Smoking rates and figures

Smoking prevalence in Aotearoa

Daily smoking¹ rates declined steadily from 2011/12, with the rate of decline increasing slightly from around 2019/20. Daily smoking rates have plateaued over the past three years.

In 2024/25, 6.8% of adults were daily smokers(an estimated 294,000 people) and 8.3% of adults were current smokers (an estimated 362,000 people).²

Daily smoking rates in Aotearoa 2024/25

Key facts for 2024/2025⁴

• Prevalence of daily smoking in 2024/25 was 6.8%. This is similar to the previous year (6.9%), and 6.8% in 2022/2023.
• The estimated number of daily smokers nearly halved between 2011/12 and 2024/25, decreasing from 572,000 to 294,000.
• While daily smoking has declined in both men and women since 2011/12, the gender gap has widened over the past few years. In 2024/25, the prevalence of daily smoking was 8.3% in men and 5.3% in women.
• 55-64 year olds were the age group with the highest smoking rate at 9.7%.
• Inequities remain in smoking rates between ethnic groups. Rates in 2024/25 were as follows:
  • Māori (15.0%)
  • Pacific peoples (10.3%)
  • European/Other (5.7%)
  • Asian (4.5%).
• Although daily smoking rates have declined in the past six years inequities remain in 2024/25:
  • Māori (from 28.6% to 15.0%)
  • Pacific peoples (from 18.4% to 10.3%)
  • European/Other (10.2% to 5.7%)
  • Asian (7.4% to 4.5%).
• Adults living in the most deprived neighbourhoods were more likely to be daily smokers than adults living in the least deprived neighbourhoods (12.9% and 2.4%, respectively).
• 15.1 % of smokers quit in the 12 months prior to completing the 2024/25 survey.

Figures for priority population groups

Daily smoking has declined in all ethnic groups from 2011/12 to 2024/25, although trends have been more variable in Asian and Pacific peoples most likely due to smaller sample sizes.

Māori

Before colonisation, Māori did not smoke. However, when tobacco was introduced to Aotearoa in the 18th century, that changed quickly. Smoking has been particularly damaging for Māori, who have higher smoking rates and higher rates of death and tobacco-related illness than non-Māori.

• Daily smoking rates for Māori adults in 2024/25 were 15% (an estimated 99,000 people), and current smoking for Māori adults were 17.5% (an estimated 115,000 people).²
• Māori are 2.89 times as likely to be current smokers than non-Māori, after adjusting for age and gender.²

Pacific peoples

Pacific peoples have the second highest smoking rates after Māori.

• Daily smoking rates for Pacific adults in 2024/25 were 10.3% (an estimated 30,000 people) and current smoking rates for Pacific adults were 13.5% (an estimated 39,000 people).²
• Pacific peoples are 1.62 times as likely to be current smokers than non-Pacific peoples (adjusted for age and gender).²

Hapū māmā

• Maternal smoking rates at two weeks postnatal have decreased from 13.7% in 2009 to 7.3% in 2021.⁵
• The gap in smoking rates between Māori mothers and other ethnic groups continues to decrease. Smoking rates among Māori mothers have declined from 32.2% in 2009 to 19.5% in 2021.⁵
• Maternal smoking rates have dropped by more than 30% across most districts between 2009 and 2021, particularly in Tairāwhiti.

Young adults

Research says that if a person can reach 24 years old without starting to smoke, they will likely never smoke.⁶ However, too many young adults are caught in the addictive cycle of smoking. Young adults often treat the risks and addictiveness of tobacco as minimal.

• Daily smoking rates for 18-24 year olds in 2024/25 were 4.4% (an estimated 21,000 people).²
• Current smoking rates for 18-24 year olds in 2024/25 were 7.3% (an estimated 35,000 people).²

Rangatahi

Preventing tobacco use among youth is critical.

Smoking prevalence from the ASH Year 10 Survey (of 14-15 year olds) found that in 2025:⁷

• Daily smoking rates remain low (stable at 1.1%).
• Regular smoking remains low (stable at 2.5%).
• There was a statistically significant decrease in regular smoking for non-Māori, non-Pacific girls (1.8% in 2024 to 1.3% in 2025). There were no other statistically significant changes in regular smoking when analysed by ethnicity or ethnicity and gender between 2024 and 2025.
• There have been large decreases in regular smoking prevalence for all ethnicities since the survey began in 1999. However, there are still differences between the four major ethnicities.
• Regular smoking was highest for Māori students at 5.2%, followed by Pacific (2.6%), European/Pākehā (1.9%) and Asian students (0.9%). All differences are statistically significant.
• Never smoking prevalence measures the percentage of students who have never smoked a cigarette, even just a few puffs. There was a statistically significant increase in never smoking (88.3% in 2024 to 89.4% in 2025)