Lisbon, June 24, 2026 (Lusa) - Around 1.5 million residents in Portugal consumed alcohol and 1.3 million smoked daily in 2025, according to the National Statistics Institute INE, which identifies men and people aged 45 to 54 as the groups with the highest levels of consumption.
The 2025 National Health Survey, conducted by INE, published on Wednesday, reveals that nearly 6.9 million people aged 15 or over (68.9% of the sample) reported having consumed alcoholic drinks in the 12 months prior to the interview.
The data show that 1.5 million drank daily (15.3%), whilst 4 million consumed alcoholic drinks regularly and 1.3 million only occasionally.
On the other hand, 852,400 reported not having consumed alcohol in the 12 months prior to the interview and 2.1 million stated they had never consumed alcoholic drinks.
“The proportion of men who reported having consumed alcoholic drinks in the 12 months prior to the interview (79%) was one-third higher than the proportion of women (59.3%), with the rate of daily consumption among men standing at 23.2%, almost triple the rate for women (7.9%),” notes INE.
In terms of age, consumption was highest among those aged 45 to 54, a group in which three out of every four people reported consuming alcoholic drinks. The lowest figures were observed among young people aged 15 to 24 (58.1%) and those aged 85 and over (51.9%).
The regions of Greater Lisbon, the North and the Algarve had the highest proportions of alcohol consumers (72.2%, 70.3% and 70.2%, respectively), with the North region also recording a very high rate of daily consumption (19.8%).
As for tobacco, the data reveal that, in 2025, 1.4 million residents aged 15 or over (14.6%) were smokers, of whom 1.3 million smoked daily (12.7% of the total population aged 15 or over and 87.3% of all smokers).
The majority of the population, around 8.4 million people, were non-smokers. Of these, 6.2 million had never smoked and 2.3 million were former smokers, according to INE, which noted that smoking was more prevalent among men (19.6%, double the proportion of 9.8% for women).
The highest proportions of smokers and daily smokers are found in the 25–64 age group, particularly among those aged 45–54 (20.5% of smokers and 18.7% of daily smokers).
The Alentejo, the Algarve and the Azores are the regions with the highest proportions of smokers (17.8%, 20.6% and 19.5%, respectively), and also of daily smokers (16.4%, 18.2% and 18.1%).
According to the survey, 337,000 residents (3.4%) used heated tobacco products daily and 127,000 (1.3%) used e-cigarettes, with slightly higher usage among men.
The survey also analysed the consumption of vegetables and salads (excluding soups, potatoes and juices), concluding that four million (40.6%) consume them daily, once or more times a day.
There was a gradual increase in the proportion of daily consumers of vegetables and salads with advancing age, peaking at around 45% among those aged 55–74. The proportion of women who did so was 46.1%, higher than that of men (34.8%).
The highest proportion of daily consumers of vegetables and salads was observed in the Central region and the lowest in the Azores.
As for physical exercise, INE found that, although the majority of the population aged over 15 (5.3 million) did not exercise regularly, it was a daily activity for 5.4% of the population, and 7.9% reported engaging in physical activity five to six days a week.
According to the data, 15.1% exercised between one and two days a week and 15% between three and four days a week.
“The regularity of physical exercise differs between women and men, with men, when they do exercise, managing to do so on more days per week,” highlight the results of the survey carried out in the fourth quarter of 2025.
HN/AYLS // AYLS
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