Smoking

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Contains key statistics and information about smoking trends and its prevalence within Australia, including state and territory findings

Reference period
2017-18 financial year
Released
12/12/2018

Key statistics

  • Over the last 20 years, the rate of adult daily smokers has decreased from 24% to 14%. Over recent years however, the daily smoking rate remained relatively similar (15% in 2014-15).
  • Young people aged 18-24 are more likely to have never smoked than a decade ago (75% compared to 64%).
  • Current daily smokers on average smoke 12.3 cigarettes per day.

Smoking

Tobacco smoking is one of the largest preventable causes of death and disease in Australia with smoking estimated to kill almost 19,000 Australians a year and responsible for 9.0% of the total burden of disease in Australia in 2011[1]. It is associated with an increased risk of a wide range of health conditions, including; heart disease, diabetes, stroke, cancer, renal disease, eye disease and respiratory conditions such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. 

There have been a range of policies implemented since 1973 aimed at reducing smoking rates through measures such as taxation on tobacco products, restrictions on advertising, and the prohibition of smoking in certain locations[2].

Key findings

  • Since 1995, the proportion of adults who are daily smokers has decreased from 23.8% to 13.8% in 2017-18. Over recent years however, the daily smoking rate remained relatively similar (14.5% in 2014-15).
  • The proportion of adults who have never smoked has increased from 49.4% in 2007-08 to 52.6% in 2014-15 and 55.7% in 2017-18.
  • Three in four (75.3%) young adults (18-24 year olds) have never smoked, up from 69.5% in 2014-15.
  • Men continued to be more likely than women to smoke daily (16.5% compared to 11.1%).
  • Rates for both men and women have declined since 1995 when 27.3% of men and 20.3% of women smoked daily. However, these rates have remained similar since 2014-15 (16.9% for men and 12.1% for women).
  • On average, current daily smokers smoked 12.3 cigarettes per day, which is just over half a pack (a pack is considered to be 20 cigarettes). On average, men smoked more than women (13.0 cigarettes compared with 11.4).
  • Northern Territory had the highest rate of daily smokers (around one in five; 19.6%) compared with one in ten (10.6%) in Australian Capital Territory.

Definitions

How many adults smoked in 2017-18?

In 2017-18, just under one in seven (13.8%) or 2.6 million adults were daily smokers, while a further 1.4% of people also reported smoking, they did so on a less than daily basis.

Since 1995, the proportion of adults who are daily smokers has decreased from 23.8% to 13.8% in 2017-18. Over recent years however, the daily smoking rate remained relatively similar (14.5% in 2014-15). 

Despite this, the proportion of adults who have never smoked has increased from 49.4% in 2007-08 to 52.6% in 2014-15 and 55.7% in 2017-18.

In 2017-18, young adults aged 18-24 years were more likely to have never smoked than any other age group with more than two thirds of men (69.6%) and four in five women (81.5%) in this age group reporting they have never smoked. These proportions have increased from 64.0% and 64.9% respectively since 2007-08.


Men continued to be more likely than women to smoke daily (16.5% compared to 11.1%). Rates for both men and women have declined since 1995 when 27.3% of men and 20.3% of women smoked daily. However, these rates have remained similar since 2014-15 (16.9% for men and 12.1% for women). 

For men aged 18-24 years in 2017-18, around one in six (17.5%) smoked daily; this proportion remained relatively constant until age 55-64 years where the prevalence fell to 16.5%, before eventually dropping to 5.1% at age 75 years and over. For women, one in ten (10.4%) 18-24 year olds smoked daily increasing to 14.7% for 45-54 year olds, before falling to 7.5% for 65-74 year olds and 3.7% for women 75 years and over. 

Since 1995, smoking rates have declined across all age groups, with the younger age groups (18-34 year olds) experiencing the largest falls. In 1995, one third (33.5%) of men and over a quarter (28.1%) of women aged 18-34 years smoked daily, declining to 18.4% and 10.5% respectively in 2017-18.

Proportion of current daily smokers 1995 to 2014-15

How many cigarettes do adults smoke?

On average, current daily smokers smoked 12.3 cigarettes per day, which is just over half a pack (a pack is considered to be 20 cigarettes). On average, men smoked more than women (13.0 cigarettes compared with 11.4). Just over one in three (37.2%) people smoked less than 10 cigarettes per day, while almost a quarter (23.5%) smoked 20 or more cigarettes per day (considered a pack-a-day smoker). 

Men who smoked daily were more likely to smoke 20 or more cigarettes per day than women (27.6% compared with 18.1%). The number of cigarettes smoked per day increased with age, with 30.0% of adult smokers over the age of 45 smoking over 20 cigarettes per day compared with 17.8% of adults between the ages of 18-44 years.

How many young people were smoking?

In 2017-18, 1.9% of 15-17 years olds were daily smokers. A further 0.7% smoked less often than daily, while 1.7% were ex-smokers and 95.3% reported that they had never smoked. 

Some under-reporting of these young persons identifying as current smokers may have occurred due to social pressures, particularly in cases where other household members were present at the interview.

Which Australians were more likely to smoke?

Rates of smoking were higher in areas of most disadvantage with just over one fifth (21.7%) of adults living in areas of most disadvantage (first quintile) being current daily smokers, compared with 6.8% in the least disadvantaged areas (fifth quintile). This pattern has remained constant over the past decade.

  1. A lower Index of Disadvantage quintile (e.g. the first quintile) indicates relatively greater disadvantage and a lack of advantage in general. A higher Index of Disadvantage (e.g. the fifth quintile) indicates a relative lack of disadvantage and greater advantage in general. See Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage in the Glossary. 

How did smoking prevalence vary by state and territory?

As in previous surveys, the Northern Territory had the highest rate of daily smokers (around one in five; 19.6%) compared with one in ten (10.6%) in Australian Capital Territory. 

Since 1995, Northern Territory has experienced the largest fall in daily smoking prevalence across the states and territories, falling from 35.6% to 19.6%. All other states and territories have experienced similar declines in the proportion of daily smokers since 1995. Whilst there have been falls in smoking prevalence across all states and territories over the past two decades, the falls have been steady over recent times. Since 2014-15, Western Australia was the only state to observe a decline in current daily smokers from 14.3% to 11.8% in 2017-18.

In 2017-18, the Australian Capital Territory had the largest proportion of people who had never smoked (59.7%) in comparison to just under half (49.4%) in Northern Territory.

State and territory findings

How did smoking prevalence vary by state and territory?

As in previous surveys, the Northern Territory had the highest rate of daily smokers (around one in five; 19.6%) compared with one in ten (10.6%) in Australian Capital Territory. 

Since 1995, Northern Territory has experienced the largest fall in daily smoking prevalence across the states and territories, falling from 35.6% to 19.6%. All other states and territories have experienced similar declines in the proportion of daily smokers since 1995. Whilst there have been falls in smoking prevalence across all states and territories over the past two decades, the falls have been steady over recent times. Since 2014-15, Western Australia was the only state to observe a decline in current daily smokers from 14.3% to 11.8% in 2017-18.

In 2017-18, the Australian Capital Territory had the largest proportion of people who had never smoked (59.7%) in comparison to just under half (49.4%) in Northern Territory.

Adults (18 years and over)

  • In 2017-18, just under one in seven (13.8%) Australian adults were daily smokers.
  • The Northern Territory had the highest rate of daily smokers (19.6%) compared with the lowest rate (10.6%) in the Australian Capital Territory. The Australian Capital Territory also had the largest proportion of people who have never smoked (59.7%) in comparison with just under half (49.4%) in the Northern Territory.
  • Proportionally, more men than women were daily smokers (16.5% and 11.1%, respectively) across all state and territories.
  • Daily smokers men
    • Highest: Northern Territory (21.9%)
    • Lowest: Australian Capital Territory (12.7%)
       
  • Daily smokers women
    • Highest: Northern Territory (17.3%)
    • Lowest: Australian Capital Territory (8.8%)
       
  • Whilst all States and Territories have observed a decline in daily smokers since 1995, the rates have remained similar since 2014-15, with the exception of Western Australia which declined from 14.3% to 11.8%.
  • New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia have experienced increases in the proportion of adults who have never smoked since 2014-15.
  • On average, Australian adults who were daily smokers smoked 12.3 cigarettes per day, which is just over half a pack (a pack is considered to be 20 cigarettes). On average, men smoked more than women (13.0 cigarettes compared with 11.4).
  • Average cigarette consumption men
    • Highest: Tasmania (14.5)
    • Lowest: Australian Capital Territory (11.1)
       
  • Average cigarette consumption women
    • Highest: Australian Capital Territory (12.4)
    • Lowest: South Australia (10.8) and Tasmania (11.0)
       

New South Wales

Victoria

Queensland

South Australia

Western Australia

Tasmania

Northern Territory

Australian Capital Territory

Data downloads

Table 1: Summary health characteristics, 2001 to 2017–18 - Australia

Table 2: Summary health characteristics, 2017–18 - states and territories

Table 5: Selected current long-term conditions by health risk factors and health status - Australia

Table 6: Health risk factors by population characteristics - Australia

Table 9: Smoking - Australia

Table 20: New South Wales

Table 21: Victoria

Table 22: Queensland

Table 23: South Australia

Table 24: Western Australia

Table 25: Tasmania

Table 26: Northern Territory

Table 27: Australian Capital Territory

All data cubes

Endnotes

Show all

Previous catalogue number

This release previously used catalogue number 4364.0.55.001.

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