Spain Background
Data sourced: 2023.   Page updated: 2024-07-23

Spain abides by the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) (2014). In 2017, a Royal Decree 579/2017 was passed pertaining to the manufacture, advertising and sale of vaping products that transposes the EU TPD into Spanish regulations. There is a ban on smoking and vaping in all indoor state-owned public places, on public transport and in some outdoor places such as parks. Advertising is allowed on TV, but regulations exist about the type of programmes, and the times of day, where advertisements can appear. Cross border sales are banned. There is no tax on e-liquids.

Prevalence

Year Value Reference/Comment
2017 393.5 thousand 1A A
2021 526.9 thousand 1B
2023 795.8 thousand 1C
References:
  1. 1. European Commission (2017). Special Eurobarometer 458: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes Available at: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2146_87_1_458_ENG 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  2. 1. European Commission. (2021). Special Eurobarometer 506: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes (S2240_506_ENG). European Commission. http://data.europa.eu/88u/dataset/S2240_506_ENG 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  3. 1. European Commission. (2024). Special Eurobarometer 539: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products [Dataset]. European Commission. https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2995 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
Comments:
  1. Eurobarometer data provides a representative sample of ~28,000 respondents and estimates the prevalence of vaping for the EU overall, as well as per country. The survey was conducted in March 2017. Covers 28 European Union (EU) countries. Total sample N = 27901, aged 15 and over. World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
Year Value Reference/Comment
2017 1% 2A A
2021 1.33% 2B
2023 2% 2C
References:
  1. European Commission (2017). Special Eurobarometer 458: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes Available at: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2146_87_1_458_ENG
  2. European Commission. (2021). Special Eurobarometer 506: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes (S2240_506_ENG). European Commission. http://data.europa.eu/88u/dataset/S2240_506_ENG
  3. European Commission. (2024). Special Eurobarometer 539: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products [Dataset]. European Commission. https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2995
Comments:
  1. Eurobarometer data provides a representative sample of ~28,000 respondents and estimates the prevalence of vaping for the EU overall, as well as per country. The survey was conducted in March 2017. Covers 28 European Union (EU) countries. Total sample N = 27901, aged 15 and over.
0.8%
2 A
2023
12%
3 B
2017
References:
  1. 1. European Commission. (2024). Special Eurobarometer 539: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products [Dataset]. European Commission. https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2995 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  2. European Commission. (2024). Special Eurobarometer 539: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and related products [Dataset]. European Commission. https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2995
  3. European Commission (2017). Special Eurobarometer 458: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes Available at: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2146_87_1_458_ENG
Comments:
  1. E-cigarettes with nicotine
  2. Eurobarometer data provides a representative sample of ~28,000 respondents and estimates the prevalence of vaping for the EU overall, as well as per country. The survey was conducted in March 2017. Covers 28 European Union (EU) countries. Total sample N = 27901, aged 15 and over.

Product promotion

Comments:
  1. Allowed or banned at place of sale or allowed or banned in all media.

Regulation

References:
  1. Data cross-referenced where possible using the following sources :1. Vapetrotter website. Available at: https://www.vapetrotter.com/laws/ ; 2. Global tobacco control website. Available at:https://www.globaltobaccocontrol.org/node/14052 ; 3. Tobacco Control Laws website. Available at : https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/

Availability

Regulations and restrictions

Perception of harm

References:
  1. Reference: European Commission (2017). Special Eurobarometer 458: Attitudes of Europeans towards tobacco and electronic cigarettes Available at: http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2146_87_1_458_ENG
Comments:
  1. Question asked in this survey did not compare harmfulness with cigarettes. The question used was 'Do you think they are harmful to the health of people who use them?' 60% - YES, 19% - NO, 21% DON'T KNOW
The GSTHR database is updated regularly by our team. However, please be aware that the information we provide does not constitute legal advice. We cannot guarantee that the information is up to date or accurate, as the regulatory status of different product categories can change at short notice and with little publicity. If you wish to check the legal status of use or possession of any safer nicotine product in a specific country or region, you should verify the information independently. If you have reason to think that the information supplied on the GSTHR is inaccurate, please contact us with details and any references and we will rectify any errors.