Smoking Rates

About 1 in 9 Canadian adults (11%) surveyed in 2024 reported currently smoking cigarettes. Youth had the lowest rates of cigarette smoking, dropping to a record low of less than 2%, while older adults maintained the highest rates. A higher percentage of men compared to women reported currently smoking. Regionally, smoking rates remain highest in the Territories and parts of Atlantic Canada (such as Newfoundland and Labrador), while British Columbia and Alberta continue to track among the lowest provincial rates. 

Smoking Status, by Province, 2024

Tobacco Use Rates

In 2024, an estimated 13% of Canadians used at least one tobacco product in the past 30 days, down from 29% in 2001. Approximately 11% of adult Canadians reported currently smoking. Among younger Canadians, 6% of youth aged 15–19 and 13% of young adults aged 20–24 reported past-30-day tobacco product use (2020, the most recent age-disaggregated data available). Use of other tobacco products has also declined: as of 2022, less than 1% of Canadians aged 15 or older reported past-30-day use of a water-pipe or chewing tobacco. Saskatchewan continues to have one of the highest provincial smoking rates in Canada, while British Columbia and Alberta remain among the lowest. 

The Flavour Trap 

Flavors encourage youth to start and continue to use nicotine. Across Canada, 92% of youth who vape began with a flavoured product. While Saskatchewan restricted flavoured vape sales to specialty vape stores, national inspection audits show 83% of specialty vape shops were non-compliant with the Tobacco and Vaping Products Act, keeping these sweet profiles highly accessible to minors. 

The Rise of Oral Nicotine Pouches 

The rapid introduction of authorized oral nicotine products (like Zonnic) has created a significant new statistical category. Because these white-market pouches are entirely smokeless and vapourless, they are heavily used by youth who have never previously smoked a commercial cigarette, acting as a discreet gateway to severe chemical dependency. 

Quitting Smoking

In 2022, approximately 23% of Canadians aged 15 or older reported being former smokers who had successfully quit. Among those who had quit or made a quit attempt within the last year, the most common approaches were quitting on their own without special preparation (62%), reducing the number of cigarettes smoked (40%), switching to vaping (28%), and using nicotine replacement products (26%). Among daily smokers, 31% had made at least one quit attempt lasting 24 hours in the past year a decrease from 39% reported in 2020. 

Number of Quit Attempts by Those Who Smoke Daily