Overview

Tobacco smoking is the single most important preventable cause of ill health and death in Australia. Tobacco smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, of which over 70 cause cancer.

More reports and statistics on tobacco smoking can be found under Alcohol, Alcohol & other drug treatment services and Illicit use of drugs.

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Latest findings

Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in Australia

People with mental health conditions are more likely to use tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs

Tobacco smoking is the leading cause of preventable health burden in Australia

Smoking rates increase with socioeconomic disadvantage, but illicit drug use highest in the most advantaged areas.

Smoking and drinking rates are down among gay, lesbian and bisexual people.

Non-medical pharmaceutical use is down, driven by a fall in use of pain-killers.

Highlights

11%of people aged 14 and older smoked daily in 2019. This is down from 24% in 1991
People in their 40s and 50s were the most likely age group to smoke daily (16%) in 2019
10.2%of mothers smoked at any time during pregnancy in 2019, down from 14.6% in 2009
16.6 yearswas the average age at which 14–24 year-olds smoked their first full cigarette in 2019 compared with 14.3 years in 2001
2 in 52 in 5 current smokers in 2019 had used e-cigarettes in their lifetime
Only 2.1%of households with dependent children reported smoking inside the home in 2019. This has steadily declined from 20% in 2001