Tobacco & Vaping 101: Ontario

Canadian lawmakers often face misinformation regarding adult smoking and vaping habits. This misinformation can lead to misguided legislation and regulation. The analysis provided contains current data on the use of cigarettes and e-cigarette products among adults and youth in Ontario, along with information on cigarette sales and provincial tobacco tax revenues.

Key Points: 

• In 2022, 1.3 million individuals (9.9 percent) aged 15 or older in Ontario were currently smoking, a 3.1 percent increase from 2021. Smoking rates in the province are 9.6 percent lower than Canada’s national average.
• In 2022, 21.3 percent of persons in Ontario were formerly smoking and 68.8 percent reported having never smoked.
• Smoking rates were highest among adults aged 45 years old older, which was 10.5 percent higher than the overall provincial smoking rate, but 3.3 percent lower than the national average in the same age group.
• In 2022, 31,487 individuals (6.8 percent) in Ontario were using e-cigarettes, a 9.7 percent increase from 2021. The provincial vaping rate is 11.2 percent higher than the national average of 5.8 percent.
• In 2021-22, 2.1 percent of Ontario youth in Grades 7 through 12 were smoking cigarettes, a 19.2 percent decline from 2016-17.
• In 2021-22, 15.3percent of youth were vaping, a 14 percent decline from 2018-19. Vaping rates increased by 11.8 for youth in Grades 7 through 9, and decreased by 18.5 percent for youth in Grades 10 through 12.
• In 2021-22, among youth using e-cigarettes, the most cited reason for using e-cigarettes was to “relax or relieve tension” as reported by 22.6 percent of youth. Only 6.8 percent reported using e-cigarettes because of flavours.
• In 2021, more than 7.3 billion cigarette units were sold in Ontario, an 8.8 percent decline from 2020, representing more than 714 million fewer cigarettes sold.
• Despite declining smoking rates between 2020 and 2021, Ontario collected more than $1 billion in provincial taxes from tobacco and vapor products in 2020-21, a 1.7 percent decrease from the previous year.