Most users utilize these tools for personal purposes, according to the Survey on the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Families, conducted this year.

“The proportion of AI users almost doubles in the 16-24 age group (76.5%) and among students (81.5%),” according to the results.

The responses also showed that 89.5% of the resident population (aged 16 to 74) used the internet in the three months prior to the interview, mainly to communicate and access information, and that 49.6% placed orders, mainly for clothing, footwear, and fashion accessories (75.9%).

The survey also revealed that 74.2% accessed websites or applications of public bodies in the 12 months prior to the interview, essentially to consult personal information (52.7%).

In 2024, the most recent year for which data is available for the countries of the European Union (EU-27), the proportion of people in Portugal who contacted public bodies was 5.9 percentage points above the EU-27 average (70.0%), according to the same source.

The proportion of internet users who encountered aggressive, discriminatory, or humiliating content increased from 35.5% in 2023 to 45.2% in 2025.

The most cited causes are related to issues connected to nationality, ethnic or racial origin (37.9%), political or social stance (37.0%), and sexual identity or orientation (33.2%).

Almost 40% of the population aged 16 to 74 (38.9%) used the Citizen Card or the Digital Mobile Key as authentication methods to access online services in the 12 months prior to the interview, an increase of 8.5 percentage points compared to 2023.

"In 2025, communicating and accessing information will continue to be the main activity carried out by people aged 16 to 74 who used the internet in the three months prior to the interview," highlighted INE, specifying that 93.5% exchanged instant messages (via WhatsApp, Messenger, etc.), 87.9% sent or received emails, 85.6% made calls or video calls, 85.0% researched information about products or services, 80.5% read news, and 78.8% participated in social networks.

The use of banking services (72.9%) and listening to music (73.2%) are also activities carried out by more than two-thirds of internet users. According to the same research, 59.2% of people have digital skills at a basic level or above, mainly among the 16-24 age group (83.4%) and those who have completed higher education (88.4%).

The proportions of people aged 16 to 74 who possess digital skills at a basic level or above are highest in Greater Lisbon (69.1%) and the Setúbal Peninsula (68.9%). The Algarve (60.6%), Oeste and Tagus Valley (60.1%), and Central (58.6%) regions register proportions close to the national benchmark of 59.2%, while the Autonomous Region of Madeira has the lowest proportion, with 48.6% of people possessing digital skills at a basic level or above.

Regarding access to Information and Communication Technologies at home, the data revealed that 90.9% of households in Portugal have internet access at home, with fixed technologies being the most commonly used (85.0%).