Press Release 08/07/2025
INFORMATION SOCIETY SURVEY. COMPANIES. 2025
In 2025, 17.4% of companies with 10 or more employees in the Basque Country had Artificial Intelligence systems
46% of establishments with 10 or more employees used file storage and office automation programs through paid cloud services
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems was seen in 17.4% of companies with 10 or more employees in the Basque Country in 2025, according to Eustat data.
The use of these AI systems in companies of this size primarily consisted of ‘Automating different workflows or aiding decision-making’ (in 13.9%), ‘Written language analysis’ (in 10.1%) and ‘Machine learning for data analysis’ (in 9.7%).
In terms of the purposes for which they used AI, it is worth highlighting that it was used ‘For production or service processes’ in 12.6% of establishments, ‘For ICT security’ in 9.1% of establishments, and ‘For R&D or innovation activities’ and ‘To organise the company's processes or management’ in 8.2% of establishments in both cases.
Uses of artificial intelligence in establishments of the Basque Country by employment size (%). 2025
| |
Establishments of 10 or more employees |
| Use of artificial intelligence systems |
17.4 |
| For marketing or sale |
5.0 |
| For production or service processes |
12.6 |
| To organize processes or management of the company |
8.2 |
| For logistics |
3.8 |
| For the security of ICT |
9.1 |
| For accounting or financial management |
5.6 |
| For R&D or innovation activities (excluded for AI) |
8.2 |
Date July 8, 2025
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
As regards the so-called Industry 4.0, and continuing with companies with 10 or more employees, the most noteworthy use of the nine analysed was that of ‘Social media for business purposes’, with 77.9%, following an increase of 11.9 percentage points over the last seven years.
Next was paid ‘Cloud computing services’, with 57.9% of establishments paying for this service in order to access company information or services through an internet connection from any mobile or fixed device in any location. In 2019, this figure stood at 36.3%. In third place was ‘Cyber Security Activities’, with 54.1%, 11.3 percentage points more than seven years earlier. Use of the ‘Internet of Things (IoT)’ came next, with 30.3% of establishments, which was also up from the 17.3% recorded in 2019.
In addition, with percentages ranging from 10% to 30%, were ‘Mobile Applications for clients’ and ‘Big Data Analysis’, both with 28.0%, ‘Artificial Intelligence’ (17.4%), Robotics (11.8%) and ‘3D Printers’ (9.7%).
For all establishments as a whole (including those with fewer than ten employees), these percentages were significantly lower, particularly with regard to the use of ‘Social media for business purposes’ and the use of paid ‘Cloud computing services’, with figures standing at 53.8% and 32.4%, respectively. Meanwhile, the percentage for ‘Cyber security activities’ also dropped to 24.8%.
Indicators of the industry 4.0 in the establishments of the Basque country according to employment strata. 2025
| |
All businesses |
Establishments of 10 or more employees |
| Use of social media for business purposes |
53.8 |
77.9 |
| Use of paid cloud computing services |
32.4 |
57.9 |
| Using Business Mobile Apps |
14.9 |
28.0 |
| Use of the internet of things (IoT) |
14.3 |
30.3 |
| Cybersecurity activities |
24.8 |
54.1 |
| Analysis of aggregate (Big Data) |
12.2 |
28.0 |
| Use of artificial intelligence systems |
8.7 |
17.4 |
| Use of 3D printers |
2.9 |
9.7 |
| Use of Robotics |
2.6 |
11.8 |
Date July 8, 2025
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
Social networks (48.0%) were the most frequently used social media in Basque establishments
As mentioned above, 53.8% of all Basque establishments used Social media for business purposes, participating on social networks (48.0%), company blogs (17.5%) and websites for sharing multimedia content (29.3%).
This 53.8% rose to 77.9% in establishments with 10 or more employees: participation on social networks stood at 71.0% for establishments of this size, while this figure was 34.0% for company blogs and 52.6% in the case of websites for sharing content.
46% of establishments with 10 or more employees used file storage and office automation programs through paid cloud services
57.9% of establishments with 10 or more employees used paid cloud computing services. Standing out among these services were: email (as a cloud computing service), with 51.0%, and file storage and office automation programs (word processors or spreadsheets), both with 46.0%.
Next, with more than 30%, we can also highlight security applications (antivirus or network access control programs), 43.5%; hosting company databases, 39.2%; and the computing capacity for operating the company’s own computer tools, 36.1%.
Computer services "in the cloud" of payment in establishments with 10 or more employees of the Basque Country according to branch of activity (%). 2025
| |
Total |
Industry |
Construction |
Services |
| Computer services "in the cloud" of payment |
57.9 |
59.6 |
43.2 |
58.7 |
| Email (as a cloud service) |
51.0 |
52.1 |
41.4 |
51.5 |
| Office automation programs (word processors or spreadsheets) |
46.0 |
42.4 |
38.1 |
47.6 |
| Financial management or accounting applications |
29.5 |
27.8 |
21.9 |
30.7 |
| Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Applications |
26.3 |
25.2 |
22.1 |
26.9 |
| Customer relationship management (CRM) applications |
29.0 |
19.3 |
24.4 |
32.1 |
| Security applications (antivirus program or network access control) |
43.5 |
42.4 |
41.2 |
44.0 |
| Hosting company databases |
39.2 |
36.2 |
39.7 |
40.0 |
| File storage |
46.0 |
45.2 |
32.2 |
47.4 |
| Computing capacity for the operation of enterprise software |
36.1 |
26.6 |
30.3 |
39.2 |
| Platform for application development, testing and deployment |
24.6 |
13.4 |
22.5 |
27.8 |
Date July 8, 2025
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
30.3% of Basque establishments with 10 or more employees used IoT systems or devices
The Internet of Things, understood as the digital interconnection, via the internet, of objects that collect and exchange data and can be remotely monitored or controlled via the internet, was used by 30.3% of establishments with 10 or more employees.
The most common devices included radio frequency sensors, IP tags or internet-controlled cameras, with 24.3%. On par, with 21.4%, were smart devices for optimising energy, and to a lesser extent, vehicle tracking or motion sensors (13.1%) and other devices (14.2%).
Big Data use was higher in the services sector (31.3%) than in industry (17.5%) or construction (23.6%)
Big Data analysis reached 28.0% of establishments with 10 or more employees. It is of particular note that it was used by a high percentage of establishments in the services sector, 31.3%; industrial establishments, 17.5%; and construction, 23.6%.
Particularly noteworthy among the data analysed were those from operational registries (such as details of sales, payment registers), 21.9%; followed by client data (information regarding purchases, location, preferences, etc.), 18.3%. Next were data obtained on the website, 13.2%; data from smart devices or sectors, 12.3%; and data gathered from social networks, 10.2%.
Analysis of Big Data in establishments with 10 or more employees in the Basque Country according to branch of activity (%). 2025
| |
Total |
Industry |
Construction |
Services |
| Analysis of aggregate (Big Data) |
28.0 |
17.5 |
23.6 |
31.3 |
| Transaction log data, such as sales details, payment records |
21.9 |
12.7 |
23.6 |
24.3 |
| Customer data (information about purchases, location, preferences, reviews or searches) |
18.3 |
9.6 |
17.8 |
20.7 |
| Social media data, including company own social media profiles |
10.2 |
3.1 |
0.0 |
13.0 |
| Web data (search engine trends, web page scraping) |
13.2 |
6.9 |
0.4 |
16.1 |
| Location data from the use of portable devices or vehicles |
9.9 |
2.2 |
7.5 |
12.2 |
| Data from smart devices or sensors |
12.3 |
8.7 |
18.2 |
12.8 |
| Open data from public authorities (public records, meteorology, transport, housing...) |
9.8 |
1.4 |
12.7 |
11.9 |
| Satellite data (excluding GPS location) |
4.8 |
0.7 |
4.2 |
6.0 |
Date July 8, 2025
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
11.0% of people employed in Basque companies worked remotely in 2025
In 2025, 11.0% of staff at Basque companies worked off company premises for at least half of the working day on a regular basis, using telematic networks to connect to the company’s ICT (Information Communication Technology) systems, and can therefore be considered remote workers.
Furthermore, on average, we find that 79.5% of employees used ICT (Information & Communication Technology) systems and 9.6% were ICT specialists. Additionally, 44.3% had a remote connection via a portable device for professional use.
If these staff are analysed by gender, it is worth noting that, except for ICT specialists, where the percentage of men (66.5%) was higher than that of women (33.5%), in the other categories mentioned the percentages were very similar, with a share of around 50%.
ICT personnel employed in the establishments of the Basque Country by province and branch of activity (%). 2025
| | ICT users | ICT specialists | Employees with remote connection | Remote workers |
| | Total | Women | Men | Total | Women | Men | Total | Women | Men | Total | Women | Men |
| Basque Country | 79,5 | 49,3 | 50,7 | 9,6 | 33,5 | 66,5 | 44,3 | 47,9 | 52,1 | 11,0 | 50,6 | 49,4 |
| Araba/Álava | 78,9 | 47,0 | 53,0 | 6,8 | 34,5 | 65,5 | 39,4 | 46,9 | 53,1 | 8,8 | 54,8 | 45,2 |
| Bizkaia | 79,1 | 49,7 | 50,3 | 10,5 | 33,1 | 66,9 | 45,5 | 49,2 | 50,8 | 12,4 | 50,3 | 49,7 |
| Gipuzkoa | 80,3 | 49,7 | 50,3 | 9,6 | 33,5 | 66,5 | 45,2 | 46,5 | 53,5 | 9,9 | 48,9 | 51,1 |
| Branch of activity | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Industry | 70,2 | 30,2 | 69,8 | 4,3 | 24,5 | 75,5 | 40,9 | 32,3 | 67,7 | 10,2 | 40,0 | 60,0 |
| Construction | 57,0 | 27,7 | 72,3 | 6,6 | 33,7 | 66,3 | 38,3 | 29,6 | 70,4 | 6,2 | 24,0 | 76,0 |
| Services | 83,6 | 56,1 | 43,9 | 11,2 | 36,1 | 63,9 | 45,7 | 53,7 | 46,3 | 11,6 | 55,4 | 44,6 |
Date July 8, 2025
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
Basque companies have already almost reached the maximum availability of main ICT equipment
As regards the ICT equipment of Basque companies, it is worth noting that they are becoming better prepared and the percentage of employees who use these technologies was also higher.
Currently, 96.3% of establishments have a computer, 96.1% have Internet access and just over half of companies, 57.1%, have a website.
In establishments with 10 or more employees, these percentages in equipment have already almost reached their maximum. Thus, 99.8% have a computer, the same percentage (99.8%) have internet access, and 92.9% have a website, so unlike smaller establishments, there is almost no growth margin left.
Equipment of ICT in establishments in the Basque Country by province and employment strata. 2025
| | Personal Computer | Internet | Web page |
| | % acc/business | % acc/job | % acc/business | % acc/job | % acc/business |
| Basque Country | 96,3 | 77,6 | 96,1 | 74,5 | 57,1 |
| Araba/Álava | 97,6 | 75,6 | 97,4 | 71,3 | 57,2 |
| Bizkaia | 95,0 | 77,8 | 94,8 | 75,3 | 56,0 |
| Gipuzkoa | 97,7 | 78,3 | 97,6 | 75,0 | 58,7 |
| Employment strata | | | | | |
| From 0 to 9 | 95,9 | 81,3 | 95,7 | 80,7 | 53,4 |
| 10 or more | 99,8 | 76,0 | 99,8 | 71,8 | 92,9 |
Date July 8, 2025
Source: Eustat. Survey on the information society. Companies
As regards the percentage of employees using these technologies, 77.6% use a computer and 74.5% have Internet access.
Computer security was taken into account in more than 90% of Basque companies
Furthermore, 92.5% of companies have some form of computer security measure. Standing out among these measures, above 30%, were updated software (89.2%), the use of secure passwords (85.3%), external backups (68.6%), network access control (42.5%), data encryption (36.0%) and using a virtual private network (VPN) (31.5%). In the case of companies with 10 or more employees, all these percentages were higher, with practically all (99.2%) establishments having some form of computer security.
57.1% of all Basque companies, and 92.9% of those with 10 or more employees, had an online presence via a website
Companies are giving more importance to maintaining a presence on the internet via a website. In the last year, those that had a web presence accounted for 57.1% of the total, whilst in companies with 10 or more employees this figure rose to 92.9%.
Regarding languages that they can be accessed in, Spanish particularly stood out, available in 98.8% of cases; Basque was available in 43.2% of cases; English in 27.3% and other languages in 12.2%.
NOTE
Eustat would like to thank all the companies and institutions that have collaborated in preparing this survey, the information for which was gathered between January and May 2025, with a response rate of 80.2%.
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