Smoking prevalence by province

Prevalence among Grades 7-9 

Smoking prevalence among students in grades 7-9 varied significantly by province in 2018-19⁴⁴ (Figure 7.7).

Prevalence estimates for several provinces are not reported for 2018-19, due to unacceptable quality or non-participation.

In the decade from 1994 to 2004-05, smoking declined substantially in all provinces; although small increases were observed in some provinces in the waves that followed, prevalence appears to have decreased to 2004-05 levels or lower in most provinces in recent waves (Table 7.1).

Download Table 7.1 current smoking prevalence* by province, grades 7-9, 1994-2018-19 (.xlsx)

---

Prevalence among youth aged 15-19

Among youth aged 15-19, smoking prevalence was not reportable by province in 2020. However, historic data is shown in Table 7.2.

Between 1999 and 2020, smoking prevalence among youth decreased drastically in Canada (Table 7.2). Up to 2017, the last year with data reportable by province, smoking prevalence had also decreased drastically in each province: in many provinces, the 2017 smoking prevalence was less than one-third of the 1999 estimate. However, some provinces (such as Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and PEI) observed little change, or even an increase, over the most recent survey waves with available data.

Download Table 7.2 current smoking prevalence* by province, age 15-19, 1999-2020 (.xlsx)