The Public Health Association of Australia has welcomed new data released today showing a drop in smoking rates among the country’s most socio-economically disadvantaged communities.
The latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2025: Tobacco, e-cigarettes and other nicotine insight research from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare expands on the data released last month that showed that Australia’s daily smoking rate has fallen to just 5.6 per cent in 2025 from around 25 per cent in 1993.
AIHW tracks daily smoking rates across quintiles of socio-economic status in Australia. People in the least privileged quintile have historically had the highest rates of smoking. While daily smoking rates in this quintile remain the highest, there’s been a fall to roughly 11 per cent in 2025 from 18 per cent in 2019.
Adjunct Professor Terry Slevin, CEO, Public Health Association of Australia said the detailed research reinforces why Australia’s federal, state and territory governments must continue supporting evidence-based tobacco control policy.
“It’s really positive that more Australians are successfully quitting smoking and as a result smoking rates are going down across a wide range of population groups and communities – including those that have been traditionally harder to reach and help quit.
“In 2025, one in four people who smoke had successfully quit smoking for more than one month in the previous 12 months, up from 20 per cent in 2022–2023.
“Falling rates of daily smoking is an enormous success story that also reinforces the importance of the tobacco excise as one part of Australia’s comprehensive tobacco control measures. This new AIHW data shows that the cost of smoking is the most common factor that motivated people to quit or cut back (48 per cent), followed by concerns about their health (45 per cent).
“We would expect Australians living in low socio-economic areas to be among our most price sensitive populations, and this data suggests that the current tobacco excise price settings continue to motivate quit attempts.
“Our national tobacco policy is literally saving the lives of countless Australians, given that smoking drives the prime cause of death for two thirds of smokers.”
Public support for strong government response
The AIHW data also provides new insights into the policies that Australians support to further reducing smoking rates, including fewer tobacco retail outlets.
“Tobacco kills 66 Australians every day, so while continual reductions in smoking rates are welcome, Australia must always be thinking about what we must do next,” Prof Slevin said.
“The research out today shows there is strong support for governments to do more.
“Respondents who smoked reported that tobacconists were the common source of illicit tobacco (57 per cent) followed by local convenience stores (14 per cent). It’s not surprising that more than two thirds of Australians think there should be fewer stores selling tobacco all together.
“The PHAA calls on all Australian political parties to avoid falling for tobacco industry campaigns, and retain current successful comprehensive tobacco control policies, including taxation policies.
“We urge they take one more step and move to dramatically reduce the number of tobacco retailer licenses”.
