Drug and alcohol use in Canada: General population (ages 15+)
Explore Health Canada's latest data on drug and alcohol use by the general population (ages 15+) in Canada.
- Last updated: ...
About the general population survey
Health Canada runs the Canadian Substance Use Survey (CSUS) every two years to collect information on alcohol and drug use by people aged 15 and older in Canada. It is one of several tools used by Health Canada to understand trends in alcohol and drug use in Canada, inform actions, and evaluate their impacts.
In 2023, 36,180 people aged 15 and older took part in the survey, representing 32.7 million people across the Canadian provinces. An older blog on alcohol use has been archived.
Explore the data
Data source: Canadian Substance Use Survey, 2023
Interpretation note:
To check if there is a difference between two groups or cycles, compare the confidence intervals in the "Text description" table.
- If the intervals do not overlap, it’s strong evidence that the difference is real and not just due to chance.
- If they do overlap, there may still be a difference, but a formal test is needed to know for sure.
In either case, tests of statistical significance only tell us whether the difference is likely due to chance. Whether a difference matters in the real world depends on expert judgment and context.
Figure: Notes
Additional resources
More information
Health Canada conducts the Canadian Substance Use Survey (CSUS). For more information about the survey or its results, please contact the Office of Drug Research and Surveillance by e-mail at odrs-brsd@hc-sc.gc.ca.
Suggested citation
Health Canada. Drug and alcohol use in Canada: General population (ages 15+) [Internet]. Health Infobase: Ottawa (ON); 2025 [updated ; cited ]. Available from: https://health-infobase.canada.ca/substance-use/csus/
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