The questions were not a hoax, but part of a new effort to measure the size of the Spanish economy. As of September, all European Union countries will be required to take fuller accounting of trade in sex, drugs and other underground businesses as part of an overhaul of economic measurements by Eurostat, the European statistics agency.

The point of counting everything, including the wages of sin, is to get a more accurate reading of each country's gross domestic product. Because G.D.P. is such an important number -- one that can sway national policies and make or break politicians -- the European Union wants numbers "better reflecting the economic environment," Vincent Bourgeais, a Eurostat spokesman, said.

With European Union governments obliged to reduce debt as a percentage of their economies, the changes are also expected to make growth rates from Spain to Sweden look better, possibly also making debt ratios seem rosier.