The Cigar Association of America (CAA) released its annual report today, indicating that U.S. imports of handmade, premium cigars rose 0.9% last year, going from 426.3 million in 2023 to 430 million in 2024. It appears that the pandemic created a second cigar boom, as imports have exceeded 400 million units for four years in a row, a 27% increase from 2019’s 338 million cigars. The market has cooled slightly, however, from its record years of 2021 and 2022, where imports were 453.9 million and 464.5 million, respectively.
Nicaragua accounts for 58.8% of U.S. cigars, shipping 253.1 million cigars in 2024, a 2.7% increase over the previous year. The Dominican Republic shipped 106 million cigars, a 1.8% decrease from 2023, followed by Honduras’ 67.4 million cigars, a 3.3% increase. Those three countries account for 99% of the U.S. cigar supply.
Costa Rica saw a 44.9% jump in the number of cigars it sends to the U.S., and at 2.5 million units is the only other producer to top the 1 million mark.
The CAA generates this data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Customs Services, and from cigar companies themselves. The numbers include estimates that remove large, machine-made cigars from the premium category.