SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, May 14. (EUROPE PRESS) –
Almost 97% of homes in the Canary Islands have Internet access, according to the Report on the Digital Society in Spain 2023 by Fundación Telefónica, the archipelago is at the head of Spain and the European Union in Internet connectivity.
The Fundación Telefónica study reveals that, in the case of fixed broadband in homes, this percentage reaches 83.8%, which is 0.8 points more than the country’s average. At a European level, the Canary Islands exceed the EU average by 6 points in this indicator (77.8%), according to the DESI indicators (Digital Economy and Society Index).
The frequency of Internet use is a relevant indicator to analyze the evolution of the digitization of Canarian society. In 2022, 94.9% of the population had ever used the internet, 0.4 points more than the previous year. 97.9% of the total population between the ages of 16 and 74 used the Internet regularly (at least once a week), a figure comparable to the European average included in the key digitization indicators of the European Commission. In addition, the percentage of users who access the Internet several times a day grew significantly, from 78.9% in 2021 to 82.4% in 2022.
The analysis of the specific uses of the Internet by the Canarian population shows the consolidation of most of them. Email users are 80.4% of the population between the ages of 16 and 74, 1.9 points more than in 2021. Similarly, the percentage of those who used instant messaging services went 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 Canarian population (+2 pp).
Electronic Administration is another of the areas linked to the digitization of society in which the Canary Islands stands out. In 2022, 80.8% of the Canarian population between the ages of 16 and 74 used a public administration website or mobile application, 1.1 points more than the average for Spain; while 66.5% downloaded or printed an official form, and 53.3% made an appointment online to carry out administrative procedures.
The Digital Society in Spain 2023 Report highlights that the digital transformation of the Canarian business fabric continues to advance, penetrating all business processes to increase the competitiveness of companies. Among the most notable growths in the field of microenterprises is the percentage of companies that have computers to carry out their activity, which goes from 83.8% in 2021 to 87% in 2022 and exceeds the percentage by 1.2 points. national average.
Regarding SMEs and large companies, 98.7% have an Internet connection, 0.5 points more than the country’s average. Of the connected companies, 98.2% have a fixed connection. Among the latter, 85.4% have cable or fiber optic access, 6.8 points more than in 2021.
Lastly, another digital element that has increased its presence among SMEs and large Canarian companies is the website, an essential tool for tourism, one of the main businesses on the islands. In 2022, 73.7% of this segment of companies that had 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, which goes from 60.8% in 2021 to 64% in 2022.
