Young people aged 14 to 18 in Andalucía are the biggest consumers of vape products in Spain

Fifty per cent of pupils aged between 14 and 18 in Andalucía admit to having used electronic cigarettes (vapers) in the last twelve months, which places the region at the top of the list of consumption of this type of device in Spain, followed by Extremadura (49.9%). 40.9% of young Andalusians claim to have been drunk in the last twelve months, 2.2 points above the national average of 38.7%. This is according to the Ministry of Health's survey on drug use in secondary education 2025 (Estudes).

This report, consulted by Europa Press and based on 3,907 interviews with secondary education pupils aged between 14 and 18 in Andalucía, states that 40.9% of Andalusian pupils admit to having been drunk in the last twelve months, thus exceeding the national average (38.7%). The regions leading this sample collected over the last twelve months are Navarra (48.3%), Extremadura (47.3%), Aragon (44.7%) and the Basque Country (44.5%).

41.6% of male pupils in Andalucía say that they have been drunk this year, while 46.4% admit to having done so once in their lives. Among female pupils, the percentage in the last twelve months is 40.1%, compared to 47.3% who have only done so once in their lives.

The Ministry of Health report places Andalucía among the six regions with the highest percentage of pupils aged between 14 and 18 who consume alcoholic beverages - 73.5% - in the last twelve months, the same as Aragon which is two and a half points above the national average (71%). The regions ahead of Andalucía are Extremadura, with 81.8%, the Basque Country, with 76.1%, Navarra, with 75.6%, Valencia at 74% and La Rioja and Castilla y León, with 73.7% each.

Tobacco is another of the substances most consumed by young people. In Andalucía 20.3% say they have tried tobacco in the last year, almost one point below the national average (21.2%). However, the percentage of pupils who admit to having used it at some time in their lives is 27%, while the average for Spain is 27.3%.

In terms of cannabis use, Andalucía records that 13.8% of young people have used cannabis in the last year, almost two points below the national average (15.5%). However, the report shows that the percentage of pupils who have tried the substance at some time is 19%, two points below the national figure (21%).

The use of this cannabis is higher among males than females, as 22.9% of male pupils say that they have tried cannabis at some time, while among females it is 14.8%. Furthermore, 17% of males admit to having used the drug in the last twelve months, while the percentage for females is 10.4%.

With regard to vapers, the report shows that Andalucía is the second region in which pupils have used vapes at some point in their lives - 58.2% - behind Extremadura, with 59.8%, which is almost nine points higher than the national average (49.5%).

By gender, the study indicates that 49.4% of males have tried e-cigarettes in the last twelve months, compared to 57.8% who admit to having used the substance at some point in their lives. As for females, 50.5% have used vapes in the last twelve months, while 58.6% say they have only tried them once.

The Ministry of Health has highlighted the evolution of the perception of risk that is occurring among young people with respect to vape smoking. Although it is the practice with the lowest risk perception in Spain, in recent years this feeling is changing significantly.

Thus, in 2025, 57.3% of students aged 14-18 in Spain believe that smoking e-cigarettes sporadically can be a source of problems. This percentage is 18.5 percentage points higher than in 2023, making it the highest risk perception for this substance since it has been asked about in Estudes.

Nationally, alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use among students aged 14-18 has reached historic lows in Spain. "Young people in our country have the healthiest habits in the last 25 years, since records have been kept. The three most consumed substances, alcohol, tobacco and cannabis, have the lowest prevalences," said the Minister of Health, Mónica García, during the presentation of the data.

"The data tell us something very clear, and that is that the new generations are changing, that they are increasingly aware of the risks, that they are taking more and more care of themselves and that they are building a new way of understanding health and a new way of understanding leisure," said García.

Alcohol continues to be the most commonly used substance, although the 2025 data show a decrease compared to 2023. 73.9% of students report having used it at some time in their lives (compared to 75.9% in 2023), 71% in the last 12 months (compared to 73.6%) and 51.8% in the last 30 days (compared to 56.6%).

Drinking alcohol is also decreasing: 17.2% of students have been drunk in the last month (compared to 20.8% in 2023) and 24.7% have engaged in binge drinking (compared to 27.8%), both at their lowest levels since 2000. The average age of onset of drinking remains unchanged at 13.9 years, while onset of weekly drinking and first binge drinking stand at 14.8 and 14.6 years, respectively.

Tobacco use is also on a downward trend, with the lowest levels in the whole historical series in 2025. 27.3% of students have smoked at least once in their lifetime (compared to 33.4% in 2023), 21.2% in the last 12 months (compared to 27.7%) and 15.5% in the last 30 days (compared to 21.0%). In addition, daily use in the last month decreased to 4.3%, down 3.2 percentage points from 7.5% in 2023. The average age of onset remains unchanged at 14.1 years and the average age of onset of daily use at 14.4 years.

On the other hand, cannabis continues to be the illegal substance with the highest prevalence of use among 14 to 18-year-olds, although the data for 2025 reflect a notable decrease compared to the previous year in all time periods. Some 21 per cent of 14 to 18-year-olds report having used it once in their lifetime (compared to 26.9 per cent in 2023), 15.5 per cent in the last 12 months (compared to 21.8 per cent) and 11.6 per cent in the last 30 days (compared to 15.6 per cent). The average age of onset is 14.8 years, one tenth less than in the last survey.