Quitter percentage among males and females

Bar chart showing percentage of respondents who have ever smoked (current and former smokers), and quitter percentage, among males and females, in 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

In 2020, quitter percentages among males (68.8%) and females (72.7%) did not differ significantly.24 However, a greater percentage of males had ever smoked,25 and were current smokers26 (Figure 5.2).  

Similar patterns have been observed since 1999; while smoking rates (both current and ever) were higher among males, similar percentages of both male and female ever-smokers had quit  (Figure 5.3; Figure 5.4).

Among males, quitter percentage appears to have risen steadily until 2008, after which there was a slight downturn for a few years before once again increasing (Figure 5.3). Among females, quitter percentage appears to have risen fairly steadily since 1999, though with a dip in 2017 (Figure 5.4).

Figure 5.2 data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 5.2: Percentage of respondents who have ever smoked (current and former smokers), and quitter percentage*, among males and females, 2020
  Current Smoker Former Smoker Quitter percentage
Males 12.1 [10.7-13.4] 26.6 [24.9-28.4] 68.8 [65.2-71.8]
Females 8.6 [7.5-9.7] 22.9 [21.3-24.5] 72.7 [69.5-75.8]

*Quitter percentage is calculated as the percentage of ever smokers who were former smokers at time of survey.
Data source: Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, 2020.

Bar and line graph showing percentage of males who have ever smoked (current and former smokers), and quitter percentage from 1999 to 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.
Bar and line graph showing percentage of females who have ever smoked (current and former smokers), and quitter percentage from 1999 to 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 5.3 data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 5.3: Percentage of males who have ever smoked (current and former smokers), and quitter percentage*, 1999-2020
  Former Smoker Current Smoker Ever Smoker Quit Rate
1999 28.8 27.3 56.0 51.3
2000 29.0 25.8 54.8 52.9
2001 27.3 [25.1-29.5] 23.9 [22.2-25.6] 51.2 [49.1-53.2] 53.4 [50.1-56.6]
2002 28.1 [26.6-29.7] 23.0 [21.8-24.3] 51.2 [49.6-52.8] 55.0 [52.8-57.2]
2003 29.3 [27.6-31.0] 23.3 [21.5-25.1] 52.6 [50.7-54.5] 55.7 [52.9-58.5]
2004 29.5 [27.7-31.4] 22.0 [20.4-23.7] 51.5 [49.5-53.6] 57.3 [54.6-60.0]
2005 31.1 [29.1-33.1] 21.6 [19.9-23.3] 52.7 [50.6-54.8] 59.0 [56.2-61.9]
2006 30.9 [29.1-32.7] 20.3 [18.8-21.8] 51.2 [49.3-53.2] 60.4 [57.9-62.9]
2007 31.3 [29.6-33.0] 20.4 [18.9-21.9] 51.7 [49.7-53.7] 60.5 [58.1-63.0]
2008 33.0 [31.0-35.0] 20.1 [18.5-21.7] 53.1 [51.1-55.1] 62.1 [59.4-64.9]
2009 29.4 [27.6-31.2] 19.2 [17.6-20.8] 48.7 [46.7-50.7] 60.5 [57.6-63.3]
2010 29.1 [27.4-30.9] 19.7 [18.2-21.3] 48.8 [47.0-50.7] 59.6 [56.9-62.4]
2011 27.0 [25.4-28.6] 19.7 [17.9-21.4] 46.6 [44.6-48.7] 57.9 [54.9-60.8]
2012 31.8 [29.7-33.9] 18.4 [16.6-20.3] 50.3 [47.9-52.7] 63.3 [61.2-65.6]
2013 29 [27.0-31.1] 16 [14.2-17.9] 45.1 [42.7-47.4] 64.4 [61.0-67.9]
2015 30.1 [28.0-32.2] 15.6 [14.0-17.3] 45.8 [43.5-48.0] 65.8 [62.5-69.1]
2017 29.7 [27.1-32.3] 16.7 [14.4-19.0] 35.4 [32.8-38.1] 64.0 [59.87-68.14]
2019 26.0 [24.3-27.6] 12.7 [11.2-14.1] 38.6 [36.6-40.6] 67.2 [64.2-70.3]
2020 26.6 [24.9-28.4] 12.1 [10.7-13.4] 38.7 [36.8-40.6] 68.8 [65.8-71.8]

*Quitter percentage is calculated as the percentage of ever smokers who were former smokers at time of survey.
Data source: Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, 1999-2012; Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2013, 2015, 2017; Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, 2019, 2020.

Figure 5.4 data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 5.4: Percentage of females who have ever smoked (current and former smokers), and quitter percentage*, 1999-2020
  Former Smoker Current Smoker Ever Smoker Quit Rate
1999 22.0 23.3 45.3 48.6
2000 23.1 23.1 46.2 50.0
2001 20.5 [18.8-22.1] 19.6 [17.9-21.3] 40.1 [38.3-41.9] 51.0 [47.5-54.6]
2002 22.0 [20.5-23.5] 19.9 [18.7-21.0] 41.9 [40.4-43.5] 52.6 [50.0-55.1]
2003 23.7 [22.1-25.3] 18.5 [17.2-19.8] 42.2 [40.4-44.0] 56.1 [53.4-58.9]
2004 21.6 [20.1-23.2] 17.2 [15.9-18.6] 38.9 [37.1-40.7] 55.6 [52.8-58.5]
2005 24.4 [22.7-26.1] 15.9 [14.6-17.2] 40.3 [38.5-42.1] 60.6 [57.7-63.5]
2006 23.4 [21.9-24.9] 17.0 [15.7-18.3] 40.4 [38.5-42.2] 58.0 [55.4-60.6]
2007 24.9 [23.2-26.5] 18.1 [16.7-19.5] 43.0 [41.2-44.8] 57.9 [55.0-60.8]
2008 24.5 [22.9-26.0] 15.7 [14.5-17.0] 40.2 [38.4-42.0] 60.9 [58.2-63.5]
2009 24.2 [22.8-25.6] 15.9 [14.4-17.3] 40.1 [38.4-41.7] 60.4 [57.5-63.3]
2010 23.7 [22.1-25.3] 13.8 [12.6-15.1] 37.5 [35.7-39.3] 63.1 [60.3-66.0]
2011 23.8 [22.3-25.3] 15.0 [13.7-16.4] 38.8 [37.0-40.7] 61.3 [58.5-64.1]
2012 24.1 [22.5-25.7] 13.9 [12.6-15.2] 38.0 [36.2-40.0] 63.4 [60.5-66.4]
2013 22.8 [21.1-24.4] 13.3 [11.8-14.8] 36 [34.1-37.9] 63.2 [59.7-66.7]
2015 24.4 [22.7-26.1] 10.4 [9.2-11.6] 34.8 [32.8-36.8] 70.1 [67.1-73.1]
2017 21.9 [19.5-24.3] 13.5 [11.7-15.3] 46.3 [43.3-49.4] 61.9 [57.33-66.45]
2019 23.0 [21.5-24.5] 11.1 [9.9-12.2] 34.1 [32.3-35.8] 67.6 [64.6-70.5]
2020 22.9 [21.3-24.5] 8.6 [7.5-9.7] 31.6 [29.8-33.3] 72.7 [69.5-75.8]

*Quitter percentage is calculated as the percentage of ever smokers who were former smokers at time of survey.
Data source: Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, 1999-2012; Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2013, 2015, 2017; Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, 2019, 2020.