On this page you'll find the latest smoking and vaping rates for adults and secondary students in Australia.
Australian adult smoking and vaping rates
Smoking rates among Australian adults
The adult smoking rate includes daily, weekly and less than weekly smoking among adults aged 18 years and over. Smoking rates among adults in Australia have been steadily declining.
The 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found the smoking rate among adults was 11.1%. The daily smoking rate was 8.8%.
The smoking rate of Australian adults has more than halved since 2001.
The 2022-23 report also found that 6.8% of Australian adults used e-cigarettes, up from 2.6% in 2019. The 18 to 24 year old age group reported the highest use at 20.6%, which is about 4 times the rate in 2019 (5.3%). ‘Use’ includes vaping daily, weekly, monthly or less than monthly. Vaping rates have been rising over the past decade , with a rapid increase among young adults over the past few years.
Smoking and vaping rates for each state and territory in 2022-23 are available here.
Other surveys on e-cigarette use are available for Victoria in 2022 and New South Wales in 2021/22.
Vaping rates among Australian adults
The adult smoking rate includes daily, weekly and less than weekly smoking among adults aged 18 years and over.
Smoking rates among adults in Australia have been steadily declining. The 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey found the smoking rate among adults was 11.1%. The daily smoking rate was 8.8%. The smoking rate of Australian adults has more than halved since 2001.
The 2022-23 report also found that 6.8% of Australian adults used e-cigarettes, up from 2.6% in 2019. The 18 to 24 year-old age group reported the highest use at 20.6%, which is about 4 times the rate in 2019 (5.3%). ‘Use’ includes vaping daily, weekly, monthly or less than monthly. Vaping rates have been rising over the past decade, with a rapid increase among young adults over the past few years.
Smoking and vaping rates for each state and territory in 2022-23 are available here.
Other surveys on e-cigarette use are available for Victoria in 2022 and New South Wales in 2021/22.
Current smoking among secondary school students is defined as having smoked in the week before the survey.
The report Australian secondary school students' use of tobacco and e-cigarettes 2022-2023 showed the overall rate of current smoking among Australian students aged 12 to 17 years was 2%.
Among 12 to 15 year-olds, 3% had smoked in the past month and 2% currently smoked.
Among 16 to 17 year-olds, 5% had smoked in the past month and 3% currently smoked.
Most of the students who currently smoked also used e-cigarettes.
Vaping rates among Australian secondary school students
In 2022/2023, rates of vaping were higher than rates of smoking among Australian school students aged 12 to 17 years.
The report Australian secondary school students' use of tobacco and e-cigarettes 2022-2023 showed the overall rate of current smoking among Australian students aged 12 to 17 years was 2%.
Among 12 to 15-year-olds, 3% had smoked in the past month and 2% currently smoked.
Among 16 to 17 year-olds, 5% had smoked in the past month and 3% currently smoked.
Most of the students who currently smoked also used e-cigarettes.
Regular vaping among secondary school students is defined as having vaped 20 times or more in the past month.
Among Australian students aged 12 to 17 years, 16% had vaped in the month before the survey and 5% of students vaped regularly.
Among 12 to 15 year olds, 13% had vaped in the past month. The rate of regular vaping was 3%; the rate for males was 2% and for females 7%.
Among 16 to 17 year olds, 22% had vaped in the past month. The rate of regular vaping was 8%; the rate for males was 4% and for females 11%.
Of the students who had ever tried vaping in their lifetime (30%), almost a quarter had first used an e-cigarette before the age of 13.
For more information about vaping click here.
Last updated May 2024