Canada has cut adult smoking almost in half in a decade, and the official numbers are unusually good, because two separate government surveys measure it. The most recent smoking statistics Canada publishes put current smoking at 11.1% of adults aged 18 and over in 2024, down from 18.8% in 2015. This page gives the rates by province, age and sex, the sales volumes, the tax, and the quit data, each with its survey year and age base.
Headline numbers for 2026
The most recent full-year figures published by Statistics Canada cover 2024, in table 13-10-0905-01. Among Canadians aged 18 and over, excluding the territories, 11.1% were current smokers, daily or occasional, which the same table puts at about 3,612,700 people. Daily smokers were 8.3% of adults.
Two things follow from that. Canada is now firmly below the smoking rates of most European countries, and roughly a quarter of the people who still smoke do so only occasionally, which usually means a much easier quit than a twenty-a-day habit.
The daily and occasional split is worth dwelling on, because the two groups need different things. At 8.3% daily against 11.1% overall, about 2.8 percentage points of the Canadian total, or roughly a quarter of current smokers, are occasional smokers. Occasional smoking is typically tied to specific situations, drinking, other smokers, a commute, rather than to a physical dependence that needs replacing, and it responds well to changing the situation rather than to medication.
Health Canada’s own channel sets out what the evidence says about the best way to stop.
Why two surveys give two answers
You will see slightly different Canadian figures quoted, and both can be correct. They come from different instruments with different age bases and different years.
- Statistics Canada, health indicator statistics (table 13-10-0905-01): 11.1% current smokers, age 18 and over, 2024, territories excluded.
- Health Canada, Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey (CTNS) 2022: 10.9% current cigarette smoking, age 15 and over, about 3.5 million people.
Including 15 to 17 year olds pulls the average down, because that group smokes very little; measuring two years later pulls it down again. Quoting either number without its year and age base is the single most common error in Canadian smoking coverage.
Smoking rates by province
Provincial differences are large enough to matter. The spread between British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador is more than six percentage points, which is close to a doubling.
| Province | Current smokers, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 14.4% |
| Nova Scotia | 13.7% |
| New Brunswick | 13.1% |
| Saskatchewan | 12.6% |
| Quebec | 12.1% |
| Alberta | 11.3% |
| Manitoba | 11.2% |
| Ontario | 11.1% |
| Prince Edward Island | 11.1% |
| British Columbia | 8.1% |
| Canada, excluding territories | 11.1% |
By age and sex
The age pattern in Canada is not the one most people expect. Smoking is lowest among the youngest adults and highest in middle age.
- 18 to 34: 9.9%
- 35 to 49: 12.4%
- 50 to 64: 14.0%
- 65 and over: 8.6%
Men smoke more than women: 13.1% against 9.2% in 2024. The youth figures are lower still. Health Canada’s 2022 survey found 4.2% of 15 to 19 year olds and 7.7% of 20 to 24 year olds currently smoking cigarettes, against 11.7% of those aged 25 and over. The generational shift is visible in every recent Canadian dataset, and it matches what our page on teen and young adult data reports for other countries.
The ten-year trend
Canada’s decline has been steady rather than sudden, and it has not stalled. The adult rate fell in every single year between 2015 and 2024.
| Year | Rate | People |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 18.8% | 5,252,000 |
| 2018 | 16.7% | 4,856,000 |
| 2021 | 12.7% | 3,803,300 |
| 2023 | 11.4% | 3,557,700 |
| 2024 | 11.1% | 3,612,700 |
Note the last two rows. The rate fell from 11.4% to 11.1% while the headcount rose slightly, from about 3.56 million to about 3.61 million. That is population growth, not a rebound: a smaller share of a larger adult population. Rate and headcount can move in opposite directions, and reporting either one alone gives a misleading impression.
How many cigarettes Canada actually sells
Prevalence counts people. Sales count sticks, and the sales series is the more dramatic of the two. Statistics Canada’s monthly tobacco table records total cigarette sales of 12.29 billion cigarettes in 2025, against 13.30 billion in 2024 and 37.27 billion in 2004.
- 2022: 15.33 billion cigarettes
- 2023: 14.32 billion
- 2024: 13.30 billion
- 2025: 12.29 billion
That is a fall of 7.6% in a single year and 67% since 2004. Volumes are dropping faster than the number of smokers, which means the people who still smoke are, on average, smoking fewer cigarettes than Canadians did twenty years ago.
Tax and what a pack carries
The Canada Revenue Agency sets federal excise duty on cigarettes at $0.97299 per five cigarettes from 1 April 2026, which is C$3.89 on a pack of 20 before anything else is added. The agency adjusts that rate every 1 April in line with the Consumer Price Index, so it rises automatically.
Provinces then levy their own tobacco tax on top, at rates that differ substantially, and GST or HST applies to the final price. The World Health Organization’s 2022 comparison put total tax at 63.34% of the retail price of the most sold Canadian brand, made up of 54.47% specific excise and 8.87% sales tax. That is high by world standards but well below the UK and France. The full picture is in our breakdown of how much of a pack is tax, and the retail side is covered in our cost by country page.
Quit attempts, vaping and what help exists
Health Canada’s 2022 survey found that 31.4% of daily smokers, about 822,000 people, had made at least one quit attempt lasting 24 hours in the previous year. That is roughly a third of daily smokers trying every year, which tells you both that the intention is widespread and that most attempts do not hold. Our summary of success rates explains why the odds improve sharply with support.
On vaping, Statistics Canada recorded 5.9% of adults aged 18 and over using an e-cigarette or vaping device in the past 30 days in 2024, rising to 12.2% among 18 to 34 year olds. Health Canada’s 2022 survey put past-30-day vaping at 5.8% of those aged 15 and over. The two figures are close, and both show vaping concentrated among younger adults.
Health Canada points Canadians to a set of free resources, including an online quit planner, a cost calculator and provincial and territorial quit services. Those services are free and vary by province, so the route in depends on where you live. The wider cost argument for acting is set out in our page on the economic cost, and who actually manages to stop is covered in cessation by demographic.
Tracking your own numbers
National statistics are useful for context and useless as a plan. What predicts a successful attempt is having support and something that holds your attention through the first few weeks.
iQuit: Stop Smoking & Quit is free on Google Play and the App Store. You can set the currency to Canadian dollars and enter your own pack price, so the money-saved counter shows a real number rather than a foreign one, alongside days smoke-free, cigarettes avoided, craving logs and health milestones. For a country where a third of daily smokers try every year, having the attempt tracked rather than mentally noted is a small but real advantage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of Canadians smoke in 2026?
The most recent published figure is 11.1% of Canadians aged 18 and over in 2024, from Statistics Canada table 13-10-0905-01, which is about 3.6 million people. Health Canada’s Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey put current cigarette smoking at 10.9% of those aged 15 and over in 2022. No 2026 survey result has been published yet.
Which Canadian province has the lowest smoking rate?
British Columbia, at 8.1% of adults aged 18 and over in 2024. Newfoundland and Labrador is highest at 14.4%, followed by Nova Scotia at 13.7% and New Brunswick at 13.1%. All figures come from Statistics Canada’s 2024 annual estimates, which exclude the territories.
How many cigarettes are sold in Canada each year?
Statistics Canada’s monthly tobacco table records total cigarette sales of 12.29 billion in 2025, down from 13.30 billion in 2024 and 37.27 billion in 2004. That is a 7.6% fall in one year and a 67% fall over two decades.
Why do different sources give different Canadian smoking rates?
Because they use different age bases and different years. Statistics Canada’s health indicator series measures adults aged 18 and over; Health Canada’s tobacco and nicotine survey measures everyone aged 15 and over, which includes a group that smokes very little and so lowers the average. Always check both the year and the age base before comparing two figures.
How much tax is on a pack of cigarettes in Canada?
Federal excise duty is $0.97299 per five cigarettes from 1 April 2026, which is C$3.89 on a pack of 20, and it is indexed to the Consumer Price Index every April. Provincial tobacco tax and GST or HST are added on top, and the WHO put total tax at 63.34% of the price of the most sold brand in 2022.
How many Canadians try to quit each year?
Health Canada’s 2022 survey found 31.4% of daily smokers, around 822,000 people, had made at least one quit attempt lasting 24 hours in the past year. Roughly a third of daily smokers therefore try in any given year, which is why repeat attempts are normal rather than a sign of failure.
How common is vaping in Canada?
Statistics Canada recorded 5.9% of adults aged 18 and over vaping in the past 30 days in 2024, rising to 12.2% among 18 to 34 year olds. Health Canada’s 2022 survey found 5.8% of Canadians aged 15 and over vaping in the past 30 days, about 1.8 million people.
How many Canadians smoke daily rather than occasionally?
Statistics Canada recorded 8.3% of adults aged 18 and over smoking daily in 2024, against 11.1% who were current smokers of any kind. That means roughly a quarter of Canadian smokers smoke only occasionally, a group whose habit is usually tied to particular situations rather than to a strong physical dependence.
Is smoking still falling in Canada or has it leveled off?
Still falling. The adult rate declined every year from 18.8% in 2015 to 11.1% in 2024. The headcount rose slightly between 2023 and 2024, from 3.56 to 3.61 million, but that reflects a growing adult population rather than a rise in the smoking rate.
Join the 3.6 million who already stopped
iQuit is free on Google Play and the App Store. Set your currency to Canadian dollars, enter your own pack price, and track days smoke-free, cigarettes avoided, cravings logged and money kept.
Download iQuit Free on Google Play Download on the App Store
Sources: Statistics Canada, table 13-10-0905-01, health indicator statistics; Statistics Canada, table 16-10-0044-01, tobacco sales and inventories; Health Canada, Canadian Tobacco and Nicotine Survey 2022; Canada Revenue Agency, excise duty rates; Health Canada, quit smoking.
