Smoking and tobacco
Tobacco smoking is the largest preventable cause of cancer, responsible for more cancer deaths in Australia than any other single factor. It is also directly responsible for many heart and lung diseases. Smoking affects the smoker, as well as those around them.
Here you will find information on the effects of smoking, help with stopping smoking and details about Cancer Council's work to reduce the harm caused by tobacco.
For more information about smoking, tobacco and e-cigarettes, see Cancer Council's position statements.
What are the benefits of quitting smoking?
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide with most cases attributed to smoking. In Australia, about 90% of lung cancer cases in men and 65% in women are estimated to be a result of tobacco smoking.
But there are encouraging signs - 2 in 3 Australians who smoke want to quit and 70% actively plan to quit. If you or a loved one needs help to quit smoking, there are plenty of resources and services available. Speak to your GP or call 13 11 20 or head to Quit.
As soon as you quit smoking, there are immediate and long-term health benefits, even if you already suffer from smoking-related health problems. Quitting smoking reduces your risk of dying prematurely. Quitting earlier leads to greater reductions in smoking-related harm.
66 Australians die from smoking-related illness every day.
Smoking can also cause 15 other types of cancer, including oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, bowel, liver, pancreas, nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, larynx, uterine, cervix, ovary, urinary bladder, kidney, ureter and bone marrow (myeloid leukaemia).
Tobacco smoke contains more than 7000 chemicals, over 70 of which are known to cause cancer. When you inhale cigarette smoke, these chemicals enter your lungs and spread through your body via the blood and lymph systems.
Smoking rates are declining
As Australians, we can be proud of the progress we have made in tobacco control.
According to data from July 2026, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reports daily smoking rates have fallen by more than 70% since 2001, reinforcing the work of tobacco control measures such as taxation, plain packaging, advertising restrictions and public education.
According to the National Drug Strategy Household Survey 2025, daily smoking has reached a record low of 5.6%, down from 8.3% in 2022–23 and 19.5% in 2001. In 2001, around one in five Australians smoked daily. Today, it is closer to one in 18.
But there is still work to be done, with 1 in 5 deaths in Australia caused by smoking. Despite this drop in smoking rates, 66 Australians die from smoking-related causes every day.
Illicit tobacco presents an increasing threat, with 34% of people who currently smoke reporting recent illicit tobacco use, up from 16.7% in 2022–23. To build upon the progress we have made, and to protect Australians from the harms of tobacco and nicotine products, we must maintain proven tobacco control-measures, including taxation and sustained investment in evidence-led campaigns and education to support quitting. Stronger regulation and increased enforcement resources will reduce affordability, availability and access to illegal tobacco and nicotine products.
Secondhand smoke and cancer risk
Chemicals in tobacco will also affect people who are exposed to your cigarette smoke. Second-hand or passive smoking poses health risks to adults similar to active smoking, and has also been associated with sudden infant death syndrome and asthma in children.
