Smoking
Low results are desirable.
Population age 12 and older who reported current cigarette smoking, either daily or occasionally, divided by the number of survey respondents.
Population age 12 and older (based on weighted survey responses)
Population age 12 and older who reported being a current cigarette smoker, either daily or occasionally (based on weighted survey responses)
Methodology
Name
Smoking
Short/Other Names
Percentage of Population Who Report Current Cigarette Smoking
Description
The percentage of the population age 12 and older who reported being current cigarette smokers, on either a daily or occasional basis
Rationale
Cigarette smoking is a leading cause of premature morbidity and mortality in Canada. It is a risk factor for conditions such as lung and other cancers, heart disease, stroke and chronic respiratory disease. According to the World Health Organization, cigarette smoking is an important and preventable cause of death.
Interpretation
Low results are desirable.
HSP Framework Dimension
Social determinants of health: Biological, material, psychosocial and behavioural factors
Areas of Need
Not applicable
Targets/Benchmarks
Not applicable
Available Data Years
to (calendar years)
Geographic Coverage
- All provinces/territories
Reporting Level/Disaggregation
- National
- Province/Territory
- Region
Indicator Results
Update Frequency
Every year
Latest Results Update Date
Updates
Not applicable
Description
Population age 12 and older who reported current cigarette smoking, either daily or occasionally, divided by the number of survey respondents.
Type of Measurement
Percentage or proportion
Denominator
Description:
Population age 12 and older (based on weighted survey responses)
Exclusions:
Non-response categories (refusal, don't know and not stated) are excluded.
Numerator
Description:
Population age 12 and older who reported being a current cigarette smoker, either daily or occasionally (based on weighted survey responses)
Method of Adjustment
Not applicable
Adjustment Applied
None
Geographic Assignment
Place of residence
Data Sources
- CCHS, Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada, Table 13-10-0113-01: Health characteristics, two-year period estimates (by age group and sex, Canada, provinces, territories and health regions).
Caveats and Limitations
This indicator is calculated based on 2 years of pooled data.
This indicator does not take into account the number of cigarettes smoked. Data collected for this indicator is based on the question that refers to the smoking of cigarettes only.
Data for the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) is collected yearly from a sample of approximately 65,000 respondents. Table 13-10-0113-01 presents estimates from 2-year combined data and features estimates for all provinces and territories as well as by health regions. The 2-year combined data has higher precision (less variability) than annual estimates; annual CCHS estimates are not available at the health region level.
Some values have data quality flags that indicate "use with caution" or "suppressed" due to high coefficients of variation: health regions with small populations and results disaggregated by age group or sex within small regions.
The CCHS covers the population age 12 and older living in the 10 provinces and 3 territories. Excluded from the survey's coverage are
- Persons living on reserves and in other Indigenous settlements in the provinces
- Full-time members of the Canadian Forces
- Children age 12 to 17 living in foster care
- The population of institutionalized persons
- Persons living in 2 Quebec health regions: Nunavik Region and Terres-Cries-de-la-Baie-James Region.
Altogether, these exclusions represent less than 3% of the Canadian population age 12 and older.
Trending Issues
As a result of a redesign in 2015, the CCHS has a new collection strategy and sample design. For this reason, Statistics Canada does not recommend making comparisons with CCHS data from 2001 to 2014.
The COVID-19 pandemic had major impacts on the data collection operations for the 2020 CCHS. Users are advised to use the 2020 CCHS data with caution, especially when creating estimates for small sub-populations or when comparing with other CCHS years.
References
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Health at a Glance 2021: OECD Indicators. 2021.
Statistics Canada. Health Fact Sheets: Smoking, 2019. Accessed September 26, 2022.
Statistics Canada. Canadian Community Health Survey — Annual component (CCHS). Accessed September 26, 2022.
Statistics Canada. Health characteristics, two-year period estimates. Accessed September 26, 2022.
How to cite:
Canadian Institute for Health Information. Smoking. Accessed April 24, 2025.
If you would like CIHI information in a different format, visit our Accessibility page.
Comments
Data for Ontario’s local health integration networks and British Columbia’s regional health authorities was obtained through custom tabulation requests and is reproduced and distributed on an “as is” basis with the permission of Statistics Canada.
Source: Statistics Canada. Selected CCHS Indicators for Ontario by Local Health Integration Network and British Columbia Regional Health Authority, 2017–2018. January 2020. Reproduced and distributed on an "as is" basis with the permission of Statistics Canada.
Indicator results are also available in
Please note that these results are calculated based on the population age 15+.
Please note that these results are calculated based on the population age 18+ and are age-standardized to the 2011 Canadian standard population.