Current smoking

Smoking prevalence

Bar chart showing current smoking prevalence, grade 7 to 9 from 2018 to 2019, and age 15 to 19 in 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

In 2018-19, smoking prevalence among students in grades 7-9 was 1.0% overall. Among adolescents aged 15-19, 3.1% were current smokers in 2020 (Figure 7.1).

Smoking prevalence among students in grades 7-9 dropped by more than half between 1994 and 2002, and has since remained low (Figure 7.2). Between 2016-17 and 2018-19, there were no significant changes in overall,daily, or non-daily smoking prevalence.38-40

Figure 7.1 data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 7.1: Current smoking prevalence (%), Grades 7-9, 2018-19, and age 15-19, 2020
  Grades 7-9 Age 15-19
Current 1.0 [0.8-1.2] 3.1 [2.0-4.3]
Daily 0.4 [0.4-0.5]
3.1 [2.0-4.3]*
Non-Daily 0.6 [0.4-0.7]

*Daily and non-daily combined for age 15-19 due to low numbers.
Data sources: Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey, 2020; Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2018-2019.

Among youth aged 15-19, overall smoking prevalence decreased significantly between 2019 and 2020.41 Beginning in 1999, prevalence declined steadily for several years before levelling off and then again decreasing to another plateau; over the past decade, prevalence appears to have declined gradually (Figure 7.2). Most of the decline in smoking observed over time among 15- to 19-year-olds appears to be due to decreasing daily smoking, although estimates of daily and non-daily smoking were not reportable in the most recent years.

Bar chart showing current smoking prevalence (daily and non-daily), grades 7 to 9 and age 15 to 19 from 1994 to 2020. Trends described in text. Data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 7.2 data table with 95% confidence intervals
Figure 7.2: Current smoking prevalence* (%) (daily and non-daily), Grades 7-9 and age 15-19, 1994-2020
  Grades 7-9 Age 15-19
  Daily Non-daily Daily Non-daily
1994 3.9 6.5 N/A N/A
1999 N/A N/A 20.0 8.3
2000 N/A N/A 17.9 7.9
2001 N/A N/A 16.1 [14.5-17.7] 6.6 [5.6-7.6]
2002 (YSS 2002-03) 2.4 1.9 16.4 [14.9-17.8] 5.8 [5.0-6.7]
2003 N/A N/A 11.7 [10.5-12.9] 6.6 [5.5-7.7]
2004 (YSS 2004-05) 1.2 [0.8-1.7] 1.4 [1.0-1.8] 10.9 [9.6-12.2] 7.5 [6.2-8.8]
2005 N/A N/A 11.3 [9.8-12.7] 6.8 [5.5-8.0]
2006 (YSS 2006-07) 1.8 [1.2-2.5] 2.0 [1.5-2.4] 8.6 [7.4-9.8] 6.2 [5.2-7.3]
2007 N/A N/A 9.2 [7.9-10.6] 6.0 [4.9-7.1]
2008 (YSS 2008-09) 2.3 [1.5-3.1] 2.2 [1.8-2.5] 8.6 [7.3-9.9] 6.2 [5.2-7.3]
2009 N/A N/A 7.5 [6.4-8.5] 5.5 [4.5-6.5]
2010 (YSS 2010-11) 1.2 [0.7-1.7] 1.6 [1.2-1.9] 7.4 [6.2-8.5] 4.9 [3.9-5.8]
2011 N/A N/A 6.0 [5.0-7.0] 5.8 [4.7-6.9]
2012 (YSS 2012-13) 1.1 [0.8-1.4] 1.3 [0.9-1.8] 6.6 [5.4-7.7] 4.3 [3.4-5.2]
2013 N/A N/A 5.1 [3.8-6.5] 5.6 [4.4-6.8]
2014-15 CSTADS   N/A N/A
2015 N/A N/A 4.3 [2.8-5.7] 5.4 [4.0-6.9]
2016-17 CSTADS 0.4 [0.3-0.6] 0.5 [0.4-0.6] N/A N/A
2017 N/A N/A 2.9 [2.1-3.7] 4.9 [3.7-6.2]
2019 N/A N/A 5.1 [3.7-6.5] !
2020 N/A N/A 3.1 [2.0-4.3] !

*Current daily/non-daily smoker and smoked in past 30 days.
**Exact estimate suppressed due to unacceptable quality.  The upper bound of the estimates is ! 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; Youth Smoking Survey, 1994, 2002, 2004-05, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2012-13; Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2014-2015, 2016-2017, 2018-2019.