Figures from Spain's finance ministry indicate that tobacco sales in the Balearics in 2025 fell by up to four per cent. This was the case with packs of twenty cigarettes; the decrease was slightly higher (4.3%) for rolling tobacco and lower for cigars and pipe tobacco.
Nevertheless, the value of sales grew by more than three per cent to 486 million euros, this total not including the sales of alternatives - vapes and heated tobacco products.
Dr. José Reyes, president of the Spanish Association Against Cancer in the Balearics, points out that traditional products are being replaced by others which are also harmful. He points to studies which suggest that a significant number of young people using these alternatives will eventually become traditional tobacco users.
The ministry doesn't include data for the alternative products, Reyes being of the view that as they cause harm to health they should have the same restrictions on marketing as traditional tobacco. Legislative change is therefore being demanded and is indeed likely to come this year.
Sales in the Balearics are subject to marked by seasonal differences. For packs of cigarettes, the highest number sold in 2025 was in July - 7.7 million packs. In February, 3.5 million were sold, the lowest monthly total.
The most recent National Health Survey, which was in 2023, identified 20.9% of the Balearic population as daily smokers. This compared with 28.6% twenty years earlier. The percentage of occasional smokers had also fallen, while the percentage of ex-smokers and people who had never tried smoking had risen.
Elena García, president of the addictions commission in Mallorca, attributes this downward trend to legislative changes in Spain. "We were pioneers at the time with the smoke-free spaces law; it had a significant impact because it involved denormalising tobacco use, leading to a shift in people's perceptions."