Smoking rate falls to historic low as nicotine pouch laws tighten

Daily smoking rates have fallen to a ‘historic low’ and vaping use has steadied, according to new data from a long-running Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) survey.
 
But the study also reveals challenges posed by emerging forms of nicotine becoming more popular with younger people, including oral nicotine pouches and the prohibited traditional snus.
 
In response, the Federal Government announced new plans on Friday to ‘protect Australians from a new wave of nicotine addiction, with tougher restrictions for nicotine pouches’.

From 24 July 2026 nicotine pouches will no longer be accessible to individuals through unapproved therapeutic goods pathways such as the Special Access Scheme, Authorised Prescribers Scheme and the Personal Importation Scheme.
 
It will also no longer be possible for individuals to import nicotine pouches, even if they have a prescription.
 
Federal Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Butler said while the AIHW results are welcome, there is still more work to be done.

‘Nicotine pouches are creating a new generation of nicotine dependency in our community,’ he said.
 
‘These reforms are about protecting young people and stopping the illicit market profiting from nicotine addiction in our communities.

‘Anyone unlawfully selling nicotine pouches in Australia has been put on notice. The Australian Government is committed to protecting the community from the harms of nicotine pouches and regulatory and enforcement action will be strong and ongoing.’
 
Professor Anthony Lawler, Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) boss, said these changes ‘respond to growing public health concern about nicotine pouches and their increasing availability in the Australian market’.
 
‘They strengthen the ability of the TGA and its partner agencies to combat the unlawful importation, advertising and supply of nicotine pouches, while ensuring Australians have access to safe, approved and evidence-based options to quit smoking and manage nicotine dependence,’ he said.
 
The AIHW’s National Drug Strategy Household Survey revealed that in 2025, 5.6% of people aged 14 and over reported smoking daily, down from 8.3% in 2022–23 and 19.5% in 2001.
 
It puts Australia well ahead of its National Tobacco Strategy target of reaching 10% by 2025 and on track to meet 5% by 2030.
 
‘This was equivalent to around 1.3 million people smoking daily in Australia in 2025, compared with three million in 2001 and 1.8 million in 2022–23,’ the study reported.
 
The survey also reported on vaping trends over the past decade. In 2016, only one in 200 people aged 14 and over used e-cigarettes daily, compared to one in 29 by 2022–23.
 
In response to this increase, in 2024 the Australian Government introduced significant reforms to the regulation of vapes which the AIHW says helped lead to daily e-cigarette use remaining steady at 3.6% in 2025.
 
RACGP President Dr Michael Wright labelled the results ‘good news’.
 
‘Australia has had world-leading legislation to reduce smoking rates and GPs have been at the frontline, really working on smoking reduction,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘GPs work to identify people who might still be smoking and to help them quit, and we know there are a number of different ways to help people and GPs are experts in running through the range of options and knowing where to refer people if they need more intensive support.
 
‘There’s that immediate benefit of improving your wellbeing by giving up smoking, but we know there are also long-term impacts on reducing your risks of lung cancer and heart disease.
 
‘These are important messages that I know our GPs have been getting out to our patients.’

Another concern in the study was the persistence of illicit tobacco in the Australian market, with AIHW data from 2025 showing one in three people aged 14 and over who currently smoke having used illicit tobacco recently, compared with around one in six in 2022–23.
 
This included purchasing ‘branded’ illicit tobacco (tobacco products without plain packaging and graphic health warnings) in the previous three months, and currently smoking ‘unbranded’ illicit tobacco (tobacco or cigarettes sold loose, often in plastic bags).
 
‘More than half of the people who purchased branded illicit tobacco reported buying it from a tobacconist,’ the report said.
 
Unlike regulated nicotine products, illicit tobacco and nicotine products may not comply with regulatory requirements and can also have higher nicotine content.
 
Cancer Council Australia CEO Jacinta Reddan said the AIHW data shows Australia’s suite of world-leading tobacco controls is working to save Australian lives.
 
‘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,’ she said.
 
She also recognised the dual challenge that exists in maintaining the policies that continue to reduce smoking while cracking down on the illicit market.
 
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