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Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS) 2011

The Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS) was developed to provide timely, reliable, and continual data on tobacco use and related issues. This section presents the CTUMS results for 2011.

During the past 13 years 1999-2011, CTUMS has reported a decline in the overall current smoking rate among Canadians aged 15 years and older from 25% in 1999 to 17% in 2011. The population aged 15 years and older increased by about 4.1 million Canadians, the number of current smokers has decreased by 1.2 million, former smokers increased by 1.0 million and never smokers increased by 4.3 million. Overall, we saw the population increase by about 14% while ever smokers (current and former combined) did not change.

Smoking Population, Age 15+, Canada, 1999 and 2011

Estimates may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding.

Never and Ever Smokers, Aged 15+, Canada, 1999 and 2011

Never and Ever Smokers, Aged 15+, Canada, 1999 and 2011
Total Population and Smoking Status for Canadians Aged 15 Years Older From 1999 and 2011
  1999 2011
CTUMS Annual 2011 Count Percentage Count Percentage
Total Population 24,260,326 100 28,347,475 100
Never Smokers 11,992,942 49 16,244,963 57
Ever Smokers 12,267,384 51 12,244,963 43
Former Smokers 6,145,392 25 7,191,992 26
Current Smokers 6,121,992 25 4,910,520 17

Note:

  • Current Smoker - includes daily smokers and non-daily smokers.
  • Former Smoker - person who is not smoking; however, has smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their life.
  • Ever Smoker - current and former smoker combined.
  • Never Smoker - person who is not smoking and has not smoked 100 cigarettes in their life.
  • Never Smoker + Ever Smoker = Total Population

Current and Former Smokers, Aged 15+, Canada, 1999 and 2011

Current and Former Smokers, Aged 15+, Canada, 1999 and 2011
Ever Smokers Broken Down Into Smoking Status Percentages and Counts for Canadians Aged 15 Years Older From 1999 and 2011
  1999 2011
CTUMS Annual 2011 Count Percentage Count Percentage
Ever Smokers 12,267,384 100 12,244,963 100
Former Smokers 6,145,392 50 16,244,963 59
Current Smokers 6,121,992 50 4,910,520 41
Daily Smokers 5,071,670 41 3,895,668 32
Occasional Smokers 1,050,322 9 1,014,852 8

Note:

  • Current Smoker - includes daily smokers and non-daily smokers.
  • Former Smoker - person who is not smoking; however, has smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their life.
  • Ever Smoker - current and former smoker combined.
  • Never Smoker - person who is not smoking and has not smoked 100 cigarettes in their life.
  • Never Smoker + Ever Smoker = Total Population

Daily and Occasional Smokers, Aged 15+, Canada, 1999 and 2011

Daily and Occasional Smokers, Aged 15+, Canada, 1999 and 2011
Current Smokers Broken Down Into Daily and Occasional Percentages and Counts for Canadians Aged 15 Years Older From 1999 and 2011
  1999 2011
CTUMS Annual 2011 Count Percentage Count Percentage
Current Smokers 6,121,992 100 4,910,520 100
Daily Smokers 5,071,670 83 3,895,668 78
Occasional Smokers 1,050,322 17 1,014,852 22

Note:

  • Current Smoker - includes daily smokers and non-daily smokers.
  • Former Smoker - person who is not smoking; however, has smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their life.
  • Ever Smoker - current and former smoker combined.
  • Never Smoker - person who is not smoking and has not smoked 100 cigarettes in their life.
  • Never Smoker + Ever Smoker = Total Population

Current Smoking Prevalence by Age, Canada, 1985-2011

Current Smoking Prevalence by Age, Canada, 1985-2000

Current Smoking Prevalence by Age, Canada, 1985-2000

Current Smoking Prevalence by Age, Canada, 2001-2008

Current Smoking Prevalence by Age, Canada, 2001-2008

Current Smoking Prevalence by Age, Canada, 2009-2011

Current Smoking Prevalence by Age, Canada, 2009-2011
Current Smoking Prevalence from 1985 to 2011 for Canadians Aged 15 Years and Older, Youth Aged 15-19, and Young Adults Aged 20-24.
Year Prevalence Rate (%)
Total 15-19 years 20-24 years
1985/91 - General Social Survey Supplement

1994 (May) - Survey on Smoking in Canada (SOSIC)

1994/95, 96/97, 98/99 - National Population Health Survey (public use files, hence numbers may differ slightly from published Highlight reports)

1999-2011 - Canadian Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey, Annual Results
1985 35 27 43
1991 31 23 40
1994 31 27 40
1994-1995 31 28 35
1996-1997 29 29 35
1998-1999 28 28 37
1999 25 28 35
2000 24 25 32
2001 22 22 32
2002 21 22 31
2003 21 18 30
2004 20 18 28
2005 19 18 26
2006 19 15 27
2007 19 15 25
2008 18 15 27
2009 18 13 23
2010 17 12 22
2011 17 12 21

Annual Results

Date Modified: 2012-09-17

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