- Spain achieves a score of 88.75 in digital public services, well above the European average (82.30) and most citizens already use digital channels to relate to the Administration. This result consolidates a trajectory of more than two decades of public digitization
- 66% of the Spanish population already has basic digital skills, which puts Spain ten points above the European average
- In terms of connectivity, Spain ranks second in Europe in terms of fiber optic coverage, reaching 95% in households and 86.3% in rural areas, compared to 58.8% on the European average.
- It is the third country with the highest number of edge nodes, key to the development of 5G, the cloud and the internet of things
- The report highlights Spain’s commitment to digital rights, highlighting its active role in the implementation of the European Declaration of Digital Rights and Principles, through measures such as the Digital Rights Observatory
Spain is making steady progress in its digital transformation and consolidates its position as a European reference in innovation, connectivity and emerging technologies, areas promoted by the Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Public Service. This is reflected in its excellent performance in the main indicators of the Digital Decade 2030, the European strategy to accelerate the digitization of the continent.
El informe destaca que el país lidera el despliegue de infraestructuras digitales en Europa. Spain is the second country with the best fiber optic coverage, reaching 95% of households and 86.3% in rural areas, well above the European average which, in rural areas, only reaches 58.8% of households. In terms of 5G technology, coverage reaches 95% of the population, and 8 out of 10 people living in rural areas.
Likewise, Spain has made very significant progress in the deployment of edge nodes and is already the third country in Europe with the highest number, 301 nodes. These nodes enable data processing close to its source, reducing latency, improving speed, and optimizing bandwidth usage, making them critical to the advancement of 5G, cloud computing, and the development of the Internet of Things.
Boosting artificial intelligence and key technologies
The Spanish technological ecosystem is experiencing a moment of unprecedented dynamism. According to the document, the country strengthens its role as a European reference in reliable artificial intelligence and of public interest. ALIA, the first foundational model of artificial intelligence developed entirely in Spanish and co-official languages, marks a milestone in technological sovereignty. The document also points out that Spain has been a pioneer in launching a regulatory sandbox for high-risk AI systems, facilitating companies and startups to adapt to future European legislation.
The report highlights the commitment to key technologies, which is reflected in the deployment of the National Strategy of Quantum Technologies, endowed with more than 800 million euros; and in the PERTE Chip, which mobilizes 12,250 million to strengthen the national value chain in semiconductors.
More digital companies, stronger startups
The Spanish business fabric is progressing steadily in its digitalization, with improvements in both large companies and SMEs, driven by public programs, sectoral data spaces and an increasingly prepared environment for the adoption of emerging technologies.
In this way, the document highlights that almost three out of four SMEs already have a basic level of digital intensity and a growing part is moving towards more sophisticated levels. Programs such as Kit Digital, Kit Consulting or Genera D Pymes, promoted by the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence with Red.es, have channeled more than 3,000 million euros to digitize more than 700,000 companies.
In terms of entrepreneurship, the country already has 13 unicorns, maintaining the values of 2023. With the aim of strengthening its support for innovative entrepreneurship, the National Forum of Emerging Companies has been created.
Connected citizenship and with more digital skills
Spain is well above the European average (55.56%) in basic digital skills, which already account for 66.18% of the Spanish population. Progress is even greater among young people (more than 83%), which has been achieved by reducing territorial and gender gaps.
The report reflects this effort to reduce digital gaps with the digital citizen training program, launched by Red.es, aimed at digital training, through training courses throughout the national territory, of population at risk of digital exclusion.
The annual variation in the percentage of ICT specialists in Spain was greater than in the European Union: 6.8% compared to 4.2%. In addition, graduates in ICT disciplines in Spain accounted for 5.7% of the total in 2023, compared to 4.7% in the EU as a whole.
The programs launched by Red.es for the Attraction and Retention of Talent in Artificial Intelligence, and for training in digital skills through professional associations are proof of the effort of Spain to increase its number of ICT specialists.
Digital public services at the service of citizens
Applications such as My Citizen Folder, digital ID (MiID) or the use of virtual assistants with AI in the Tax Agency and in health services, are examples of the people-centered approach that guides this transformation. Thus, Spain achieves a score of 88.75 (compared to the European average of 82.20) in digital services for citizens and the use of digital channels to relate to the Administration has become widespread among the population. This result consolidates a trajectory of more than two decades of public digitization.
Cybersecurity, sustainability and digital rights
The report also highlights as priorities the protection of critical digital infrastructures and the strengthening of national capacities in cybersecurity. More than 120 public entities already have new cybersecurity operations centers (SOCs), a key measure to improve detection and response to threats throughout the territory.
Spain also leads initiatives to link digitalization and sustainability, such as the National Program of Green Algorithms or data spaces focused on biodiversity, water and energy.
About the report
The European Commission today publishes the 2025 report on the state of the Digital Decade, within the framework of the annual cycle of cooperation with the Member States. This exercise aims to assess progress towards the commitments set for 2030 in digital skills, connectivity, business digitisation, digital public services and emerging technologies.
These goals include at least 80% of the adult population having basic digital skills; all populated areas being covered by gigabit connectivity; more than 90% of SMEs having a basic level of digitisation; and all key public services being fully available online.
The country report on Spain provides a detailed X-ray of the current moment, identifying both consolidated progress and areas in which it is necessary to intensify efforts. This assessment is particularly important in the context of the mid-term review of the European programme planned for 2026, where goals and priorities will be redefined in the light of the results.