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The digital gap in the percentage of Internet users between Spain and the EU-28 no longer exists and differences between Spanish regions have been reduced to one third those of 2008

Fifteen years ago, the percentage of people using the Internet in the European Union (EU) was twice that of Spain. However, today, this digital gap no longer exists. In 2017, 85% of Spanish citizens were Internet users, one percentage point higher than in the EU-28 countries. In addition, the gap between the Spanish regions has also been reduced to a third of what it was in 2008. This reduction is partially a consequence of the composition of the population by age and educational level. Only 16.6% of Spanish homes do not have Internet access, mainly due to either lack of knowledge (43.7%) or the high cost (29.9%). To further reduce the regional digital gap, therefore, measures need to be taken to increase educational levels and make Internet access more affordable.