In 2017, smoking prevalence in British Columbia was 15.6%, slightly above the national average of 15.1%.
Figure 2.3 (below) shows smoking prevalence, overall and by sex, in British Columbia from 1999-2017. Overall, it appears that prevalence slowly declined in this time period, except for an uptick in the most recent year; it is unclear whether this is an anomaly or whether it represents a changing trend. Males had similar or greater prevalence than females in all years observed until 2017.
Figure 2.4 shows smoking prevalence by age group in British Columbia, from 1999-2017. During this time period, there was a net decrease in smoking prevalence in all age groups except those over 45. In 2017, prevalence appears to have jumped among those over 45, but as with the overall trend noted above, it is unclear whether this represents an anomaly or a changing trend in this age group.
Between 1999 and 2017, there has been little net change in average daily cigarette consumption in British Columbia (Figure 2.5). Cigarette consumption estimates were greater among males than females in all years except 2017, though the magnitude of this difference varied from year to year.
