Australia - country profile
- Cigarettes Cigarettes
- Nicotine Vaping Devices (E-cigarettes) E-cigarettes
- Snus Snus
- Heated Tobacco Products HTP
- Nicotine Replacement Therapy NRT
Cigarettes in Australia
In 2017-18, just under one in seven (13.8%) or 2.6 million adults were daily smokers, whilst a further 1.4% of people also reported smoking on a less than daily basis. Since 1995, the proportion of adults who are daily smokers has decreased from 23.8% to 13.8% in 2017-18. Over recent years however, the daily smoking rate has remained fairly constant (14.5% in 2014-15). Despite this, the proportion of adults who have never smoked has increased from 49.4% in 2007-08 to 52.6% in 2014-15 and 55.7% in 2017-18. In 2017-18, young adults aged 18-24 years were more likely to have never smoked than any other age group, with 69.6% of men and 81.5% of women in this age group reporting that they had never smoked. These proportions have increased from 64.0% and 64.9% respectively since 2007-08. The national Health Survey was conducted in all states and territories and across urban, rural and remote areas of Australia in 2017/18. The survey included around 21,000 people in over 16,000 private dwellings. Previous surveys have been conducted since 1989/90.
All
Prevalence
Smoking-related mortality
Product promotion
Regulation
Availability
Regulations and restrictions
Perception of harm
Tax
Tobacco smoking prevalence
Number of current smokers:
2,836,932
A
Adult current tobacco smoking prevalence:
14.1%
A
Adult current tobacco smoking prevalence (female):
12.1%
A
Adult current tobacco smoking prevalence (male):
16.1%
A
A
(1) WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, third edition. (2019). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-global-report-on-trends-in-prevalence-of-tobacco-use-2000-2025-third-edition. (2) Department of Economic and Social Affairs (Ed.). (2019). World Population Prospects 2019 (Online Edition Rev. 1.; Population Division). United Nations. https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
Smoking-related mortality
Annual number of deaths attributable to tobacco smoking:
22,223
A
Annual number of deaths attributable to tobacco smoking (female):
8,849
A
Annual number of deaths attributable to tobacco smoking (male):
13,374
A
Annual percentage of all deaths attributable to tobacco smoking:
13.8%
A
Annual percentage of all deaths attributable to tobacco smoking (female):
11.0%
A
Annual percentage of all deaths attributable to tobacco smoking (male):
15.7%
A
A
The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
Nicotine Vaping Devices (E-cigarettes) in Australia
In Australia the ban on the unauthorised sale, possession or use of nicotine preceded the arrival of e-cigarettes. By law nicotine is restricted and classified as a 'dangerous poison' in Australia. If it is used for therapeutic purposes, i.e. quitting smoking, nicotine products have to be registered under the Therapeutic Goods Act (1989). There are ways to legally access nicotine e-liquid, all requiring a prescription from a registered Australian medical practitioner. Few vapers use these methods, and few Australian doctors will write the relevant prescriptions. Australia has a strict regulatory environment for vaping, with a complex mix of federal and state laws. There are harsh penalties for possessing or using nicotine e-liquid (which vary from state to state), including jail sentences of up to two years and fines of up to AU$45,000. So far, no vapers have been convicted, although the threat is clear. Non-nicotine e-cigarettes are classified as legal consumer products. A new law was passed in South Australia in March 2019 which covers e-cigarette devices (but not nicotine) which restricts sales based on age (18+), vaping in public areas, and the sale of e-cigarette products without a license.
All
Prevalence
Smoking-related mortality
Product promotion
Regulation
Availability
Regulations and restrictions
Perception of harm
Tax
Prevalence
Adult current e-cigarette vaping prevalence:
1.2%
1
A
Ever tried e-cigarette vaping:
8.8%
1
A
A
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2017. National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2016: detailed findings. Drug Statistics series no. 31. Cat. no. PHE 214. Canberra: AIHW
1
Current use includes people who reported vaping daily, weekly or less than weekly, mothy or less than monthly. Data is for persons aged 18 and over and includes smokers and non-smokers.
Product promotion
1
Banned at place of sale and banned in all media.
2
Allowed or banned at place of sale or allowed or banned in all media.
Regulation
Regulatory status:
Banned
1
A
Regulated as medicinal product:
Yes
1
A
Other options for purchasing - where bans in place:
1.00
1
A
A
Data cross-referenced where possible using the following sources :1. Vapetrotter website. Available at: https://www.vapetrotter.com/laws/ ; 2. Global tobacco control website. Available at:https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/node/14052 ; 3. Tobacco Control Laws website. Available at : https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/
1
Rules on e-cigarette vary by state. Devices are available legally for sale but not nicotine liquid unless on prescription. Although nicotine liquid cannot be sold in Australia it is available via personal importation and online sales. Although technically legal to import , it is illegal to take possession unless a prescription is obtained and importation criteria met.
Availability
Perception of harm
Don't know:
36.5%
1
A
Equally as harmful as cigarettes:
9.1%
1
A
Not harmful, or less harmful than cigarettes:
54.1%
1
A
Harmful, or more harmful than cigarettes:
0.4%
1
A
A
Hua-Hie Yong, Ron Borland, James Balmford, Sara C. Hitchman, K. Michael Cummings, Pete Driezen, Mary E. Thompson, Prevalence and Correlates of the Belief That Electronic Cigarettes are a Lot Less Harmful Than Conventional Cigarettes Under the Different Regulatory Environments of Australia and the United Kingdom, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Volume 19, Issue 2, 1 February 2017, Pages 258�263,
1
*Survey included smokers and ex smokers only. 2014 data. 35.2% believed e-cigarette are a lot less harmful, 4.5% unsure how much less harmful, 14.4% 'a little' less harmful. (54.1% total )
Snus in Australia
There are no comments specific to snus in Australia in the database.
Heated Tobacco Products in Australia
There are no comments specific to heated tobacco products in Australia in the database.
All
Prevalence
Smoking-related mortality
Product promotion
Regulation
Availability
Regulations and restrictions
Perception of harm
Tax
Regulation
Regulatory status:
Banned
A
A
Personal communication, Andrew Zaman, External Affairs, Philip Morris International
Availability
Products are marketed:
No
A
A
Philip Morris International website. Available at: https://www.pmi.com/smoke-free-products/iqos-our-tobacco-heating-system
Nicotine Replacement Therapy in Australia
There are no comments specific to nicotine replacement therapy in Australia in the database.
All
Prevalence
Smoking-related mortality
Product promotion
Regulation
Availability
Regulations and restrictions
Perception of harm
Tax
Product promotion
Market size:
95.40 million €
A
Market size per smoker:
36.00 €
A
A
Consumer Health: Euromonitor from trade sources/national statistics. Date Exported: 8/9/2019. (c) Euromonitor International 2019
