Smoking during pregnancy
Smoking during pregnancy is an important preventable risk factor for pregnancy complications. Supporting women to stop smoking during pregnancy can reduce the risk of adverse outcomes for mothers and their babies.
Smoking is associated with poorer perinatal outcomes, including low birthweight, being small for gestational age, pre-term birth and perinatal death (Tarasi et al. 2022; WHO 2013).
Support to stop smoking is widely available through:
In 2023, less than 1 in 10 mothers (7.8%) reported smoking at any time during pregnancy, a rate that has been falling year-on-year since 2011 (13%).
There have been notable improvements over time in smoking rates at any time during pregnancy for some population groups including:
- First Nations mothers (from 49% in 2011 to 38% in 2023)
- Mothers aged under 20 (from 36% in 2011 to 29% in 2023).
For more information see First Nations mothers and babies and Mothers aged under 20 and their babies.
Figure 1 presents trend data on smoking status of women who gave birth at any time during pregnancy, in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy and after 20 weeks of pregnancy, by selected maternal characteristics, between 2011 (or earliest available year of data) and 2023. Select the ‘Current data’ button to view 2023 data.
Figure 1: Proportion of women who gave birth, by smoking status and selected topic
Bar chart shows smoking status by selected topics and a line graph shows topic trends between 2011 (or earliest available year of data) and 2023.
In 2023, 6.5% of first-time mothers reported smoked at any time during pregnancy. As the number of previous pregnancies increased, so did the proportion of mothers who reported smoking, with more than 1 in 4 mothers (28%) who had 4 or more previous pregnancies reporting smoking at any time during pregnancy (compared with 5.5% of mothers who had had 1 previous pregnancy).
In 2023, smoking rates at any time during pregnancy increased when the area in which a woman lived:
- was more remote (from 5.6% of mothers who lived in Major cities to 32% of mothers living in Very remote areas), and
- belonged to a lower socioeconomic group (from 2.1% of mothers who lived in the highest socioeconomic areas to 15% of mothers living in the lowest socioeconomic areas).
These differences were apparent even after adjusting for maternal age.
Around 7 in 10 (72%) women who reported smoking during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy continued to smoke after 20 weeks.
Some women may smoke before knowing they are pregnant and stop once they find out they are pregnant. According to the 2022–2023 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, around 1 in 7 (15%) women (aged 14–49) who had a period of time where they did not know they were pregnant during the previous 12 months used tobacco before they knew they were pregnant, but this reduced to 1 in 10 (11%) after they became aware they were pregnant (AIHW 2024).
Figure 2 presents data on smoking status of women who gave birth at any time during pregnancy, by PHN area and SA3.
Figure 2: Proportion of women who smoked at any time during pregnancy, by selected geography
Map shows proportion of women who gave birth by smoking status and selected geographies between 2013 and 2023.
In 2023, the proportion of mothers who reported smoking at any time during pregnancy ranged from 1.2% (in Northern Sydney) to 22% (in Western Queensland) across PHNs, and from 0.7% (in North Sydney – Mosman) to 42% (in Daly – Tiwi – West Arnhem) across SA3s.
For more information on:
- smoking at any time during pregnancy by state and territory, see National Perinatal Data Collection annual update data tables 2.16
- smoking during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy by state and territory, see National Perinatal Data Collection annual update data tables 2.17
- smoking after 20 weeks of pregnancy by state and territory, see National Perinatal Data Collection annual update data tables 2.18
- smoking during pregnancy by selected maternal characteristics, see National Perinatal Data Collection annual update data visualisation table 3.2
- smoking during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy by Primary Health Network area and Statistical Area Level 3, see National Perinatal Data Collection annual update data tables 5.3 and 5.9
- related National Core Maternity Indicators, see Smoking during pregnancy.
Vaping during pregnancy
Electronic cigarettes, also known as ‘vapes’ or ‘e-cigarettes’, are battery-operated devices that deliver an aerosol by heating a liquid that users breathe in. Research on the health risks of vaping on maternal and baby outcomes is limited. However, most vapes in Australia contain nicotine which increases the risk of pregnancy complications and adverse perinatal outcomes, including low birthweight and pre-term birth. Additionally, e-cigarettes, even those that do not contain nicotine, contain a combination of toxic chemicals and flavourings in the liquids and the aerosol, that can increase health harms to mothers and babies (Department of Health and Aged Care 2023; Banks et al. 2022; Vilcassim et al. 2023).
The National Perinatal Data Collection does not currently collect data on the use of e-cigarettes during pregnancy, however the AIHW is working with states and territories, through the National Perinatal Data Development Committee, to change this.
AIHW (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare) (2024) National drug strategy household survey 2022-2023, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 24 May 2024.
Banks E, Yazidjoglou A, Brown S, Nguyen M, Martin M, Beckwith K, Daluwatta A, Campbell S, Joshy G. Electronic cigarettes and health outcomes: systematic review of global evidence. Report for the Australian Department of Health. National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Canberra: April 2022.
Department of Health and Aged Care (2023) Pregnancy and smoking, vaping and tobacco, Australian Government: Department of Health and Aged Care website, accessed 9 September 2024.
Tarasi B, Cornuz J, Clair C and Baud D (2022) ‘Cigarette smoking during pregnancy and adverse perinatal outcomes: a cross-sectional study over 10 years’, BMC Public Health, 22:2403, doi:10.1186/s12889-022-14881-4
Vilcassim MJR, Stowe S, Majumder R, Subramaniam A and Sinkey RG (2023) ‘Electronic cigarette use during pregnancy: Is it harmful’, Toxics, 11(3):278, doi:10.3390/toxics11030278.
WHO (World Health Organization) (2013) WHO recommendations for the prevention and management of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure in pregnancy, WHO, accessed 28 May 2025.