Smoking kills 60,000 Spaniards a year: study

Around 60,000 people, including 1, 500-3,000 passive smokers, die in Spain a year as a result of the use of tobacco, according to a study published on Monday.

The study by the Spanish Scientific Society for Studies on Alcohol, Alcoholism and other Addictions (Socidrogalcohol) was published to mark World No Tobacco Day that falls on May 31.

The study shows that 23.9 percent of Spaniards are smokers and that the country has the ninth highest percentage of smokers in Europe.

Spain is among the European Union countries with the lowest average age for new smokers.

Socidrogalcohol director Enrique Ochoa said on Spanish TV network RTVE that it was important to continue trends of introducing neutral packaging, raising prices and limiting public spaces where people can smoke in order to reduce the number of smokers in the country.

"We have advanced a lot with the law since 2011, but it is evident that we can and we should advance further," he said.

Meanwhile, the Spanish Association of Doctors in Primary Health Care (Semergen) explained that reducing advertising and sponsorship of events by tobacco companies with lead to a 7 percent reduction in tobacco use.

Tobacco is a main avoidable cause of death in the world. According to the Spanish Cancer Association (SEOM), smoking is related to between 16-40 percent of cancer cases.