Australians Are Smoking Significantly Less Than 20 Years Ago

A woman is seen smoking a cigarette in central London on June 9, 2022. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Daily smoking levels in Australia have fallen significantly over the past two decades, and are now less than 10 percent in some states.

Statistics from the National Health Survey released on June 25 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveal substantial reductions in every state.

“Australians are breathing a little easier. Over the last 20 years, the proportion of adult daily smokers has fallen in every state and territory,” the ABS said. 

The data showed adults in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) are more likely to have never smoked and less likely to be daily smokers than any other state and territory.

In the ACT, just 5.9 percent of adults were daily smokers in 2022, which represented one-third of the 2001 levels.

In New South Wales (NSW), six in ten adults had never smoked, while only one in ten were daily smokers in 2022—half the level in 2001.

A similar pattern was found in Western Australia and South Australia, with daily smoking rates falling from 21.5 percent to 10.5 percent and from 22.1 percent to 9.7 percent respectively over the same period.

Queensland and Tasmania experienced declines as well, with 14 percent and 12.4 percent being daily smokers in 2022, down from 23.8 percent and 21.4 percent respectively in 2001.

In the Northern Territory, 13.5 percent of adults were daily smokers in 2022, less than half the rate in 2001 (30.3 percent).

Meanwhile, in Victoria, the statistics were presented over a ten-year time frame. It showed 9.3 percent of adults were daily smokers in 2022, down from 16.3 percent a decade ago.

This change was mostly driven by those under 55 years old. Smoking levels remained constant among those over 55.

What Else Did the Data Reveal?

The ABS report also showed that almost two-thirds of Australians are overweight or obese across all states and territories.

In addition, a significant portion of adults fail to meet dietary recommendations. Less than half, or 45.5 percent of NSW adults had enough fruit in their diet, while only 10.5 percent of Tasmanians had enough vegetables.

Tasmanians were more likely to have at least one chronic condition than any other state or territory. Further, they were also more likely to have self-reported hypertension than any other state or territory.