

1. Algeria
2. Togo
3. Canada
4. Kuwait
5. Saudi_Arabia
6. Syrian_Arab_Republic
7. Andorra
8. Armenia
9. Austria
10. Azerbaijan
11. Belarus
12. Belgium
13. Croatia
14. Cyprus
15. Czech_Republic
16. Denmark
17. Estonia
18. Finland
19. France
20. Georgia
21. Hungary
22. Iceland
23. Israel
24. Italy
25. Kazakhstan
26. Latvia
27. Lithuania
28. Luxembourg
29. Montenegro
30. Netherlands
31. Poland
32. Portugal
33. Republic_of_Moldova
34. Romania
35. San_Marino
36. Slovenia
37. Spain
38. Ukraine
39. Uzbekistan
40. Australia
41. Fiji
42. Palau
43. Philippines
44. Republic_of_Korea
45. Tuvalu

The following countries ban the possession of ENDS

• Gambia
• Singapore