Alcohol, tobacco & other drugs in Australia

Key findings

Introduction

In each state and territory in Australia, the experiences people have with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs differ, and therefore the health and service needs of each jurisdiction will vary. 

This page focuses on alcohol and other drug use and harms across states and territories in Australia. The reporting uses data from a range of sources, mostly national administrative and survey data.

What data sources are available?

There are a range of data sources that contain information about alcohol and other drug use, harms and treatment across states and territories. These include self-report surveys that ask people about their use of alcohol and other drugs, wastewater analysis and health administrative data sets (such as administrative data routinely collected by hospitals). Each data set uses a different methodology, and the language used to describe alcohol and other drugs may also differ across sources.

For more information about each data source, see Technical notes.

How does alcohol, tobacco and other drug use vary across states and territories?

Data on alcohol, tobacco and other drug use across all eight Australian states and territories is available in the National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS). 

For detailed findings, see National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2022–2023: State and Territory summaries of alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarette and other drug use.

Tobacco

The proportion of people who reported daily smoking in the 2022–2023 NDSHS varied slightly, but daily smoking has declined across all states and territories since 2007. Findings showed that daily smoking was most common among adults aged 14 and over in the Northern Territory (13%) and Tasmania (11%), and least common among adults in the Australian Capital Territory (4.8%) and New South Wales (7.5%) (AIHW 2024, Table 9b.5; Figure 1).

In most states and territories, rates of daily smoking were similar among males and females, except for the Northern Territory and South Australia where rates of smoking were higher among males than females (AIHW 2024, Table 9b.2).

People in the 35–44, 45–54 or 55–64 age groups had the highest rate of daily smoking in all states and territories except for Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory:

• In Tasmania, 1 in 5 (19%) people in the 25–34 age group reported daily smoking – the highest of any age group.
• In the Australian Capital Territory, *8.6% of people in the 65–74 age group reported daily smoking – the highest of any age group (*estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be used with caution) (AIHW 2024, Table 9b.7).

Vaping and e-cigarettes

E-cigarette use among states and territories is relatively similar and has been increasing since 2016. Findings from the 2022–2023 NDSHS showed that among people aged 14 and over:

• The proportion of people who reported current use of e-cigarettes ranged from 3.7% in Tasmania to 7.9% in New South Wales.
• The largest difference between male and female e-cigarette use was in the Australian Capital Territory, where 8.6% of males and *3.2% of females reported currently using e-cigarettes (*estimate has a relative standard error between 25% and 50% and should be used with caution).
• Across most states and territories, e-cigarette use was most common among people aged 18–24, except for the Northern Territory where e-cigarette use was most common among the 25–34 age group (AIHW 2024, tables 9b.10 and 9b.12).

Alcohol

Alcohol consumption across states and territories is relatively similar. Most people who drink alcohol do so weekly or less often (as opposed to daily), and daily and weekly drinking have declined across most states and territories since 2007 (AIHW 2024).

Among people aged 14 and over in 2022–2023:

• Consumption of alcohol in the previous 12 months ranged from 75% in New South Wales to 85% in Tasmania, and was similar between males and females in all states and territories. The greatest gender difference was in the Australian Capital Territory (85% of males compared with 77% of females).
• Daily alcohol consumption ranged from 4.0% in Victoria to 7.2% in the Northern Territory and Tasmania (AIHW 2024, Table 9b.13; Figure 2).

The proportion of people at risk of alcohol-related harm varied among states and territories but has declined across all states and territories since 2007. Findings from the NDSHS showed that among people aged 14 and over, in 2022–2023, the proportion of people who consumed alcohol at risky levels ranged from 26% in Victoria to 40% in the Northern Territory.

Additionally, across all jurisdictions, males were more likely than females to consume alcohol at risky levels:

• The proportion of females who consumed alcohol at risky levels ranged from 20% in Victoria to 36% in the Northern Territory.
• The proportion of males who consumed alcohol at risky levels ranged from 33% in the Australian Capital Territory to 45% in Tasmania (AIHW 2024, Table 9b.16).

Illicit drugs

The NDSHS showed that use of any illicit drug varied among states and territories but has risen across most states and territories since 2007. In 2022–2023, the proportion of people aged 14 and over reporting recent illicit drug use ranged from 14% in the Australian Capital Territory to 25% in the Northern Territory (AIHW 2024, Table 9b.27; Figure 3).

Cannabis had the highest rates of recent use of any illicit drug across all states and territories in 2022–2023, ranging from 8.7% in the Australian Capital Territory to 19% in the Northern Territory (AIHW 2024, Table 9b.32; Figure 3). Rates of recent cannabis use were highest among people aged 18–24 in all states and territories except for the Northern Territory, ranging from 21% of people in this age group in New South Wales to 37% of people in this age group in Tasmania. In the Northern Territory, recent cannabis use was highest among people aged 25–29. (AIHW 2024, Table 9b.36). Use of other drugs varied across the states and territories.

The characteristics of people who reported recent illicit drug use in 2022–2023 were broadly similar across states and territories:

• Among people aged 14 and over, the proportion of males who reported recent illicit drug use was higher than females in every state and territory except for the Northern Territory where it was similar for males and females (AIHW 2024, Table 9b.29).
• Across most states and territories, people aged 18–24 had the highest rates of recent illicit drug use (ranging from 31% in New South Wales to 43% in the Australian Capital Territory). In the Northern Territory, recent illicit drug use was most common among people aged 25–29 (AIHW 2024, Table 9b.31).

The National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program (NWDMP) monitors the presence of drugs (including illicit drugs) and their metabolites in wastewater sites across Australia, providing information about trends in drug consumption at the population level (ACIC 2025). 

Findings from Report 24 of the NWDMP found that between 2022–23 and 2023–24: 

• Estimated methylamphetamine consumption increased across all states and territories, with the largest proportionate increases in the Northern Territory (up 53% from 52.8 kilograms (kg) to 80.6 kg per annum) and Tasmania (up 38% from 134.7 kg to 185.9 kg per annum). The largest crude increase was in Victoria – methylamphetamine consumption increased from 2,798.6 kg to 3,455.2 kg per annum.
• Estimated cocaine consumption increased across all states and territories, with the largest proportionate increases in the Northern Territory (up 222% from 9.7 kg to 31.2 kg per annum) and Tasmania (up 107% from 24.5 kg to 50.7 kg per annum). The largest crude increase was in Victoria – cocaine consumption increased from 974.4 kg to 1,846.5 kg per annum.
• Estimated MDMA consumption increased across all jurisdictions, with the largest proportionate increases in the Northern Territory (up 92% from 8.5 kg to 16.3 kg per annum) and Western Australia (up 65% from 66.9 kg to 110.3 kg per annum). The largest crude increase was in New South Wales – MDMA consumption increased from 334.0 kg to 511.8 kg per annum.
• Estimated heroin consumption increased across all jurisdictions, with the largest proportionate increases in Tasmania (up 65% from 3.1 kg to 5.1 kg per annum) and Western Australia (up 46% from 40.0 kg to 58.4 kg per annum). The largest crude increase was in New South Wales – heroin consumption increased from 366.4 kg to 444.4 kg per annum (ACIC 2025). 

Detailed information on wastewater drug monitoring (including alcohol, nicotine and cannabis) is available in Remoteness areas.

How does prescription drug dispensing vary across states and territories?

Data on prescription medicine dispensing in this report are sourced from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Data from the PBS provide information on the number of prescriptions dispensed and the number of patients supplied at least one script within a given financial year. The PBS database includes information on medicines that may be used for non-medical purposes (including opioids, benzodiazepines and gabapentinoids) and medicines that are used to help people stop their smoking or alcohol consumption (smoking cessation medicines and alcohol cessation medicines).

AIHW analysis of the PBS showed that among all states and territories, in 2024–25:

• The crude rates of patients who were dispensed opioids, benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids and smoking cessation medicines were highest in Tasmania.
• The crude rate of patients who were dispensed alcohol cessation medicines was highest in Queensland (205 per 100,000 population).
• The Northern Territory had the lowest rate of patients dispensed alcohol cessation medicines (120 per 100,000 population), despite having the highest rates of risky alcohol consumption, alcohol-related ambulance attendances and specialist alcohol and other drug treatment services of any state or territory (AIHW 2024, AIHW 2025; Figure 4).

How do alcohol and other drug-related harms vary across states and territories?

Alcohol and other drug-related ambulance attendances

Data on alcohol and other drug-related ambulance attendances are sourced from the National Ambulance Surveillance System (NASS) and are currently available for six of the eight Australian states and territories (excluding Western Australia and South Australia). 

AIHW analysis of NASS data showed that among included jurisdictions in 2024:

• Excluding Victoria, rates of total alcohol and other drug-related ambulance attendances ranged from 745 per 100,000 population (around 63,300 attendances) in New South Wales to 2,960 per 100,000 population (around 7,700 attendances) in the Northern Territory.
• In Victoria, the rate of attendances was around 465 per 100,000 population (around 32,400 attendances), a decrease from around 756 per 100,000 population (around 51,400 attendances) in 2023. This is mainly due to industrial action by paramedics in Victoria in 2024, which resulted in fewer ambulance attendances being captured (Table NASS3). 

Monthly data indicate that alcohol and other drug-related ambulance attendances fluctuate throughout the year but tend to be highest around December to January. This pattern is consistent across most states and territories, and appears largely driven by increases in alcohol-related attendances in these months (Table NASS1, Figure 5). 

Annual data (excluding Victorian data) indicate that in 2024, among all alcohol and other drug-related ambulance attendances:

• Males had a higher number of ambulance attendances than females across all states and territories except for the Northern Territory where it was higher for females.
• Alcohol was involved in more ambulance attendances than any other drug across all states and territories, ranging from 505 per 100,000 population (around 35,400 attendances) in New South Wales to 2,827 per 100,000 (around 5,900) in the Northern Territory. 
  • People aged 45–54 had the highest rates of ambulance attendances for alcohol intoxication in all included states and territories except Tasmania, ranging from 639 per 100,000 population in the Australian Capital Territory to 4,674 per 100,000 in the Northern Territory. In Tasmania, rates were highest among people aged 15–24 (882 per 100,000).
• Cannabis and amphetamines were in the top three most common drug types involved in ambulance attendances across all states and territories.
  • Rates of cannabis-related ambulance attendances ranged from 107 per 100,000 population (around 7,500 attendances) in New South Wales to 459 per 100,000 population (around 950 attendances) in the Northern Territory. 
  • Rates of amphetamine-related ambulance attendances ranged from 84 per 100,000 population (around 335 attendances) in the Australian Capital Territory to 148 per 100,000 population (around 6,700 attendances) in Queensland (Table NASS3).

Other characteristics of alcohol and other drug-related ambulance attendances also varied by state and territory, including transport to hospital, police co-attendance and use of multiple drugs. 

Most ambulance attendances in 2024 involved the person being transported to hospital, ranging from 74% in Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory to 83% in Queensland. In every jurisdiction, attendances involving antidepressants had the highest rates of transport to hospital, ranging from 91% in Victoria to 98% in the Northern Territory (tables NASS3 and NASS4, Figure 6).

In 2024, among all alcohol and other drug-related ambulance attendances:

• The proportion of attendances where multiple drugs were present ranged from 8% in the Northern Territory to 22% in Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.
  • In New South Wales (75% attendances), Queensland (76%) and the Australian Capital Territory (79%), ambulance attendances were most likely to involve multiple drugs when ecstasy was present. 
  • In Tasmania (80% attendances) and the Northern Territory (76%), among drug types with available data, ambulance attendances were most likely to involve multiple drugs when opioid analgesics were present.
  • In Victoria (79% attendances), ambulance attendances were most likely to involve multiple drugs when antidepressants were present.
• The proportion of attendances where police co-attended ranged from 23% in the Australian Capital Territory to 34% in New South Wales (Table NASS4, Figure 6).

Drug-related hospitalisations (excluding alcohol)

Information on drug-related hospitalisations (excluding alcohol) by state and territory is available in analysis of the National Hospital Morbidity Database by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC).

In 2022–23, the rate of drug-related hospitalisations ranged from 161 per 100,000 population in the Australian Capital Territory to 324 per 100,000 population in the Northern Territory (Chrzanowska et al. 2025a).

Among all drug-related hospitalisations:

• Amphetamine-type stimulants were associated with the highest rates of hospitalisation in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania (ranging from 38 per 100,000 population in Tasmania to 72 per 100,000 population in South Australia).
  • In the Australian Capital Territory, the highest rates of hospitalisation involved a principal diagnosis of non-opioid analgesics (39 per 100,000 population).
  • In the Northern Territory, the highest rates of hospitalisation involved a principal diagnosis of cannabinoids (134 per 100,000 population).
• Females had higher rates of hospitalisations in all states and territories except for New South Wales. Of these jurisdictions, rates of drug-related hospitalisations involving females ranged from 183 per 100,000 population in Western Australia to 329 per 100,000 population in the Northern Territory.
  • In New South Wales, rates of drug-related hospitalisations were 218 per 100,000 population for males compared with 166 per 100,000 population for females.
• People aged 20–29 had the highest rates of hospitalisations in most jurisdictions, except for the Australian Capital Territory where rates were highest among those aged 10–19 (304 per 100,000 population).
  • Of other jurisdictions, rates of drug-related hospitalisations among people aged 20–29 ranged from 313 per 100,000 population in Western Australia to 724 per 100,000 population in the Northern Territory (Chrzanowska et al. 2025a).

For detailed findings, see Trends in drug-related hospitalisations in Australia, 2003-2023.

Drug-induced deaths (excluding alcohol)

Information on drug-induced deaths (excluding alcohol) by state and territory is available in NDARC’s annual analysis of data from the National Mortality Database.

In 2023, the rate of drug-induced deaths ranged from 5.0 per 100,000 population (421 deaths) in New South Wales to 9.5 per 100,000 population (278 deaths) in Western Australia (excluding the Northern Territory) (Chrzanowska et al. 2025b). 

Among all drug-induced deaths in 2023 (excluding the Northern Territory):

• Opioids were associated with the highest rates of deaths in all states and territories except Queensland, ranging from 2.7 per 100,000 population (223 deaths) in New South Wales to 5.3 per 100,000 population (153 deaths) in Western Australia.
  • In Queensland, the highest rates of drug-induced deaths were attributed to antiepileptic, sedative-hypnotic and anti-parkinsonism drugs (3.0 deaths per 100,000 population, or 165 deaths).
• Most deaths were among males across all states and territories, ranging from 59% of deaths in South Australia to 71% of deaths in New South Wales.
  • The jurisdiction with the highest rates of drug-induced deaths among females was Western Australia (7.1 deaths per 100,000 population) (excluding the Australian Capital Territory where the rate was unavailable).
• People aged 45–54 had the highest rates of deaths in most jurisdictions with available data (Chrzanowska et al. 2025b).

For detailed findings, see Trends in overdose and other drug-induced deaths in Australia, 2004-2023.

How does specialist treatment for alcohol and other drug use vary across states and territories?

Data from the Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia report showed that the rate of clients receiving treatment varied among each state and territory. In 2023–24, the rate of clients receiving treatment ranged from 370 per 100,000 population in New South Wales to 1,560 per 100,000 population in the Northern Territory (AIHW. 

In all states and territories:

• Males were more likely to receive treatment than females, ranging from 55% of clients in Victoria to 71% of clients in the Northern Territory.
• Alcohol was the most common drug for which clients received treatment, ranging from 37% of clients in South Australia to 63% of clients in the Northern Territory. 
• People aged 30–39 had the highest rates of treatment, ranging from 26% in Queensland to 30% in Victoria (AIHW 2025). 

For detailed findings, see Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia annual report, State and territory summaries.

Where do I go for more information?

• Alcohol and other drug treatment services in Australia annual report
• State and Territory summaries of alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarette and other drug use
• Trends in drug-related hospitalisations in Australia
• Trends in overdose and other drug-induced deaths in Australia