As of May 2025, Singapore had the fastest fixed broadband internet worldwide, with a median download speed of 372.02 Mbps. France ranked second at 315.38 Mbps, while the UAE followed in third. Fixed internet connections deliver broadband to a home, office, or other fixed premises, with fiber connections offering the best quality service.

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.

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.

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.

Within the Asia Pacific region, South Korea had the highest average IPv4 internet connection speed at **** 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 ***** 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 **% and **%. 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 ** Mbps for downloads and * Mbps for uploads. In the world of internet, connection speeds above ** Mbps enable swift web surfing, HD content streaming as well as fast downloads. 

As of February 2025, China ranked first among the countries with the most internet users worldwide. The world's most populated country had 1.11 billion internet users, more than triple the third-ranked United States, with just around 322 million internet users. Overall, all BRIC markets had over two billion internet users, accounting for four of the ten countries with more than 100 million internet users. Worldwide internet usage As of October 2024, there were more than five billion internet users worldwide. There are, however, stark differences in user distribution according to region. Eastern Asia is home to 1.34 billion internet users, while African and Middle Eastern regions had lower user figures. Moreover, the urban areas showed a higher percentage of internet access than rural areas. Internet use in China China ranks first in the list of countries with the most internet users. Due to its ongoing and fast-paced economic development and a cultural inclination towards technology, more than a billion of the estimated 1.4 billion population in China are online. As of the third quarter of 2023, around 87 percent of Chinese internet users stated using WeChat, the most popular social network in the country. On average, Chinese internet users spent five hours and 33 minutes online daily.

As of February 2025, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates ed the ranking of countries with the highest internet penetration rate, all recording ** percent. The worldwide internet penetration rate as of the same research period was **** percent. Most connected regions According to the most recent observations, Northern Europe ranked first among global regions by connectivity rate. The share of the population accessing the internet in this region was nearly ** percent. Western Europe ranked second, followed by Northern America. Overall, the internet reach was higher than ** percent across all European regions, as well as Northern and Southern Americas. Unconnected populations Despite having the biggest online audiences worldwide, India and China are also the markets with the highest number of individuals not connected to the web. Regarding the share of population without internet access in worldwide markets, North Korea ranks first, as the internet in the country remains blocked for most of the general public as of April 2025. Burundi had **** percent of its population unconnected, followed by Chad, with **** percent.

EU Countries with the Highest Share of Households with a Fixed Broadband Connection, 2016 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

EU Countries with the Highest Share of Households with a Mobile Broadband Connection, 2016 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

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 *** Mbps.

The average for 2023 based on 7 countries was 83.51 percent. The highest value was in Chile: 94.12 percent and the lowest value was in Ecuador: 72.69 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2020, 89 percent of households in the EU-27 had access to broadband internet. The Netherlands and Iceland were among the countries with the highest rates. This statistic shows the share of households in selected European countries with access to the internet via a broadband connection as of 2020.

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.

The average for 2023 based on 59 countries was 87.67 percent. The highest value was in Bahrain: 100 percent and the lowest value was in Malawi: 18 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

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 average for 2023 based on 1 countries was 18 percent. The highest value was in Malawi: 18 percent and the lowest value was in Malawi: 18 percent. The indicator is available from 1960 to 2023. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

As of February 2025, India was the country with the largest offline population worldwide. The South Asian country had over 651 million people without internet connection. China ranked second, with around 311.9 million people not connected to the internet. Despite these large shares of the disconnected population in these countries, China and India ranked first and second, respectively, as countries with the highest number of internet users worldwide. Internet access in Africa In 2023, Africa lagged behind other global regions regarding internet penetration rate, as only 37 percent of the continent’s population accessed the web. In contrast, around 91 percent of Europe’s population were internet users. This is heavily influenced by the infrastructure development in the region. However, some improvements are forecasted, as by 2028, the internet penetration rate in Africa will be at an estimated 48.15 percent. Global internet access challenges: disruptions and restrictions Government internet shutdowns around the world are another challenge for internet access. Between 2015 and the first half of 2023, 172 local internet connection disruptions occurred due to protests globally. Moreover, according to a 2023report on internet freedom, almost four out of ten global internet users were deprived of essential freedoms on online platforms. In 2023, 76 new restrictions on internet usage were implemented worldwide. Asia led in imposing these restrictions, accounting for approximately 55 cases across various countries in the region.

The share of fast fixed-broadband subscriptions in Mexico was forecast to remain on a similar level in 2028 as compared to 2023 with 100 percent. According to this forecast, the share will stay nearly the same over the forecast period.Fast fixed-broadband internet connections are here defined as connections that exceed download speeds of 10 Mbit/s.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the share of fast fixed-broadband subscriptions in countries like Canada and the United States.

The ranking of internet costs in various countries shows significant differences, driven by economic, political, and infrastructure factors.