Canadian tobacco statistics

Monitoring and analyzing tobacco statistics helps us keep track of our successes in the tobacco field – and points us toward where we need to do more work. The two main surveys we rely on are:

The Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey

The Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS) provides us with important information about the changes in smoking status and the amount smoked by Canadians.

Key results

17% of Canadians (15 years or older) were current smokers in 2011 – unchanged from 17% in 2010. Current smoking has fallen only 2% over the last 5 years – whereas in prior years, smoking rates were decreasing by 1% per year on average. The main reason for the slowing decline has been the availability of cheap contraband cigarettes.
More men smoke than women.
Smoking rates for youth remained the same – 12% of young people (15–19 years old) currently smoking in 2011.

Youth Smoking Survey

The Youth Smoking Survey monitors tobacco use in school-aged children (grades 6–9). The most recent survey in 2010/2011 found that 2% of students in grades 6 to 9 are smokers, and 10% of students in grades 10 to 12 are smokers. These rates show a significant decrease from 2008/2009. This is the lowest rate of current smokers since 1994.