Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Spain

Spain: Antibiotic usage by surveillance category was 15.75 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
15.75 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
Change on year
up 7.1%
World rank
9th
of 46 countries
All-time high
17.59 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
in 2016
All-time low
12.6 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day
in 2020
Years of data
8
2016–2023

Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Spain, 2016–2023

051015202016201920232016: 17.6 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2017: 17.1 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2018: 16.7 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2019: 16.1 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2020: 12.6 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2021: 12.9 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2022: 14.7 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day2023: 15.7 defined daily doses per 1000 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 1000 inhabitants per day.

Analysis

In 2023, antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Spain stood at 15.75 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day.

That represents a change of up 7.1% on the previous year and down 10.4% over ten years.

That places Spain 9th out of 46 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 16.88 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 16.09 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 17.59 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 4
2020s 13.98 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 12.6 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 15.75 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day 4

Countries ranked near Spain

  1. 7 Montenegro 17.09 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  2. 8 Colombia 16.31 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  3. 10 Burkina Faso 15.61 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  4. 11 Iceland 15.59 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare
  5. 12 Laos 15.33 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day compare

See the full ranking of 46 places →

More reference data data for Spain

All data for Spain →

Frequently asked questions

What is antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Spain?
Antibiotic usage by surveillance category in Spain was 15.75 defined daily doses per 1000 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 usage by surveillance category recorded in Spain?
The highest recorded value was 17.59 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2016.
What is the lowest antibiotic usage by surveillance category recorded in Spain?
The lowest recorded value was 12.6 defined daily doses per 1000 inhabitants per day in 2020.
How does Spain rank for antibiotic usage by surveillance category?
Spain ranks 9th out of 46 countries with data for 2023.
Is antibiotic usage by surveillance category rising or falling in Spain?
Over the last ten years it is down 10.4%. 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 usage by surveillance category. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Antibiotic usage by surveillance category
Unit
defined daily doses per 1000 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 AWaRe category: Access used per 1000 inhabitants per day. Access antibiotics have activity against a wide range of common pathogens and show lower resistance potential than antibiotics in the other groups.