In southern Europe, the prevalence of smoking among women has been lower than in northern Europe, with a wider gender and socioeconomic gap compared with most other developed countries. In Spain, a decline in the prevalence of smoking in men has been observed during the past 10 years, while in women the smoking prevalence has increased in the middle age group (16–44 years old) and in higher socioeconomic levels. Smoking cessation has increased slightly,1 but no assessment of the trends in smoking cessation in Spain by gender and socioeconomic level has been reported. The aim of this study was to analyse the pattern of smoking cessation according to gender and education, using data from the four National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) conducted between 1987 and 1997.