6.1.3 Percentage of Canadian youth aged 12 to 19 years who were current smokers (daily or occasional), Canada, 2003 to 2014

2003 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Males 14.4 12 12.4 12.6 12.2 13.1 9.6 9.5 10.4 8.3
Females 15.3 12.3 11.6 10.1 9.8 9.4 9.3 8.9 7.1 7.1
Both sexes 14.9 12.1 12 11.4 11 11.3 9.4 9.2 8.8 7.7

Note: The Canadian Community Health Survey does not include families living in First Nations Communities.

Source: CICH graphic created using data adapted from Statistics Canada. Table 105-0501 – Health indicator profile, annual estimates, by age group and sex, Canada, provinces, territories, health regions (2013 boundaries) and peer groups, occasional.

The number and proportion of young people who smoke has declined in recent years.

According to the Canadian Community Health Survey, in 2014, 8% of Canadian youth aged 12 to 19 were current smokers – either daily or occasional.

The smoking rate had halved from 15% in 2003.

Boys were more likely to be smokers than were girls – in 2014, 8% of boys were current smokers as were 7% of girls. But the smoking rate declined for both boys and girls.

In 2013, 49% of Canadian youth who were smoking were daily smokers.

That proportion was 61% in 2003.

Implications
Nearly 245,000 Canadian youth aged 12 to 19 years still smoke, although there has been a downward trend in the number of Canadian youth who smoke for more than two decades.1 Smoking can lead to a number of diseases in the smoker, including lung cancer, respiratory illness, and cardiovascular disease and stroke. It can also have an impact on the health of non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke.2

1Statistics Canada. Table 105-0501 – Health indicator profile, annual estimates, by age group and sex, Canada, provinces, territories, health regions (2013 boundaries) and peer groups, occasional.
2Public Health Agency of Canada. Canadian Best Practices Portal. http://cbpp-pcpe.phac-aspc.gc.ca/public-health-topics/tobacco-reduction/