How Smoking Raises Your Risk of Stroke
Key takeaways
Health Canada says every additional five cigarettes smoked per day raises stroke risk by 12%, and that smoking promotes blood clots and artery-narrowing plaque. Five to fifteen years after quitting, stroke risk matches that of someone who never smoked.
This is general information from Health Canada, not medical advice. Sudden face drooping, arm weakness, trouble speaking or a sudden severe headache are emergencies: call 9-1-1.
Does smoking cause stroke?
Health Canada lists stroke as a major smoking-related disease. It describes a stroke as a burst or blocked blood vessel that stops blood flowing to part of the brain, and says brain cells starved of oxygen cannot be repaired or replaced. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in Canada and a leading cause of adult disability; 13,695 people in Canada died from stroke in 2020.
How much does smoking raise the risk?
The page ties risk to quantity: every additional five cigarettes per day raises stroke risk by 12%. Research from 2012 cited by Health Canada found that 18 to 36% of stroke deaths among Canadians aged 64 and younger were due to smoking. People who do not smoke are affected too, since second-hand smoke can increase their stroke risk by 20 to 30%.
How does smoking damage blood vessels?
Health Canada says smoking promotes blood clots and encourages plaque to build up along artery walls, narrowing them over time. The same process affects the legs. Its page on peripheral vascular disease says smokers are about three times more likely to get it, that risk rises with cigarettes per day, and that it raises the risk of amputation. Surgery for the condition is three times more likely to fail in people who keep smoking. Early signs listed include leg pain that does not go away and foot or toe wounds that heal slowly. For the heart side of the same damage, see smoking and heart disease; for blood sugar, see smoking and diabetes.
When does stroke risk fall after quitting?
Quickly, by Health Canada’s account. Its quitting timeline says stroke risk matches a non-smoker’s after 5 years, while the stroke page says risk reaches that of a never-smoker 5 to 15 years after quitting. Among stroke survivors, those who keep smoking are twice as likely to die from a subsequent stroke as those who quit or never smoked. The full list of milestones is on the quitting timeline, and national figures are in smoking statistics for Canada.
Health information is general and educational. It does not replace advice from a doctor, pharmacist or nurse. Read the full disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does smoking raise stroke risk?
Health Canada says each additional five cigarettes smoked per day raises stroke risk by 12%. Second-hand smoke can raise risk by 20 to 30% in people who do not smoke.
How long after quitting is stroke risk the same as a non-smoker's?
Health Canada's quitting timeline says stroke risk matches a non-smoker's after 5 years, and its stroke page gives a range of 5 to 15 years.
What is peripheral vascular disease?
It is blocked or narrowed arteries outside the heart, such as in the legs. Health Canada says smokers are about three times more likely to get it than people who do not smoke.
Sources
- Tobacco and stroke — Health Canada. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Tobacco and Peripheral Vascular Disease — Health Canada. Accessed October 27, 2026.
- Quit smoking: decide to quit — Health Canada. Accessed October 27, 2026.