Innovative companies in the reference year or in one of the two previous ones
| Value | Variation (%) | % over total companies | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Innovative companies (product and/or business processes) | 9,568 | 17.9 | 29.7 |
| Companies product innovations | 4,950 | 22.0 | 15.4 |
| Companies business process innovations | 8,624 | 19.3 | 26.8 |
| Units: Companies. | |||
| Source: Idescat, based on the Innovation in Companies Survey of INE. | |||
| Notes: | |||
| Companies with head offices in Catalonia. | |||
| For the results of Catalonia, the concept of company corresponds to that of legal unit, while in the case of Spain, as of 2022, it corresponds to that of company statistical unit. | |||
| Value | Variation (%) | % over total companies | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Innovative companies (product and/or business processes) | 44,071 | 22.9 | 27.3 |
| Companies product innovations | 22,698 | 22.8 | 14.1 |
| Companies business process innovations | 39,313 | 25.9 | 24.4 |
| Units: Companies. | |||
| Source: INE. Innovation in Companies Survey. | |||
| Note: For the results of Catalonia, the concept of company corresponds to that of legal unit, while in the case of Spain, as of 2022, it corresponds to that of company statistical unit. | |||
Last update: April 29, 2026.
Methodological note
A product innovation is a new or improved good or service that differs significantly from the company's previous goods or services and has been introduced to the market. The term product refers to both physical and digital goods and services.
A business process innovation is a new or improved business process for one or more business functions that differs significantly from the previous business process of the company and has been implemented in the company.
Information on product or business process innovation refers to those innovations made in the period of the reference year of the Survey or any of the previous two years.
Expenditure on innovative activities is measured for companies with headquarters in Catalonia, regardless of where they have carried out the innovation and for companies with innovative activities carried out in Catalonia, regardless of where their headquarters are located. The amount refers to the expenditure made in the reference year of the Survey.
The innovation intensity measures the relationship between expenditure on innovative activities and business production. It is calculated as the percentage of expenditure on innovation with respect to the total turnover in the reference year.
The Innovation in Companies Survey follows the recommendations of the Oslo Manual, which contains guidelines proposed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In 2018, a methodological change is introduced for the application of the new revision of the Oslo Manual 2018, which, among other things, again modifies the definition of innovative company and causes a break in the time series with respect to the results of previous years.
The population includes agricultural, industrial, construction and service companies with at least 10 salaried employees.
For further information about these statistics, you may check the methodology.