Official data from Spain’s INE and the U.S. Census Bureau, compared by firm size for the first quarter of 2026
BARCELONA, CATALONIA, SPAIN, October 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A study published by latevaIA, the AI agency of Barcelona-based La Teva Web, finds that Spanish companies report higher use of artificial intelligence than U.S. companies of the same size. The study compares official statistics from Spain’s national statistics institute (INE) and the U.S. Census Bureau by employment band for the first quarter of 2026. Spanish adoption rates are higher in every size band, ranging from 29.1% against approximately 18% among firms with 10 to 49 employees, to 74.4% against 30.6% among firms with 250 or more employees.
The full study, including data tables, charts and methodology, is available at LATEVAIA RESEARCH · STUDY 01 · OCTOBER 2026.
Key findings
1. 33.6% of Spanish enterprises with 10 or more employees used AI in the first quarter of 2026, according to INE data published on October 22, 2026.
2. Mid-sized firms (50-249 employees): 48.9% in Spain, compared with 21.3% to 25.3% in the United States.
3. Large firms (250 or more employees): 74.4% in Spain, compared with 30.6% in the Census Bureau’s AI supplement (November 2025 to February 2026) and 37% in its later reading for the period ending May 3, 2026. The Spanish figure is higher than both U.S. readings.
4. Small firms (10-49 employees): the Spanish rate of 29.1% is close to that of U.S. firms with 100 to 249 employees (25.3% to 32%).
5. Fewer than 10 employees: 21.4% in Spain, compared with 17.0% to 17.6% in the United States. This is the smallest difference in the study and is considered directional.
6. U.S. adoption is increasing. The Census Bureau’s national series rose from 17.3% in mid-November 2025 to 22.4% by August 9, 2026.
Methodology
The study is based exclusively on probability-sample surveys conducted by official statistical agencies. It covers the same quarter in both countries and compares firms by size band rather than by national totals, which cover different populations.
The study also notes limitations in the comparison. INE asks about AI use during the quarter, while the Census Bureau asks about use in the previous two weeks. As a result, U.S. rates are likely conservative and the differences should be read as upper bounds. A sensitivity test in the study estimates how much the U.S. rate would need to increase to close each gap: approximately 1.6 times for firms with 10 to 49 employees, 2.1 times for 50 to 249 and 2.4 times for 250 or more. For firms with fewer than 10 employees, an increase of 1.2 times would be sufficient, which is why that result is classified as directional.
Reasons for not adopting AI
Non-adopters in the two countries report different reasons. Among Spanish enterprises that considered AI but did not use it, 79.6% cite a lack of relevant in-house skills. Among the smallest U.S. firms that do not use AI, 63.3% say it is not applicable to their business. Because the surveys use different answer options, the study presents these results side by side without drawing a cross-country conclusion.
“Company size is the strongest predictor of AI use in both countries. For small businesses, the data suggests the discussion is moving from whether to adopt AI to which use case to start with,” said Francesc Sánchez Loro, CEO of latevaIA.
About the data
Spain: INE, Encuesta sobre el uso de TIC y del comercio electrónico en las empresas, 2025 edition with Q1 2026 reference, published October 22, 2026 (approximately 15,000 enterprises with 10 or more employees and approximately 10,000 with fewer than 10). United States: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Trends and Outlook Survey and its AI supplement (approximately 200,000 employer businesses invited every two weeks). Figures are as published by each agency. U.S. size bands are narrower than Spain’s and are shown against the Spanish band that contains them. Full sources and limitations are detailed in the study.
About latevaIA
latevaIA (https://latevaia.ai/en/) is the AI agency of La Teva Web, based in Barcelona. It works with small and mid-sized companies in four areas: AI search visibility (GEO), Sell with AI, Build with AI and Automate with AI. La Teva Web has 25 years of experience in digital strategy, marketing, design and development, with more than 35 professionals and over 1,200 completed projects.
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