Daily smoking rates in Australia have fallen to a historic low of 5.6% among people aged 14 and above in 2025, down from 8.3% in 2022–23, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s (AIHW) National Drug Strategy Household Survey. This decline surpasses the federal government’s National Tobacco Strategy 2023–2030 target of less than 10% by 2025, with a new goal of 5% or less by 2030.
Illicit tobacco use on the rise
Despite the overall decline in smoking, the survey found that 34% of current smokers reported using illicit tobacco in 2025, nearly double the 16.7% recorded in 2022–23. Over 22% of smokers purchased branded illicit tobacco without plain packaging or graphic health warnings in the previous three months, while one in six smoked unbranded products sold loose, often in plastic bags. More than half (57%) of those who bought branded illicit tobacco obtained it from a tobacconist.
Nicotine use declining overall
The AIHW reported that overall nicotine use, including from vapes, pouches, and cessation products, fell to 15.2% in 2025 from 17.4% in 2022–23. The proportion of Australians aged 14 and above who had never smoked reached a historic high of over two-thirds, according to Cancer Council Australia CEO Jacinta Reddan. “Plain packaging, taxation, advertising restrictions and sustained public education on the harmful effects of smoking, which still kills 66 Australians every day, have seen smoking drop to among the lowest in the world,” Reddan said.
Experts call for enforcement, not tax cuts
Prof Caroline Miller, president of the Public Health Association of Australia, said the AIHW survey “is the best in the business, because it’s used the same questions for decades, and is extensive with a sample size of more than 17,000 people.” She argued that tackling illicit tobacco “requires an enforcement and regulatory response, not a tax cut.” Prof Becky Freeman, a tobacco control expert at the University of Sydney, added that reducing the excise would not work: “Illicit tobacco is a problem. But if you’re smoking illicit tobacco right now and it’s so cheap and easy to buy from your friendly neighbourhood tobacconist, why would you pay more for legal ones even if the price does come down?”
Vaping rates stabilise, pouches and snus gain ground
Current vaping among 18-to-24-year-olds fell from 20.6% in 2022–23 to 14% in 2025, while daily vaping remained stable across all age groups. However, illicit nicotine pouches and traditional snus, captured for the first time in the data, are gaining popularity among younger Australians: 8.4% of 18-to-24-year-olds used pouches and 3.8% used snus in the past year. Alecia Brooks, chair of Cancer Council’s national tobacco issues committee, said tackling these products will require a combination of enforcement and prevention measures.
