Facts and Figures

• There are more than 4,000 chemicals found in tobacco smoke.

• As tobacco is not classified as a food or drug in Australia, there are no standards or controls on what may be used in the growing and production of tobacco, including additives and agricultural chemicals.

• The proportion of Australia’s population aged 14 years and over who were daily smokers dropped from 24% in 1991 to 17% in 2004. The proportion of the population who were ex-smokers increased during this time, from 21% in 1991 to 26% in 1998, and remained stable in 2001 and 2004. The proportion of the population who had never smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their life also increased, from just under half (49%) in 1991, to just over half (53%) in 2004.

• Daily smoking rates for Australians aged 14 years and over have declined by 40% between 1985 and 2004. In 1985, 29% of Australians aged 14 years and over smoked daily, while in 2004, this proportion had dropped to 17%. Rates for males have declined a little more sharply than for females, dropping by 43% between 1985 and 2004, compared with a 38% decline for females.

• Males were more likely to smoke than females in every age group, except at ages 14-19 years. Some 10% of males aged 14-19 years were daily smokers, compared with 12% of females aged 14-19 years.

• In 2001, an estimated 15,524 people (10,185 male, 5,339 women) died in Australia as a result of tobacco smoking. This compares to an estimated 4,279 deaths from illnesses and injuries associated with excessive alcohol consumption, and 821 deaths attributable to illicit drug use.

• Smoking tobacco causes more sickness than any other drug in Australia. In 1997-98, hospitals treated over 140,000 smoking-related cases, compared with around 70,000 cases related to alcohol and 14,500 to illicit drugs.

• Tobacco is the risk factor associated with the greatest burden of disease, being responsible for around 9.7% of all disability adjusted life years (DALYs) in 1996, compared to 2% for illicit drugs. Most of the burden of tobacco is due to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and ischaemic heart disease. These account for almost 7% of all DALYs.

• Tobacco use costs the Australian community at least $21.1 billion a year in social costs, which includes involuntary smoking. While fewer Australians are smok-ing, over a quarter still smoke.

• About 44.7% of Australian males and 56.4% of females have never smoked a full cigarette.

• Tobacco kills nearly 13,500 people worldwide every day.

• Each year 4.9 million people die from tobacco-related illnesses around the world. This is expected to rise to 10 million by the 2030s.

• Based on current trends, it is predicted that over 500 million people currently living will die as a result of smoking.

• By 2020 it is predicted that tobacco use will cause over 12% of all deaths globally. This is more deaths worldwide than HIV, tuberculosis, maternal mortality, motor vehicle accidents, suicide and homicide combined.

• Smokers have death rates three times higher than non-smokers at all ages, starting from young adulthood.

• On average, smokers who begin smoking in adolescence and continue to smoke regularly have a 50% chance of dying from tobacco use. Half of these will die in middle age, losing around 20-25 years of normal life expectancy.

• Tobacco is a known or probable cause of about 25 diseases, the most important being lung cancer, but this number also includes heart disease, stroke, emphysema and cancer of other parts of the body.

• There are around 1.2 billion smokers in the world (about one-third of the global population aged 15 and over).

• In developing countries, 48% of men and 7% of women smoke. In developed countries, 42% of men and 24% of women smoke.

• By the mid-2020s, it is predicted that only about 15% of the world’s smokers will live in developed countries as there will be a shift in the use of tobacco from developed (wealthy) to developing (poor) countries.

• In 2004 fewer than 1 in 12 Australian persons aged 12-19 years reported smoking daily; approximately 96% of 12- to 15-year-olds reported having never smoked a cigarette; this result was consistent for both males and females; females aged between 16 and 17 years were almost twice as likely as their male counterparts to smoke daily. (p.8)

• In 2001 among Australians aged 14-17 years: 82% had never smoked; 15% were recent smokers; 3% were ex-smokers; among 18-24-year-olds, 34% of males and 30% of females were recent smokers.

• In 2002, nearly one-fifth of Australian secondary school students aged 15 had smoked in the seven days prior to being surveyed.

• Passive smoking is a cause of lung cancer in non-smokers. Non-smokers who suffer long-term passive smoking have an estimated 20% to 30% higher risk of developing lung cancer than non-smokers who have not been exposed.

• Around 11 Australians who have never smoked die from lung cancer each year, due to their spouse smoking at home.

• It is estimated that 23 Australian children under the age of 14 died from illnesses related to passive smoking in 1998.