Newfoundland & Labrador

Newfoundland & Labrador in 2020

Smoking prevalence: 14.8% (65 000 smokers) compared to 14.5% in 2019.
- Males: estimate suppressed.
- Females: estimate suppressed.
Average daily cigarette consumption: 13.3 cigarettes per day, compared to 11.1 in 2019.
Average price per carton (200 cig): $15.25.

Smoking prevalence

In 2020, smoking prevalence in Newfoundland and Labrador was 14.8%, well above the national average of 10.3%, and the highest among all provinces.

Figure 2.30 shows smoking prevalence, overall and among males and females, in Newfoundland and Labrador from 1999-2020. Overall prevalence decreased steadily until 2005 before plateauing for a decade, and then decreasing in the most recent waves. Prevalence estimates were higher among males than females in most years with available data, but similar in several instances.

Line graph showing current smoking prevalence among males and females in Newfoundland and Labrador from 1999 to 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 2.30 data table with 95% confidence intervals

Figure 2.30: Current smoking prevalence* (%) among males and females, Newfoundland and Labrador, 1999-2020
	NL	Males	Females
1999	28.5	32.2	24.9
2000	27.7	29.0	26.5
2001	25.7 [22.9-28.5]	30.2 [26.2-34.2]	21.3 [17.9-24.7]
2002	24.1 [21.6-26.5]	26.8 [22.7-30.8]	21.5 [18.5-24.5]
2003	23.0 [20.8-25.2]	25.5 [22.0-29.1]	20.5 [17.6-23.5]
2004	21.8 [19.5-24.2]	23.3 [20.0-26.6]	20.4 [17.3-23.5]
2005	20.6 [18.3-22.8]	22.3 [18.7-25.8]	18.9 [16.0-21.8]
2006	21.7 [19.6-23.8]	25.8 [22.5-29.2]	17.7 [15.2-20.3]
2007	21.2 [18.8-23.5]	23.5 [20.0-27.1]	18.9 [16.1-21.7]
2008	20.2 [18.2-22.3]	22.5 [19.1-25.8]	18.1 [15.5-20.7]
2009	20.7 [18.4-22.9]	24.0 [20.4-27.6]	17.5 [14.8-20.2]
2010	20.0 [17.9-22.2]	20.3 [16.8-23.9]	19.7 [16.9-22.5]
2011	19.0 [16.8-21.1]	21.0 [17.8-24.3]	17.0 [14.0-19.9]
2012	19.7 [17.4-22.0]	23.1 [19.2-26.9]	16.5 [13.8-19.2]
2013	19.5 [17.0-22.0]	19 [15.5-22.5]	19.9 [16.4-23.5]
2015	18.5 [15.8-21.1]	23.1 [19.0-27.2]	14.0 [10.8-17.2]
2017	20.1 [14.6-25.5]	21.7 [13.5-29.9]	18.5 [11.6-25.4]
2019	14.5 [10.0-19.1]	17.1 [10.5-23.7]	!
2020	14.8 [9.6-19.9]	!	!

*Includes daily and non-daily smokers.
! Estimates for females in 2019, 2020 and males in 2020 suppressed due to unacceptable quality.
Data sources: Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, 1999-2012; Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2013, 2015, 2017; Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, 2019, 2020.

Figure 2.31 shows smoking prevalence by age group in Newfoundland and Labrador, from 1999-2020. While data for the most recent years is not reportable for most age groups, the available data indicate that smoking prevalence decreased substantially in younger age groups over this time, but changed little among those aged 45 and older. The largest decrease observed was among youth aged 15-19, whose smoking rate had dropped to approximately one-third of the 1999 estimate by 2017.

Line graph showing current smoking prevalence by age group in Newfoundland and Labrador from 1999 to 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 2.31 data table with 95% confidence intervals

Figure 2.31: Current smoking prevalence* (%) by age group, Newfoundland and Labrador, 1999-2020
	15-19	20-24	25-44	45+	Overall
1999	29.9	37.2	34.6	20.9	28.5
2000	28.4	40.0	38.2	16.2	27.7
2001	22.0 [18.3-25.8]	41.4 [35.7-47.1]	31.8 [27.5-36.2]	18.3 [14.1-22.5]	25.7 [22.9-28.5]
2002	22.2 [18.3-26.2]	35.6 [29.2-42.0]	30.1 [25.1-35.2]	17.5 [14.3-20.8]	24.1 [21.6-26.5]
2003	22.0 [18.1-25.9]	34.3 [28.7-39.9]	28.9 [24.3-33.5]	16.6 [13.7-19.6]	23.0 [20.8-25.2]
2004	21.1 [17.6-24.7]	33.5 [28.0-39.1]	28.6 [23.6-33.6]	15.0 [12.3-17.6]	21.8 [19.5-24.2]
2005	19.0 [14.9-23.1]	28.3 [23.2-33.3]	22.5 [18.2-26.8]	18.2 [1.2-21.3]	20.6 [18.3-22.8]
2006	16.2 [12.6-19.8]	33.3 [28.3-38.2]	27.7 [23.3-32.1]	16.9 [14.2-19.6]	21.7 [19.6-23.8]
2007	16.8 [13.4-20.3]	30.8 [24.9-36.7]	25.8 [21.4-30.2]	17.5 [14.6-20.5]	21.2 [18.8-23.5]
2008	14.7 [11.7-17.7]	28.2 [23.0-33.3]	25.1 [20.3-29.9]	17.0 [14.3-19.7]	20.2 [18.2-22.3]
2009	16.0 [12.7-19.4]	29.4 [24.4-34.4]	27.7 [22.9-32.5]	16.1 [13.1-19.0]	20.7 [18.4-22.9]
2010	15.1 [11.3-18.9]	32.9 [27.0-38.9]	26.8 [21.6-31.9]	15.2 [12.4-18.0]	20.0 [17.9-22.2]
2011	11.1 [8.3-13.9]	25.0 [19.8-30.1]	24.5 [19.9-29.1]	16.2 [13.3-19.1]	19.0 [16.8-21.1]
2012	12.2 [9.2-15.2]	23.6 [18.8-28.4]	24.7 [19.6-29.8]	17.6 [14.6-20.6]	19.7 [17.4-22.0]
2013	12.4 [8.0-16.8]	28.1 [20.9-35.3]	24.3 [18.4-30.3]	16.8 [13.8-19.8]	19.5 [17.0-22.0]
2015	!	25.2 [18.0-32.5]	18.2 [13.2-23.2]	18.5 [15.0-22.0]	18.5 [15.8-21.1]
2017	10.0 [5.6-14.4]	24.2 [11.5-36.9]	!	19.7 [13.2-26.2]	20.1 [14.6-25.5]
2019	!	!	!	15.7 [9.8-21.7]	14.5 [10.0-19.1]
2020	!	!	!	!	14.8 [9.6-19.9]

* Includes daily and non-daily smokers.
! Estimates for age 15-19 in 2015, 2019, 2020, age 20-24 in 2019, 2020, age 25-44 in 2017-2020, and age 45+ in 2020 suppressed due to unacceptable quality.
Data sources: Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, 1999-2012; Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2013, 2015, 2017; Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, 2019, 2020.

Cigarette consumption

Between 1999 and 2020, average daily cigarette consumption in Newfoundland & Labrador decreased overall, though with a sharp uptick in 2017, particularly among males (Figure 2.32). Male smokers consumed considerably more cigarettes per day than female smokers in all years with available data.

Line graph showing average daily cigarette consumption among males and females in Newfoundland and Labrador from 1999 to 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 2.32 data table with 95% confidence intervals

Figure 2.32: Average daily cigarette consumption* (mean cigarettes per day) among males and females, Newfoundland and Labrador, 1999-2020
	NL	Males	Females
1999	17.2	19.2	14.9
2000	15.5	17.4	13.5
2001	16.7 [15.3-18.1]	18.6 [16.5-20.8]	14.0 [12.7-15.2]
2002	16.2 [15.0-17.4]	18.3 [16.5-20.1]	13.8 [12.7-14.9]
2003	16.1 [14.8-17.4]	17.5 [15.5-19.5]	14.4 [12.9-16.0]
2004	14.6 [13.2-16.0]	16.3 [14.1-18.5]	12.7 [11.3-14.0]
2005	15.5 [14.0-16.9]	18.1 [15.8-20.3]	12.4 [10.7-14.1]
2006	16.0 [14.9-17.2]	17.5 [16.2-18.8]	13.9 [12.1-15.7]
2007	14.1 [13.1-15.0]	15.9 [14.4-17.4]	11.9 [10.8-12.9]
2008	14.1 [12.9-15.2]	15.0 [13.3-16.8]	13.0 [11.7-14.3]
2009	15.4 [14.2-16.7]	18.2 [16.3-20.1]	12.0 [10.8-13.3]
2010	14.5 [12.9-16.1]	16.6 [14.3-18.9]	12.1 [10.1-14.2]
2011	14.5 [13.5-15.5]	16.0 [14.7-17.3]	12.3 [10.9-13.8]
2012	15.2 [14.2-16.2]	16.4 [15.1-17.8]	13.5 [11.9-15.1]
2013	13.1 [12.0-14.3]	15.1 [13.5-16.8]	11.2 [9.7-12.8]
2015	14.0 [12.7-15.3]	16.0 [14.1-17.8]	10.7 [9.3-12.2]
2017	12.8 [10.6-14.9]	24.2 [15.3-33.2]	12.1 [8.9-15.4]
2019	11.1 [7.7-14.5]	!	!
2020	13.3 [7.7-18.9]	!	!

*Among daily smokers.
! Estimates for males and females in 2019 and 2020 suppressed due to unacceptable quality.
Data sources: Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, 1999-2012; Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2013, 2015, 2017; Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, 2019, 2020.