As of March 2025, Singapore had the fastest fixed broadband internet worldwide, with an average download speed of 345.33 Mbps. The UAE ranked second at 313.55 Mbps, while Hong Kong followed in third. Fixed internet connections deliver broadband to a home, office, or other fixed premises, with fiber connections offering the best quality service.

The statistic shows the countries with the highest average internet connection speed during the first quarter of 2017, measured in Megabits per second. During that quarter, IPv4 internet connections in Norway averaged a connection speed of 23.5 Mbps. The global average IPv4 connection speed was 7.2 Mbps.

Average connection speeds are higher in developed Asian countries; South Korea leads with an average connection speed of 28.6 Mbps. This is a growth of more than 9.3 percent to the first quarter of the previous year.

The U.S. states with the highest average internet connection speed include Delaware, District of Columbia and Utah, with first-ranking D.C. having an average connection speed of some 28.1 Mbps as of the first quarter of 2017.

As of the same period, 83 percent of internet users in South Korea enjoyed a connection speed of over 10 Mbps, which is classed as high broadband connectivity. Next in the 10 Mbps broadband adoption rate ranking are Switzerland and the Singapore with 73 percent of high broadband connectivity each. Both Switzerland and Singapore's relatively small size combined with their wealth are a significant factor in terms of telecommunications infrastructure upgrades.

Up until the beginning of 2014, average connection speeds worldwide were under 4 Mbps and by the fourth quarter of 2016, global connection speed averaged at 7 Mbps.

As of June 2024, Qatar had the fastest average mobile internet connection worldwide, nearly 335 Mbps. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) followed, registering average median speed above 323 Mbps. Fixed-connection speeds around the world When it comes to fixed broadband connections, Singapore tops the list of countries by average connection speed. Internet users in Singapore achieve an average fixed broadband connection speed of 242.01 Mbps, slightly faster than the 222.49 Mbps achieved in Chile, the second-placed country on the speed rankings. 5G and 6G – the future of mobile broadband In countries where it is in use, 5G is already bringing faster mobile internet connection speeds than ever before. In Saudi Arabia for example, the average 4G connection speed sits at 28.9 Mbps, and this speed jumps to 414.2 Mbps on a 5G connection. Now that 5G is commercially available, researchers have already turned their attention to 6G. Operating at a higher spectrum band, 6G will allow connections several times faster than 5G. User experienced data rates of 5G sit at 100 Mbps, and this speed is expected to climb to 1,000 Mbps on 6G connections. 6G is expected to not only provide faster speeds, but also enable more devices to connect to a network without causing congestion as it has a connection density ten times greater than that of 5G.

This dataset provides values for INTERNET SPEED reported in several countries. The data includes current values, previous releases, historical highs and record lows, release frequency, reported unit and currency.

Countries with the highest speeds demonstrate examples of efficient infrastructure and investment in digital technologies, providing their citizens with fast and stable internet. In contrast, countries with low speeds face numerous challenges, especially economic ones.

Within the Asia Pacific region, South Korea had the highest average IPv4 internet connection speed at 28.6 megabits per second (Mbps). Considering this, it comes as no surprise that South Korea also had the highest internet penetration rate and the highest 4G download speed  across Asia. This was due to governmental efforts to facilitate the expansion and improvement of internet. 

Current state of internet in Asia 

Although Singapore had the third-fastest average IPv4 connection speed as of 2017, in 2018, it nonetheless had the fastest internet overall with a mean download speed of 60.39 Mbps, surpassing larger countries such as the U.S. and Germany.  Although India and the Philippines had the lowest average internet connection speeds, its year-on-year growth was higher than the leading countries with respectively 87% and 57%. In the Philippines, the government carried out a National Broadband Plan (NBP) to increase nationwide internet access. Similarly, the Indian government had also proposed a national broadband network to connect all cities and villages. 

Internet connection speed explained 

Megabits per second (Mbps) refer to the speed with which information can be downloaded or uploaded from and to the internet. For the Federal Communications Commission, a sufficient broadband internet connection requires a minimum of 25 Mbps for downloads and 3 Mbps for uploads. In the world of internet, connection speeds above 20 Mbps enable swift web surfing, HD content streaming as well as fast downloads. 

The statistic presents the average download speed of broadband internet in Latin American countries from July 2023 to June 2024 measured in Megabits per second (Mbps). In that period of time, Uruguay presented the highest broadband internet speed in Latin America, with an average download speed of over 111 Mbps.

The average internet download speed in Sub-Saharan Africa was highest in Rwanda, South Africa, and Burkina Faso in 2026. These countries registered internet speeds reaching 39.89 megabits per second (Mbps), 36.46 Mbps, and 35.64 Mbps, respectively. On average, the download speed in Sub-Saharan Africa was measured at 12.11 Mbps (excluding Mayotte and Réunion). For countries in the region, it took around 1.5 hours to download a 5G movie.

An analysis of average internet speeds across U.S. states in 2025, highlighting the fastest and slowest regions.

This statistic shows the average connection speeds in Europe in 2017, broken down by country (in Mbps). The top three connection speeds were found in Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. The slowest average connection speed was found in Cyprus.

This data compares Australia's performance in broadband against the other 30 OECD nations (at Dec 2018). A graph ordered by count of subs over 100Mbps puts Australia in the bottom two (since we have no over 100Mbps at Dec 2018).A presentation titled; "Maximising the Value of the NBN; comparing our NBN to Australia's Top 10 Trading Partners and the OECD", attached for presentation 25 Feb 2020, Telsoc event (link added below at Telsoc.org; includes video of event). Event Title: NBN Futures Forum - Learning from International Experience (Description added). Melbourne.Version: 14: Paper published in Journal of Telecomms and Digital Economy; Vol 8, No. 2 (Jun 2020) - see DOI below (10.18080/jtde.v8n2.252)13; add slideshare link.12. Original OECD file found with AU speed breakdown - now loaded. Confirming speed analysis of AU.11. Loaded copy of OECD data file. File now contains only aggregate Australia data. No breakdown by speed available from OECD site. This casts some doubt on the AU breakdown, provided in file attached, and may be a revision of the stats or an Author error. (28.2.20)10.FINAL slides loaded (24.2.20)9. Added OECD as Author.8. Draft v3 of slides (18.2.20).7. Seminar 25/2/20 (link added); Slides Draft v1, v2 slides added (pdf).6. Added pdf of Submission (Sub_016_RF.pdf) to Inquiry into NBN, and link to published submission. (Appendix 1 links not working). A separate Appendix 1 with working links now attached.4/5. Uploaded cleaned up Graph, with better legible x-axis. Countries marked with * are Australia's Top 10 Trading Partners - exports, imports.3. (Jan 2020) - adds China, Singapore who are non-OECD, and Australia 2009 (Source ABS 8153.00).Add filter, to allow comparing - all OECD (plus China, Singapore), filter = 1 (top 10 AU trading Partners), filter = 2 (AU 2009, 2018, post build NBN). Added slower speed for AU 2009.China estimate of slower speeds, based on s-curve take-up of high speed, see CNNIC Report (linked below). Singapore data - source to add. A calc of weighted average puts Australia in the bottom 3 of 30 OECD countries, just ahead of Colombia and Mexico, behind Chile, Turkey and Austria.ERRATA;Noted OECD original file, now no longer contains a breakdown of AU speeds, casting doubt on dataset. 28.2.20, corrected in V12.Noted China User count error is slowest speed - to amend. Noted calc error in V2 of average speed. Corrected in V3.OECD data available at: OECD Broadband Portalhttps://oecd.org/sti/broadband/5.1-FixedBB-SpeedTiers-2018-06.xlsNB: OECD should be an author of this dataset, but Figshare currently doesn't allow OECD to be included as an author, since they are not a known author in the Figshare system. Please cite as Ferrers, R, and OECD (2019). Title etc...Counts are measured in subscriptions per hundred people.SPEEDS>1.5/2 Mbps (megabits per second)>10 Mbps>25/30 Mbps>100 MbpsThe categories seem to mean;1.5 - 10Mbps | 10-30Mbps | 30-100Mbps | >100Mbps. A graph aggregates to three categories; slow (Under 30mbps), medium, 30-100 mbps) and fast (>100 mbps)This data is a response to the NBN sponsored report from Alpha Beta suggesting Australia is 19 / 37 countries and ahead of Germany, France and China. NBN report at: https://nbn.tm/Speed-CheckBased on Dec 2018 #OECD DATA of internet speeds as reported by each of 30 countries - AU is at the bottom end of speeds, one of the few to report 0% over 100mbps eg France 5 subs/100 ppl over 100mbps; Germany 6; Spain 9, US 9; Canada 10. #nbnCalculation of weighted average speed of broadband users puts Australia 32 / 34 countries at 7mbps. Impacted by large number of under 25mbps services (27/33).NEWS (2.9.20): China reports 417M FTTP/O connections (93% of total fixed connections) at Dec 19, and 85% of fixed connections at 100Mbps or over. https://cnnic.com.cn/IDR/ReportDownloads/

As of November 2024, the median download speed of mobile internet in South Korea was about ****** Mbps. Comparatively, the median download speed of mobile internet in Pakistan was approximately ***** Mbps.

South Korea topped a 2025 ranking of 5G download speeds with an average speed of 435 Mbps, far ahead of second-placed Bulgaria at just short of 199 Mbps. The global telecommunications industry is investing heavily in 5G infrastructure to meet the surging demand for faster and more reliable mobile connections. Global 5G expansion and adoption The rollout of 5G networks is accelerating worldwide, with an estimated 2.27 billion 5G mobile subscriptions in 2024. This figure is expected to reach nearly 5.65 billion by the end of the decade, surpassing 4G as the dominant mobile network technology. However, adoption rates vary significantly across regions, with North America leading at almost 97 percent population coverage in 2023, followed by East Asia and the Pacific at around 73 percent. Impact on data consumption and connectivity The adoption of 5G is accompanying substantial growth in mobile data consumption, with monthly traffic forecast to exceed 466 exabytes by the end of the decade. This surge in data traffic is being driven by shifting consumption habits, including the use of data intensive artificial intelligence services, cloud technology, and content streaming.

The average download speed in North Africa was highest in Morocco, Egypt, and Tunisia. In 2023, the countries registered internet speeds reaching 15.49 Megabits per second (Mbps), 9.75 Mbps, and 9.6 Mbps, respectively. For the Northern African countries, it took, on average, one hour, 15 minutes, and 52 seconds to download a 5GB movie.

South Korea is one of the best connected countries worldwide, with around 97.4 percent of its population using the internet. In addition, South Korea was among the countries with the highest average mobile internet connection speed worldwide.

Internet service providers have enjoyed growth over the current period. Consumers increasingly demanding faster internet speed in developed economies have boosted ISPs' performance amid sluggish subscriber growth. While rising mobile data subscriptions have constrained growth for ISPs in some developing regions, fixed broadband expansion in developing countries like China and India has bolstered growth. The emergence of powerful personal and business internet applications has transformed how businesses and consumers operate and has also presented opportunities for ISPs to offer additional high-margin services, benefitting profit. Overall, industry-wide revenue has been increasing at a CAGR of 6.5% over the past five years and is expected to total $1.7 trillion in 2024, when revenue will climb by an estimated 2.1%. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, ISPs enjoyed a surge in growth in the residential market as work and school shifted to remote, increasing customers' need for faster Internet with greater bandwidth. The falling need for services by businesses and academic institutions offset gains in the residential market and led to overall declines in 2020. Over the outlook period, ISPs will continue to enjoy growth. Climbing average cost per user will spur growth in developed economies as broadband subscription growth slows. While headwinds dissuade ISPs from investing in privatized fiber-to-the-source services in developing regions, consumers growing attraction to faster internet speeds will induce ISPs to make these investments, particularly in Southeast and Central Asia, where government investment is spurring infrastructure growth. Industry revenue is forecast to increase at a CAGR of 2.2% through the end of 2029 to total $1.9 trillion.

The statistic shows the average download speed of broadband internet in Caribbean countries as of June 2023, measured in Megabits per second (Mbps). In that period of time, the Cayman Islands had the highest broadband internet speed in the Caribbean, with an average download speed of over 125 Mbps.

In 2024, it was found that 95 percent of the population in Malaysia, Singapore,United Arab Emirates, and Switzerland were mobile internet users. New Zealand had a mobile internet penetration of approximately 94.6 percent. The UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain also rank among the countries with the fastest average mobile internet speed worldwide.

Romania achieved the best result in the fixed broadband internet speed ranking of all Central and Eastern European countries. Data downloading in Romania amounted to 211.66 Mbps while uploading 138.74 Mbps as of May 2024. Other countries with fast mobile internet were Hungary and Poland. Moldova and Lithuania were leaders in the ranking of the lowest ping speed among other countries in the CEE region.

As of May 2023, the average download speed on Singapore's 5G network was 376.8 Mbps, while the average upload speed reached 30 Mbps. Consumers enjoy maximum download speeds of 718.8 Mbps on average. This connection speed is enabled by the city-state's network coverage. Singapore is in fact, the first country in the world to be fully covered by standalone 5G since July 2022.

5G landscape in Singapore and leading providers 

Singtel, StarHub, and M1 are the main providers responsible for operating 5G networks nationwide. Singtel has led this development, achieving over 95 percent standalone coverage in July 2022, three years ahead of the government's 2025 target. As the leading provider, Singtel delivers the best 5G coverage experience across the country. The Singaporean provider also delivered the best average 5G download speed, with a score of 32.8 Mbps. Consumers are gradually turning to 5G mobile subscriptions, with steady growth since July 2022. Subscriptions reached a peak of 1.32 million in March 2023. Among these, Singtel’s total 5G customer base represents more than 760 thousand users.

Consumer experience

The standalone network offers faster downloads and low latency, which is essential for uses such as video streaming, cloud gaming, and other data-intensive uses. The gaming experience via 5G is estimated to be excellent in the country, as well as the video experience, for which Starhub offered the best performance. As of July 2022, 12 percent of consumers owned a 5G-capable smartphone in the country, and 24 percent of these intended to upgrade to a 5G subscription. Among these smartphones, the iPhone 14 Pro Max ranked as the fastest phone, based on its median download speed of 24.63 Mbps on a 5G network.