Use
This section provides information about the ways in which Australians use tobacco. It addresses how much and how often Australians use tobacco, the most common types used, and methods and locations of use.
The primary source of data used in this section is the 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS) (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2024). The NDSHS is a triennial general population survey of Australians' awareness, attitudes, and behaviours relating to alcohol and other drug use. It is the best data source available to provide a national population demographic profile of Australians’ tobacco use behaviours.
What proportion of Australians smoke tobacco?
Approximately 60% of Australians have ever tried smoking cigarettes or other forms of tobacco.
In 2022-23, 8% of Australians currently smoked tobacco daily, and another 2% smoked occasionally.
Source: Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA Secondary Analysis 2024).
What sorts of tobacco do Australians smoke?
In 2022-23, manufactured cigarettes were the most common type of tobacco product smoked daily in Australia (53%), followed by roll-your-own cigarettes (26%) and menthol cigarettes (18%). Other types of tobacco products are relatively uncommon.
Source: Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Supplementary Table 2.21.
* Estimate has a relative standard error of 25% to 50% and should be used with caution.
Has the proportion of Australians who smoke tobacco changed over time?
Tobacco smoking is decreasing over time. In 2022-23, a significantly smaller proportion of Australians reported smoking tobacco daily (8%) compared to 2019 (11%).
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Supplementary Table 2.1.
Are men or women in Australia more likely to smoke tobacco?
Australian men are significantly more likely than women to smoke tobacco daily (9% vs 8%, respectively).
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey.
Please note: Australians who identify as non-binary or a different gender identity were not able to be included in the current analyses due to small numbers. Significance is established as p<0.05.
Are younger or older Australians more likely to smoke tobacco?
Australians aged 50-59 years are significantly more likely than other age groups to smoke tobacco daily.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. (NCETA secondary analysis, 2025).
Significance is established as p<0.05.
Does tobacco smoking vary by geographical location?
In general, areas with higher socioeconomic advantage have lower proportions of people smoking tobacco daily. In 2022-23, Australians living in the most disadvantaged socioeconomic areas were 3.3 times as likely to smoke as those in the most advantaged areas.
Smoking prevalence also varies according to ‘remoteness’. In general, there are higher proportions of daily smoking in remote areas, compared to metropolitan locations. In 2022-23, people who lived in remote or very remote areas were 2.9 times as likely to smoke as those who lived in major cities.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey.
How often do Australians smoke tobacco?
Among Australians who smoked tobacco in 2022-23, most (79%) smoked every day, 10% smoked weekly and 10% smoked less than weekly.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA Secondary Analysis 2024).
Please note: Percentages may not tally to 100% due to rounding.
Do men or women in Australia smoke tobacco more often?
Among Australians who smoked tobacco in 2022-23, men smoked less often than women.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA Secondary Analysis 2024).
Please note: Australians who identify as non-binary or a different gender identity were not able to be included in the current analyses due to small numbers. Significance is established as p<0.05.
Do younger or older Australians smoke tobacco more often?
Among Australians who smoked tobacco in 2022-23, older age groups generally smoked more often than younger age groups.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA Secondary Analysis 2024).
Significance is established as p<0.05.
What is the average age at which Australians start to smoke tobacco?
In 2022-23, the average age at which Australians started smoking tobacco was 17 years.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Supplementary Table 2.17.
Has the average age at which Australians start to smoke tobacco changed over time?
The average age at which Australians start smoking tobacco has increased slightly from 15.7 years in 2001 to 16.6 years in 2022-23.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Supplementary Table 2.17.
Where do Australians obtain tobacco?
In 2022-23, the largest proportion of Australians obtained their tobacco from a major supermarket chain (36%), followed by a tobacconist (32%).
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Supplementary Table 2.28.
How much tobacco do Australians usually use?
In 2022-23, Australians who smoke tobacco smoked an average of 13 cigarettes per day.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Supplementary Table 2.8.
Do younger or older Australians smoke more tobacco?
Among Australians who smoke tobacco, the number of cigarettes smoked per day generally increases with age.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey. Supplementary Table 2.8.
What proportion of Australians who smoke tobacco use other drugs concurrently?
Other drug use is common among Australians who smoke tobacco. In 2022-23, 37% of Australians who smoked daily had used an illicit drug in the past year, and 48% drank alcohol at risky levels.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW). 2022-23 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NCETA Secondary Analysis, 2024).