Smoking prevalence

See data table below with 95% confidence intervals. In 2016-17, smoking prevalence among students in grades 7-9 was 1.0% overall. Among adolescents aged 15-19, 7.9%^a were current smokers in 2017 (2.9%^b daily and 4.9%^c non-daily). However, there was substantial variation by age, from 5.3% among 15- to 17-year-olds to 11.2% of 18- and 19-year-olds^d. Daily smoking also increased with age (Figure 8.1).

Smoking prevalence among students in grades 7-9 dropped by more than half between 1994 and 2002, and has since remained low. Between 2014-15 and 2016-17, there was no significant change in overall,daily, or non-daily smoking prevalence^86-88(Figure 8.2).

Figure 8.1 data table with 95% confidence intervals

Current smoking prevalence, Grades 7-9, 2014-15, and age 15-19, 2017
	Grades 7-9	Age 15-17	Age 18-19
Current	1.0 [0.8-1.1]	5.3 [3.9-6.8]	11.2 [8.6-13.9]
Daily	0.4 [0.3-0.6]	1.7 [0.8-2.6]	4.6 [3.2-6.0]
Non-Daily	0.5 [0.4-0.6]	3.6 [2.5-4.7]	6.7 [4.4-9.0]

Data sources: Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2017; Canadian Student Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2016-2017.

Among youth aged 15-19, smoking prevalence declined steadily after 1999 for several years before levelling off and then again decreasing to another plateau; over the past decade, prevalence appears to have declined very slowly and gradually (Figure 8.2). Between 2015 and 2017, there was no significant change in overall, daily, or non-daily smoking prevalence.^89-91 Most of the decline in smoking observed among 15- to 19-year-olds appears to be due to decreasing daily smoking.

See data table below with 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 8.2 data table with 95% confidence intervals

Current smoking prevalence* (daily and non-daily), Grades 7-9 and age 15-19, 1994-2017
	Grades 7-9		Age 15-19
	Daily	Non-daily	Daily	Non-daily
1994	3.9	6.5
1999			20.0	8.3
2000			17.9	7.9
2001			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			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			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			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			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			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			5.1 [3.8-6.5]	5.6 [4.4-6.8]
2014-15 CSTADS	< 2**
2015			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]
2017			2.9 [2.1-3.7]	4.9 [3.7-6.2]

*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 <2%.
Data sources: Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, 1999-2012; Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey, 2013, 2015, 2017; 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.

95% confidence intervals for in-text estimates

a: 7.9 [6.4-9.3]
b: 2.9 [2.1-3.7]
c: 4.9 [3.7-6.2]
d: 5.3 [3.9-6.8] to 11.2 [8.6-13.9]