E-cigarette prevalence among males and females, by age group

Ever Use

Bar chart showing prevalence of ever use of e-cigarettes among Canadians age 15+, among males and females by age group, in 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Prevalence of ever using e-cigarettes was significantly higher among males in age groups from 20 to 44, but similar between males and females among those aged 15-19 and those age 45 and older88-92 (Figure 11.6). Differences were most pronounced among young adults.

Figure 11.6 Data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 11.6: Prevalence (%) of ever use of e-cigarettes among Canadians age 15+, among males and females and by age group, 2020
Age group Male Female
15-19 34.9 [30.9-39.0] 35.3 [31.0-39.6]
20-24 50.1 [45.6-54.5] 36.0 [31.9-40.1]
25-34 31.7 [26.0-37.5] 21.7 [16.4-27.0]
35-44 22.5 [18.2-26.8] 12.3 [8.6-15.9]
45+ 8.3 [6.8-9.8] 6.5 [5.3-7.6]

Data source: Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, 2020.

Past 30-day Use

Bar chart showing prevalence of past 30-day use of e-cigarettes among Canadians age 15+, among males and females by age group, in 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

While prevalence of e-cigarette use in the past 30 days was much lower than ever use, similar patterns were observed: past 30-day use was more prevalent among males in age groups from 20 to 44,93,94 but there were no significant differences among youth aged 15-19 or those age 45 and older95,96 (Figure 11.7).

Figure 11.7 Data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 11.7: Prevalence (%) of past 30-day use of e-cigarettes, among Canadians age 15+, among males and females and by age group, 2020
Age group Male Female
15-19 14.7 [11.7-17.6] 13.9 [10.7-17.1]
20-24 15.7 [12.5-18.9] 10.2 [7.6-12.9]
25-44 7.0 [4.7-9.3] !
45+ 2.1 [1.3-3.0] 1.8 [1.0-2.5]

! Estimate suppressed due to unacceptable quality.
Data source: Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, 2020

Daily Use

When examining daily use, some age groups were combined due to low numbers. Among those aged 15-24, daily use was more prevalent among males, at 6.9%a, compared to 3.7%b among females.97 While prevalence of daily use was also higher among males aged 25 and older (2.2%c) than females (1.4%d), this difference was not statistically significant.98

95% confidence intervals for in-text estimates 

a: 6.9 [5.4-8.5]
b: 3.7 [2.6-4.9]
c: 2.2 [1.6-2.9]
d: 1.4 [0.8-1.9]