The number of Albertans smoking cigarettes has dropped to an all-time low.

Health Canada statistics show 18 per cent of Albertans 15 years and older smoke. That's a drop of about two per cent since 2007, or 57,000 fewer smokers.

Dr. Gerry Predy, Alberta's senior medical officer of health, said the statistics are pointing in the right direction.

“The smoking number going down will mean of course that in the longer term we will see a healthier population which is really what this is all about,” he said.

Alberta is now on par with the national smoking average.

The Alberta government says smoking causes three thousand premature deaths in our province every year.

Provincial officials have taken a number of measures over the past three years to cut down on the number of people who smoke, including raising tobacco taxes by $1.00 per pack, banning smoking in nearly all workplaces and public areas, prohibiting the sale of cigarettes at drugstores, and abolishing all displays of tobacco in retail settings.

Predy said legislation banning smoking in public places has helped lowered rates, but more remains to be done.

“We know that even though our tobacco rates are down, about 80 per cent of the new smokers are under the age of 18, so while the news is good, we still have some work to do.”

Smoking rates across the country have declined in the last decade. Six million people smoked in 1999 compared to 4.8 million in 2009.

“The combined efforts of the Alberta government and health organizations to reduce tobacco use are having the desired effect” said Tony Hudson, president of The Lung Association of Alberta/NWT.

“However we can’t rest on our achievements or we could lose the momentum that took decades to achieve. We need to focus our efforts on keeping kids tobacco-free including more measures to curb tobacco marketing to youth”.