This research, developed by the Association for Media Research, collects the results of 19,633 questionnaires made to Internet users 14 or older who visit Spanish websites. More about Spain’s internet habits below.

It took place between October 16 and December 9, 2018. The report shows information about social networks, online privacy and exposure to fake news, mobiles, etc.

According to the AIMC study, the mobile phone remains the main Internet access device, a privileged position since 2016, when it surpassed desktop computers for the first time. Thus, the data show that 43.4% of the population uses a mobile phone to access the Internet, an increase of 6.5% with respect to the previous year. The next device is the desktop computer with 26.2%, the notebook with 24.2%, and the tablets with a modest 5.4%.

This is consistent with the Internet access data, and 45% of respondents said they were “almost constantly” actively connected. According to the AIMC, “if we add to this group of individuals those who declare access to the Internet” several times a day, “the figure reaches almost all of the interviewees (89.5%)”.

As for the activities that we do most on the mobile, 84.9% use it to check the mail. Followed by instant messaging services with 78.4%, navigation with 76.1%, social networks with 69.7%, and reading current news with 65.3%. As a curious fact, six out of ten respondents use their mobile devices to watch videos, although only two out of ten are dedicated to uploading them.

WhatsApp remains the most used instant messaging application in Spain, far above Facebook, Telegram, or Instagram.

• READ MORE: India Is The Country With The Lowest Mobile Data Cost In The World

According to a report from comparison site Cable.co.uk, in Spain, the average price per gigabyte for mobile data was $3.79.

It puts Spain in 85th place out of 230 countries. This price is based on buying SIMs with data on them. The cheapest Spain SIM was just $0.77, while the most expensive was $10.55 per gigabyte.

The average cost per gigabyte among the three cheapest countries for mobile data was India at $0.26, Kyrgyzstan at $0.27, and Kazakhstan at $0.49.

These insights underline how mobile-first behavior continues to shape Spain’s digital ecosystem—from how people consume news to how they connect while traveling. With such high dependence on smartphones for online access, the demand for flexible and affordable connectivity options like eSIMs is rapidly growing.

In fact, Spain is among the European countries seeing strong adoption of eSIM technology, supported by major telecom operators such as Movistar, Orange, and Vodafone. Travelers visiting Spain can also benefit from a wide range of local and international eSIM providers, offering prepaid data plans that avoid traditional roaming fees.

The combination of mobile dominance, rising data usage, and awareness around digital costs highlights Spain’s shift toward smarter, more convenient connectivity—both for residents and the millions of tourists who visit the country every year.