This figure, revealed by the Study on Payment Behavior of Spanish Companies by Informa D&B, represents an increase of 0.66 days compared to the previous quarter. Despite this quarterly rise, a slight year-on-year improvement is noted, with a reduction of 0.31 days compared to the same period last year.
The payment delay in the Canarian archipelago is significantly higher than the national average, which stood at 14.42 days, marking a difference of 7.59 days. Furthermore, the percentage of invoices paid within the agreed timeframe between January and March barely reached 27.70%, the lowest among all autonomous communities and well below the 43.94% recorded nationwide.
Nationally, the average payment delay also increased to 14.42 days in the first quarter of 2026, almost half a day more than at the end of 2025. According to the report, these delays generate a direct cost for the Spanish business fabric exceeding 3 billion euros.
“"The average payment delay for companies in the Canary Islands reached 22.01 days during the first quarter of 2026, the second highest figure in the country."
By sector, public administration and hospitality show the longest delays, with 23.55 and 23.37 days respectively. In contrast, industry presents the best records, with an average delay of 10.62 days. Territorially, Melilla leads the list with 27.21 days of delay, followed by the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands (20.65 days). Micro-enterprises, while being the most punctual (49.5% of on-time payments), also record the highest average delay, at 16.69 days, whereas only 14% of large companies pay their invoices on time.
