Ontario

Ontario in 2020

  • Smoking prevalence: 9.9% (1 222 000 smokers), compared to 11.6% in 2019.
    • Males: 11.5% (695 000 smokers).
    • Females: 8.3% (527 000 smokers).
  • Average daily cigarette consumption: 11.4 cigarettes per day, compared to 11.9 in 2019.
  • Average price per pack (20 cigarettes): $11.81.

Smoking prevalence

In 2020, smoking prevalence in Ontario was 9.9%, just below the national average of 10.3%.

Figure 2.15 shows smoking prevalence, overall and among males and females, in Ontario from 1999-2020. During this time, while overall prevalence decreased substantially, there were several periods of little change. Prevalence estimates were greater among males than females in all years observed; however, the magnitude of this difference varied widely from year to year, from similar rates to a difference of 10 percentage points.

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

Figure 2.15 data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 2.15: Current smoking prevalence* (%) among males and females, Ontario, 1999-2020
  Ontario Males Females
1999 23.2 25.8 20.8
2000 23.1 25.0 21.2
2001 19.7 [17.0-22.5] 23.1 [19.5-26.8] 16.4 [12.9-20.0]
2002 19.7 [18.1-21.3] 21.7 [19.4-24.0] 17.8 [15.8-19.9]
2003 19.6 [17.4-21.8] 23.1 [19.8-26.4] 16.3 [13.5-19.0]
2004 18.7 [16.4-20.9] 23.2 [19.7-26.7] 14.3 [11.7-17.0]
2005 16.4 [14.3-18.6] 21.8 [18.2-25.3] 11.3 [8.9-13.7]
2006 16.6 [14.7-18.6] 19.4 [16.3-22.5] 14.0 [11.5-16.5]
2007 18.2 [16.3-20.2] 18.8 [15.8-21.9] 17.7 [15.0-20.4]
2008 16.8 [14.6-18.9] 20.0 [16.6-23.5] 13.6 [11.0-16.2]
2009 15.4 [13.3-17.5] 16.3 [13.1-19.4] 14.5 [11.7-17.3]
2010 15.2 [13.1-17.2] 18.8 [15.4-22.2] 11.7 [9.2-14.1]
2011 16.3 [14.1-18.6] 19.0 [15.2-22.8] 13.8 [11.2-16.4]
2012 16.0 [13.5-18.0] 19.1 [15.4-22.8] 12.5 [9.8-15.1]
2013 12.6 [10.3-14.9] 13.6 [10.1-17.1] 11.6 [8.5-14.7]
2015 11.3 [9.2-13.5] 13.3 [10.0-16.6] 9.5 [6.8-12.1]
2017 12.9 [10.4-15.4] 15.9 [12.0-19.8] 10.0 [7.1-13.0]
2019 11.6 [9.9-13.3] 13.4 [10.7-16.2] 9.9 [7.9-11.8]
2020 9.9 [8.5-11.3] 11.5 [9.5-13.5] 8.3 [6.5-10.2]

* Includes daily and non-daily smokers.
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 2.16 shows smoking prevalence by age group in Ontario, from 1999-2020. While data for the most recent years is not reportable for the youngest age groups, available data between 1999 and 2017 indicate that declines in prevalence were particularly large among youth aged 15-19 and young adults aged 20-24. In the most recent survey years, estimates appeared to indicate little change among older age groups.

Figure 2.16 data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 2.16: Current smoking prevalence* (%) by age group, Ontario, 1999-2020
  15-19 20-24 25-44 45+ Overall
1999 24.8 34.0 28.7 15.7 23.2
2000 25.1 28.5 27.8 17.2 23.0
2001 18.8 [14.6-23.0] 31.2 [26.7-35.8] 20.5 [16.7-24.3] 17.1 [12.2-22.0] 19.7 [17.0-22.5]
2002 19.2 [16.4-22.0] 29.3 [25.9-32.6] 24.1 [20.6-27.5] 14.2 [11.9-16.5] 19.7 [18.1-21.3]
2003 14.5 [11.5-17.5] 30.0 [24.9-35.2] 23.1 [18.8-27.4] 15.6 [12.4-18.9] 19.6 [17.4-21.8]
2004 16.8 [13.0-20.5] 23.8 [19.3-28.2] 25.9 [21.4-30.4] 12.0 [9.2-14.8] 18.7 [16.4-20.9]
2005 16.0 [12.4-19.6] 21.1 [16.4-25.7] 21.8 [17.6-26.1] 11.3 [8.7-14.0] 16.4 [14.3-18.6]
2006 12.5 [9.5-15.4] 24.6 [20.2-29.0] 21.2 [17.3-25.2] 12.4 [9.7-15.0] 16.6 [14.7-18.6]
2007 13.5 [10.1-16.9] 22.3 [17.8-26.9] 18.4 [14.6-22.1] 18.3 [15.4-21.1] 18.2 [16.3-20.2]
2008 12.7 [9.9-15.6] 27.2 [22.3-32.1] 18.3 [14.2-22.4] 14.5 [11.6-17.4] 16.8 [14.6-18.9]
2009 9.1 [6.6-11.5] 18.5 [14.7-22.3] 17.3 [13.0-21.7] 14.6 [12.0-17.1] 15.4 [13.3-17.5]
2010 9.1 [6.5-11.8] 19.4 [15.0-23.8] 18.0 [13.8-22.2] 13.5 [10.5-16.5] 15.2 [13.1-17.2]
2011 9.1 [6.3-11.9] 20.8 [16.5-25.0] 17.7 [13.0-22.4] 15.8 [12.9-18.7] 16.3 [14.1-18.6]
2012 9.0 [6.4-11.7] 18.0 [13.5-22.4] 20.4 [15.0-25.8] 13.3 [10.4-16.2] 15.7 [13.5-18.0]
2013 9.5 [6.1-12.8] 16.7 [12.1-21.3] 13.2 [8.1-18.3] 12 [9.0-14.9] 12.6 [10.3-14.9]
2015 ! 17.9 [12.7-23.1] 13.7 [9.0-18.4] 9.2 [6.6-11.8] 11.3 [9.2-13.5]
2017 6.4 [3.9-8.8] 12.3 [9.1-15.5] 14.3 [9.0-19.6] 13.0 [9.6- 16.3] 12.9 [10.4-15.4]
2019 ! 13.7 [9.4-18.0] 13.7 [10.0-17.4] 11.7 [9.5-13.8] 11.6 [9.9-13.3]
2020 ! ! 10.3 [7.5-13.0] 11.0 [9.1-12.9] 9.9 [8.5-11.3]

* Includes daily and non-daily smokers.
! Estimate 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 Ontario remained fairly stable for the first decade, then appeared to decline slightly over the next decade (Figure 2.17). Cigarette consumption was higher among males in all years, although the magnitude of this difference varied from year to year.

Figure 2.17 data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 2.17: Average daily cigarette consumption* (mean cigarettes per day) among males and females, Ontario, 1999-2020
  Ontario Males Females
1999 16.6 18.1 15.1
2000 16.9 19.1 14.0
2001 15.5 [14.1-17.0] 16.2 [14.4-17.9] 14.6 [12.2-17.1]
2002 15.5 [14.7-16.3] 16.8 [15.7-17.9] 14.0 [12.7-15.2]
2003 15.5 [14.3-16.8] 16.4 [14.7-18.1] 14.3 [12.7-15.9]
2004 15.4 [14.0-16.8] 16.1 [14.3-18.0] 14.4 [12.2-16.5]
2005 15.6 [14.0-17.1] 16.3 [14.5-18.1] 13.9 [10.6-17.3]
2006 15.4 [14.0-16.8] 17.3 [15.1-19.4] 13.0 [11.3-14.7]
2007 15.5 [14.2-16.7] 17.0 [15.7-18.4] 13.8 [11.7-15.8]
2008 15.5 [13.8-17.1] 17.5 [15.1-19.8] 12.1 [10.7-13.6]
2009 14.2 [13.0-15.3] 15.0 [13.4-16.6] 13.1 [11.4-14.7]
2010 15.0 [13.4-16.6] 16.3 [14.4-18.2] 13.0 [10.1-15.8]
2011 13.6 [12.2-14.9] 14.1 [12.1-16.2] 12.8 [11.3-14.4]
2012 15.8 [13.9-17.7] 18.7 [16.5-20.8] 12.3 [9.7-14.8]
2013 13.0 [11.7-14.3] 14.0 [12.3-15.8] 11.9 [10.0-13.7]
2015 13.2 [11.3-15.0] 15.7 [13.0-18.4] 10.5 [8.3-12.6]
2017 12.7 [10.7-14.8] 13.7 [10.9-16.6] 11.2 [8.6-13.7]
2019 11.9 [9.8-13.9] 13.8 [10.5-17.2] 9.8 [8.2-11.3]
2020 11.4 [10.1-12.8] 12.9 [11.0-14.7] 9.6 [7.8-11.5]

*Among daily smokers.
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.