CANBERRA - Fewer Australians are smoking every day, but illicit drugs use has increased, the latest health survey showed on Wednesday.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) surveyed 26,000 Australians, and found the proportion of daily tobacco smokers aged over 14 has dropped to 15 percent, representing a substantial drop from 16.6 percent in 2007.

AIHW said the findings were encouraging, along with decreased rates of alcohol consumption among teenagers aged 12 to 17.

But it was countered by other statistics on drinking, which have not changed since 2007, and an increase in the use of illicit drugs.

One in five people is drinking an average of more than two standards drinks in a day, with the figure has not changed in three years.

The report also found health organizations have also failed to make a dent in the number of people drinking more than four standards beverages in a session at least once a month.

"There was an increase in the proportion of people who had used cannabis, pharmaceuticals for non-medical purposes, cocaine and hallucinogens," the institute's Brent Diverty said in a statement released on Wednesday.

"For the first time since 1995, ecstasy use declined between 2007 and 2010, from 3.5 percent to three percent."

The survey, released on Wednesday, also showed a shift in attitudes, with higher levels of support for policies that reduce smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.