Almost 97% of homes in the Canary Islands have internet access, according to Fundación Telefónica’s Digital Society in Spain 2023 Report, the archipelago leads Spain and the European Union in terms of internet connectivity.
The Fundación Telefónica study reveals that, in the case of fixed broadband in homes, this percentage is 83.8%, which is 0.8 points higher than the national average. At European level, the Canary Islands are 6 points above the EU average in this indicator (77.8%), according to the DESI (Digital Economy and Society Index) indicators.
The frequency of internet use is a relevant indicator for analysing the evolution of the digitalisation of Canarian society. In 2022, 94.9% of the population had used the Internet at some time, 0.4 points more than the previous year. 97.9% of the total population between 16 and 74 years of age used the Internet regularly (at least once a week), a figure comparable to the European average in the European Commission’s key digitalisation indicators. In addition, the percentage of users accessing the internet several times a day grew significantly, from 78.9% in 2021 to 82.4% in 2022.
Analysis of the specific uses of the Internet by the Canary Islands population shows the consolidation of most of them. Email users account for 80.4% of the population aged between 16 and 74, 1.9 points more than in 2021. Similarly, the percentage of those using instant messaging services rose from 90.5% in 2021 to 93.1% in 2022. Another relevant service whose percentage of users has increased during 2022 is electronic banking, used by 68.7% of the Canary Islands population (+2 p.p.).
E-government is another of the areas linked to the digitalisation of society in which the Canary Islands stand out. In 2022, 80.8% of the Canary Islands population aged between 16 and 74 used a website or mobile application of the public administrations, 1.1 points more than the average for Spain; while 66.5% downloaded or printed out an official form, and 53.3% made an online appointment to carry out administrative procedures.
The Digital Society in Spain 2023 Report highlights that the digital transformation of the Canary Islands’ business fabric continues to advance, penetrating all business processes to increase the competitiveness of companies. Among the most notable growth in the area of micro-companies is the percentage of companies that have computers to carry out their activity, which rises from 83.8% in 2021 to 87% in 2022 and is 1.2 points higher than the national average.
With regard to SMEs and large companies, 98.7% have an Internet connection, 0.5 points more than the national average. Of the connected companies, 98.2% have a fixed connection. Among the latter, 85.4% have cable or fibre optic access, 6.8 points more than in 2021.
Finally, another digital element that has increased its presence among Canary Islands SMEs and large companies is the website, an essential tool for one of the islands’ main businesses, tourism. In 2022, 73.7% of this segment of companies with Internet access also had a website, 5.8 points more than in 2021. Similarly, the percentage of companies with internet access that use social media has also increased, from 60.8% in 2021 to 64% in 2022.
