El País (elpais.com)
Spain's most-read daily newspaper, covering national and international news.
El País at a glance
El País is a news & media website and one of the most visited sites in Spain, currently ranked #2 in the country. It was founded in 1976 by Jesús de Polanco and is headquartered in Madrid, Spain. Today El País is owned by Grupo Prisa. Our estimates put its audience at ≈ 90 million visits per month. The business earns money mainly through digital subscriptions and paywall access, display and programmatic advertising, print newspaper sales and subscriptions. Its closest rivals include El Mundo, ABC.es, La Vanguardia, 20minutos.
Traffic statistics
Traffic history
| Period | Visits | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 | ≈ 85 million / month | -2% |
| Q2 | ≈ 82 million / month | -4% |
| Q3 | ≈ 88 million / month | +7% |
| Q4 | ≈ 95 million / month | +8% |
Traffic sources
- Organic search38%
News and breaking event queries
- Direct30%
Loyal readership and app usage
- Social18%
- Referral9%
- Paid5%
Audience & demographics
- Men54%
- Women46%
- Age 18-2410%
- Age 25-3420%
- Age 35-5440%
- Age 55+30%
El País attracts an educated, older-skewing audience with strong readership among professionals in Spain and Latin American Spanish-speaking countries.
Geographic reach
- Spain58%
- Mexico10%
- Colombia6%
- Argentina5%
- Other21%
SEO profile
- Organic keywords
- ≈ 3 million
- Estimated organic traffic
- ≈ 34 million visits / month
- Strongest clusters
- Breaking news and political coverage
Top organic keywords
| Keyword | Position | Volume | Traffic share |
|---|---|---|---|
| el pais | 1 | Very high | — |
| el pais noticias | 1 | High | — |
| el pais opinion | 2 | Medium | — |
| elpais.com | 1 | High | — |
Backlink profile
- Referring domains
- ≈ 850,000
- Link profile
- Widely cited by academic, media and government sources
Top referral sources
- Google News30%
- Direct30%
- X (Twitter)12%
- Facebook10%
- Other18%
Technology stack
Website technologies
Advertising & analytics technologies
El País runs a custom-built content management system optimised for high-volume breaking news publishing with heavy caching for traffic spikes.
Mobile app statistics
- App downloads (cumulative)
- ≈ 6 million
- Push notification subscribers
- Millions
Company information
- Website
- elpais.com
- Sector
- News & Media
- Owner
- Grupo Prisa
- Owner type
- Public company subsidiary
- Founders
- Jesús de Polanco
- Founded
- 1976
- Headquarters
- Madrid, Spain
- Employees
- ≈ 450 (newsroom and digital staff)
- Ownership
- Subsidiary of Grupo Prisa (BME: PRS)
- Valuation
- Grupo Prisa market cap approximately EUR 300 million
- Revenue
- ≈ EUR 90 million annually (digital and print estimate)
- Languages
- Spanish, English (limited edition)
- Top traffic sources
- Organic search, direct navigation, social media
Ownership, investors & funding history
| Date | Round | Amount | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Founded | N/A | Jesús de Polanco |
| 1996 | Grupo Prisa IPO | N/A | — |
| 2019 | Digital subscription paywall launch | N/A | — |
Financials
- Estimated annual revenue
- ≈ EUR 90 million
- Parent company revenue
- Grupo Prisa reports consolidated media revenue of over EUR 900 million
Business model & revenue
El País combines a metered digital subscription model with advertising revenue, supplementing declining print circulation with growing paywalled online readership across Spain and Latin America.
- Digital subscriptions and paywall access
- Display and programmatic advertising
- Print newspaper sales and subscriptions
- Sponsored content and branded partnerships
- Licensing of content to third parties
Products & services
Metered subscription news website.
Edition tailored to Latin American readers.
Weekly print magazine supplement.
Daily news and opinion audio shows.
Seller ecosystem
- Advertising partners
- Hundreds of Spanish and international brands
International presence
- Regional editions
- Dedicated América and Brasil editions
Employee statistics
Customer statistics
API & developer information
- Content syndication
- Available to licensed media partners
Website rankings
- Spain news media traffic
- #1 among Spanish newspapers
- Spanish-language global reach
- Among top Spanish-language news sites
Main competitors
Website comparisons
| Website | Monthly visits | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Mundo | Comparable traffic scale | — | El País leads in international readership |
| La Vanguardia | Smaller traffic share | — | Stronger in Catalonia |
Overview
El País is Spain's leading daily newspaper, known for authoritative political, international and cultural coverage since its founding in 1976.
Traffic Statistics
El País attracts an estimated 90 million monthly visits, with traffic spikes tied to major news events and elections. Average sessions cover around 2.3 pages.
Traffic Sources
Organic search and direct navigation drive the majority of traffic, with social media, particularly X and Facebook, contributing meaningful referral volume.
Audience & Demographics
The readership skews male and older, with strong representation among professionals aged 35 and above across Spain and Latin America.
Geographic Reach
Spain accounts for the majority of readership, with significant audiences in Mexico, Colombia and Argentina drawn to the Spanish-language América edition.
SEO Profile
El País ranks for millions of Spanish news keywords, benefiting from its authority, breaking news speed and strong backlink profile from academic and government sources.
Technology Stack
The site runs on a custom content management system with heavy caching to handle breaking news traffic surges, served via a global CDN.
Social Media Statistics
El País maintains a large social media presence, particularly on X where it is among the most-followed Spanish-language news accounts.
Mobile App Statistics
The El País mobile app has been downloaded millions of times and offers push notifications for breaking news alongside subscriber-only content.
Company Information
Founded in 1976 in Madrid, El País is run by Grupo Prisa with an estimated newsroom of 450 journalists and digital staff.
Ownership & Investors
El País is a subsidiary of Grupo Prisa, a publicly traded Spanish media conglomerate listed on the Madrid stock exchange.
Financials
El País generates an estimated EUR 90 million in annual revenue, combining digital subscriptions, advertising and declining print sales.
Business Model
The paper relies on a metered digital subscription paywall alongside advertising, sponsored content and print sales to sustain its journalism.
Products & Services
Key offerings include the flagship digital edition, the El País América regional edition, the weekly Semanal magazine and a growing portfolio of podcasts.
Competitors
Major competitors include El Mundo, ABC.es, La Vanguardia, 20minutos and eldiario.es.
Company History & Milestones
Since launching in 1976 during Spain's transition to democracy, El País has grown into the country's most influential newspaper, introducing a digital paywall in 2019 and expanding its Latin American edition.
Latest News
El País continues to grow its digital subscriber base while Grupo Prisa reports an improving digital revenue mix.
User Reviews & Ratings
El País is widely respected for its journalism, though some readers note paywall friction and perceived editorial bias.
Pros & Cons
Pros: authoritative journalism, strong international coverage, wide Latin American reach. Cons: paywall limits, perceived bias, declining print circulation.
Key Statistics
≈90 million monthly visits, ≈260,000 digital subscribers, and around 450 newsroom staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns El País? Grupo Prisa. Is it free? A metered paywall applies after a limited number of free articles. Does it cover Latin America? Yes, via El País América.
Data Sources
Grupo Prisa annual reports, Similarweb estimates and Spanish press association data.
Last Updated
September 2026
Related Websites
El Mundo, ABC.es, La Vanguardia, 20minutos and eldiario.es.
Website Rankings
Spain's leading newspaper by traffic and one of the most-read Spanish-language news sites globally.
Revenue & Funding History
El País was founded in 1976; parent company Grupo Prisa went public in 1996 and the paper introduced its digital paywall in 2019.
Employee Statistics
El País employs approximately 450 people across its newsroom and digital operations.
Customer Statistics
The paper counts roughly 260,000 digital subscribers alongside hundreds of thousands of newsletter subscribers.
Backlink Profile
The site has around 850,000 referring domains, frequently cited by academic, government and media sources.
Top Organic Keywords
Leading keywords include "el pais", "el pais noticias", "el pais opinion" and "el pais deportes".
Top Referral Sources
Google News, direct navigation, X (Twitter) and Facebook are the top referral channels.
Website Technologies
Custom CMS, Varnish caching, React front ends and Cloudflare CDN.
Advertising & Analytics Technologies
Google Ad Manager, Prebid.js header bidding and Chartbeat analytics.
API & Developer Information
Content syndication is available to licensed media partners for republishing agreements.
International Seller Opportunities
El País offers advertising and sponsored content opportunities for Spanish and international brands targeting Spanish-speaking audiences.
Company history & milestones
- 1976
El País launches in Madrid
- 1996
Parent company Grupo Prisa goes public
- 2019
Digital subscription paywall introduced
- 2021
El País América edition expands regional coverage
- 2026
Continues growth in digital subscriber base
Latest news
- El País digital subscriptions continue steady growthExpansión · 2026
- Grupo Prisa reports improved digital revenue mixCinco Días · 2026
Pros & cons
Pros
- Authoritative, in-depth political and international coverage
- Strong investigative journalism reputation
- Wide Spanish-language reach across Latin America
- High-quality opinion and analysis sections
Cons
- Paywall limits access to some content
- Perceived left-leaning editorial stance by some readers
- Print circulation continues to decline
- Heavy advertising load on some pages
Key statistics
Frequently asked questions
Who owns El País?
El País is owned by Grupo Prisa, a Spanish media conglomerate listed on the Madrid stock exchange.
Is El País free to read?
El País uses a metered paywall, offering a limited number of free articles before requiring a subscription.
Does El País cover Latin America?
Yes, El País América provides dedicated coverage for Latin American readers.
Popular searches
Data sources & confidence
- Grupo Prisa annual reportGrupo Prisa
- Similarweb estimatesSimilarweb
- Spanish press association dataAIMC
- Data confidence
- High for ownership and corporate structure; traffic and subscriber figures are modelled estimates.
- Last updated
- September 2026
Traffic and audience figures are modelled estimates based on public industry reports and third-party analytics tools.
Social media profiles & statistics