Press release 29/10/2024

INFORMATION SOCIETY SURVEY. FAMILIES. 2024

89.9% of the population aged 15 and over in the Basque Country connected to the internet in 2024, 1.6 percentage points more than in 2023

97.7% of internet users use WhatsApp and other similar instant messaging apps

The number of internet users aged 15 and over in the Basque Country, i.e. individuals who had connected to the internet in the last three months, whether at home, in the workplace, place of study or elsewhere, stood at 1,721,800 in the second quarter of 2024, accounting for 89.9% of the overall Basque population in this age group, according to Eustat data. This percentage was up 1.6 percentage points compared to the same period of 2023.

As in previous years, in 2024 the greatest increase in the online population was among people aged 65 and over (+3.8 percentage points), to 65%. However, these figures were a far cry from the 55-64 age group (97.9%) and in particular the under-54s, practically all of whom were internet users.

Men using the internet represented 91% of the male population, while women users accounted for 88.8% of the female population. The so-called gender gap stood at 2.2 percentage points in 2024, 0.2 points higher than in 2023. It is worth noting that there were 11,600 new internet users in the 65 and over age group.

There were no significant differences between provinces in this regard. Álava was the province with the highest percentage of users (90%) and the greatest growth compared to 2023 (+2.4 percentage points); followed by Bizkaia (89.9%) and Gipuzkoa (89.8%).

As regards the three Basque provincial capitals, the situation was similar to the previous year. Vitoria-Gasteiz, with greater growth than the others (+2.4 percentage points), took over as the capital with the highest proportion of internet users (90%), a few tenths of a point above Bilbao (89.7%) and San Sebastián (89.1%). At the regional level, there was a difference of 3.1 percentage points between the highest-scoring region Plentzia-Mungia (91.7%) and the lowest Montaña Alavesa (88,6%).

Internet use increased most among inactive and unemployed people

In relation to activity, practically the entire student population (99.9%) and employed population (99.2%) were internet users. In addition, despite being the group that registered the greatest increase (3.6 points) compared to 2023, the inactive and unemployed population (75.3%) stood at considerable distance from the other two groups, with differences of around 24 percentage points.

The preferred language for web browsing was Spanish (97.4%), followed by Basque (19.5%) and English (18.5%). Almost all users accessed the internet from home (98.7%).

The internet was used more to communicate with others and search for information

The services most used by almost all the online population were for communication and access to information (99.5%). WhatsApp and other similar instant messaging applications were the most widely used, as 97.7% of people online used them. The majority of the online population used them (with percentages above 95%), irrespective of their socio-demographic characteristics (age, sex, occupation). In terms of age, the people who used these apps the least were aged 65 and over, 95.9% of users, which accounted for 62.3% of the total population of this age group (4 percentage points more than the previous year).

Among these communication and information access services, it is also worth highlighting the following: receiving or sending email (85.2%), searching for information on goods and services (81.5%) and reading news stories, newspapers or current affairs magazines (79%).

Entertainment and creativity services were used by 88.3% of users, particularly young people: almost the whole population aged between 15 and 24 used services of this type, especially listening to music (91.4%). In 2024, the largest increase on 2023 was registered in watching films or videos on demand (+7.2 percentage points). By contrast, the service with the greatest decrease was uploading self-created content to a website to be shared, which was done by 17.7% of users (-7.8 points).

61.9% of the online population used electronic administration and the most frequently used service among those provided by the administrations was carrying out administrative procedures online by submitting completed forms (58%). It is estimated that 1,276,400 people used online banking (74.1% of users, +2.8 points), approximately 85,000 more than in 2023.

More than 977,000 people (51% of the Basque population aged 15 and over) bought goods and services online in the last three months (2.6 percentage points more than in 2023); this figure represented 56.8% of internet users. Almost all internet users had purchased a physical product (92%) such as clothes, shoes or accessories (66.2%) or household goods (34.2%). Half had bought some kind of service (49.2%) such as tickets for cultural events (29%), accommodation (28.4%) or transport services (23.4%). Whether in physical or downloadable format, 16.5% of the online consumer population bought publications such as books, magazines or newspapers.

There were differences in the online services used by men and women

Among the services offered online, 60.9% of women used services related to health such as searching for information on health issues (10.6 points more than male internet users), 56.8% of women used travel and accommodation-related services (+7.5 points) and 59.6% of women participated on social networks (6.4 percentage points more than men). For their part, 69.2% of men viewed video-sharing content (+6.2 points more than female users), 32% of men played or downloaded games (+5.5 points) and 80.7% read news stories, newspapers or current affairs magazines (+3.3 percentage points more than women).

There were also gender differences in e-commerce: 73.7% of women bought clothes, footwear and accessories (+15.4 percentage points more than men), 26.8% of women bought personal care and hygiene products (9.4 percentage points more) and 30.9% bought tickets for cultural events (+3.8 points). Meanwhile, 21% of men purchased electronic equipment (11.9 points more than women), 12.6% purchased vehicles and spare parts (+9.6 points) and 18.7% of men purchased sports equipment (except clothes and footwear) (+8.9 points).

The proportion of the population that used a computer in the last three months was 70.1%. In this regard, men using computers represented 72.8% of the male population, compared to 67.5% of women, with the gender gap standing at 5.3 percentage points, 0.4 percentage points less than in 2023.

Family characteristics had an influence on ICT equipment in households

In the second quarter of 2024, 841,300 families had internet access at home (91.2%), 21,600 families more than in 2023 (+1 point). In population terms, 94.7% of people aged 15 and over (1,814,000) were able to access the internet from home.

Moreover, 77.1% of households in the Basque Country had computers, which means that 83.9% of the population had a computer in their accommodation (+1.3 points compared to 2023). Mobile phones were present in 98.2% of households; 99.1% of the population aged 15 and over had access to one (+0.5 points in relation to 2023).

As regards households with audiovisual equipment, it is worth highlighting that 59% had pay-TV (+2.8 points), i.e. 33,800 more families than the previous year. In population terms, 64.7% of the population (55,300 more people) had this service at home.

Despite a reduction in the differences between the various types of family, these continued to be significant. The greatest differences were between families with children and others, especially compared to families made up of single individuals. As such, 99.6% of families with children had internet access at home, almost 18.2 points higher than in single member households (81.4%).

In addition, 94.3% of families with children had some type of computer at home, a difference of 36.7 points compared to single member households (57.6%). Lastly, mobile phones had a more widespread presence and presented minor differences; they were present in almost all families with children (100%), followed by 99.4% of those made up of couples and 95% of single-member families.

For further information:

Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Basque Statistics Institute C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Press Service: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tel.: 945 01 75 62