Antibiotic consumption rate in Spain

Spain: Antibiotic consumption rate was 25.54 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
25.54 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day
Change on year
up 6.0%
World rank
11th
of 46 countries
All-time high
27.9 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day
in 2016
All-time low
20.4 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day
in 2020
Years of data
8
2016–2023

Antibiotic consumption rate in Spain, 2016–2023

01020302016201920232016: 27.9 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day2017: 27.3 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day2018: 26.8 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day2019: 25.6 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day2020: 20.4 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day2021: 20.7 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day2022: 24.1 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day2023: 25.5 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day

Source: WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day.

Analysis

In 2023, antibiotic consumption rate in Spain stood at 25.54 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day.

That represents a change of up 6.0% on the previous year and down 8.5% over ten years.

Spain ranks 11th of 46 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 26.89 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day 25.61 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day 27.9 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day 4
2020s 22.69 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day 20.4 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day 25.54 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day 4

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 8 Romania 29.61 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day compare
  2. 9 South Africa 29.52 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day compare
  3. 10 Tanzania 29.25 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day compare
  4. 12 Italy 25.36 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day compare
  5. 14 France 24.54 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More economy & growth data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is antibiotic consumption rate in Spain?
Antibiotic consumption rate in Spain was 25.54 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day in 2023, according to WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest antibiotic consumption rate recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 27.9 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day in 2016.
What is the lowest antibiotic consumption rate recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 20.4 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day in 2020.
How does Spain rank for antibiotic consumption rate?
Spain ranks 11th out of 46 countries with data for 2023.
Is antibiotic consumption rate rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Spain data come from?
The figures come from WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Antibiotic consumption rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 8 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Antibiotic consumption rate
Unit
defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day
Source
WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
46 places, 344 data points, 2016–2023
Last refreshed

Total defined daily doses of antibiotics and antituberculosis drugs used in a given year per 1,000 inhabitants per day.