Data
AI use in Spanish companies by size
In Spain, 21.1 % of companies with 10 or more employees used artificial intelligence in the first quarter of 2025, 8.7 points more than a year earlier, according to the INE. Use grows with size: according to Eurostat, 17.2 % of small companies (10 to 49 employees) use it, 30.1 % of medium-sized ones and 57.5 % of large ones. Among micro companies with internet access, 13.4 % (INE).
Updated on
The figures
21.1 %
Of companies with 10 or more employees use AI (first quarter of 2025). A year earlier, 8.7 points less.
13.4 %
Of micro companies (fewer than 10 employees) with internet access use AI.
17.2 %
Of small companies (10 to 49 employees) use AI in 2025. In the EU, 17.0 %.
Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai (2025)
30.1 %
Of medium-sized companies (50 to 249 employees) use AI in 2025. In the EU, 30.4 %.
Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai (2025)
57.5 %
Of large companies (250 or more employees) use AI in 2025. In the EU, 55.0 %.
Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai (2025)
17.5 %
Of industrial companies with 10 or more employees use AI, against 25.7 % in services.
5.8 %
Of companies with 10 or more employees use AI in administration and management; 4.1 % in accounting and finance.
Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai (2025)
9.1 %
Of companies with 10 or more employees do not use AI because of a lack of expertise: the most cited reason.
Source: Eurostat, isoc_eb_ai (2025)
The smaller the company, the less AI
A large company is more than three times as likely to use AI as a small one: 57.5 % against 17.2 % in 2025 (Eurostat). Large companies have technical teams and budget to try things. SMEs almost never do.
Spain, at the EU average
According to Eurostat, 20.3 % of Spanish companies with 10 or more employees used AI in 2025, against 20.0 % for the EU average. A year earlier, Spain was below: 11.3 % against 13.5 %.
The office, almost without AI
Few companies use AI for office work: 5.8 % of those with 10 or more employees use it in administration and management, and 4.1 % in accounting, controlling or finance (Eurostat, 2025). The most common uses are generating images or text and analysing text.
What holds SMEs back
Lack of expertise is the most cited reason for not using AI: 9.1 % of companies with 10 or more employees give it. Next come data protection (5.9 %), legal uncertainty (5.7 %), data quality (5.3 %) and cost (5.2 %). These are shares of all companies, not only of those that considered AI.
Why the INE says 21.1 % and Eurostat 20.3 %
Both figures come from the same INE survey, but they are calculated and revised in different ways. Here we use the INE for the Spanish total and Eurostat to compare by size with Europe. Do not mix the two in one comparison.
Frequently asked questions
How many Spanish companies use artificial intelligence?
21.1 % of companies with 10 or more employees in the first quarter of 2025, according to the INE, and 13.4 % of those with fewer than 10 employees and internet access.
Do large companies use more AI than SMEs?
Yes. In 2025, 57.5 % of companies with 250 or more employees used AI, 30.1 % of those with 50 to 249 and 17.2 % of those with 10 to 49, according to Eurostat.
Is Spain behind Europe in AI?
Not any more. In 2025, 20.3 % of Spanish companies with 10 or more employees used AI, against 20.0 % for the EU average (Eurostat). In 2024 Spain was below.
Why don't more SMEs use AI?
The most cited reason is a lack of expertise (9.1 % of companies with 10 or more employees), ahead of data protection, legal uncertainty and cost (Eurostat, 2025).
When is new data published?
The INE publishes its survey on ICT use in companies every year, around October, and Eurostat publishes the European comparison in December. We update this page when they come out.
Sources
- INE: Encuesta sobre el uso de TIC y del comercio electrónico en las empresas, año 2024 y primer trimestre de 20252025. Checked on October 19, 2026.
- Eurostat: Artificial intelligence by size class of enterprise (isoc_eb_ai)2025. Checked on October 19, 2026.
We collect figures published by official bodies. When a source publishes new data, we update the page. You may reuse these figures if you cite the original source and this page (CC BY 4.0 licence).
