The Fastest Internet in the World: Current Ranking by Country

It’s hard to believe that in 2025 you still have to ask yourself where to find good internet, but the question remains relevant and will probably continue to be so for some time, despite the good solutions that exist, such as Starlink and others.

Since we started working at Denationalize.me, of course, many things have changed: there are new technologies, satellites, fiber optics have been installed in many parts of the world… and yet the question of where you can connect to the Internet really quickly and stably as a traveler or entrepreneur, and above all, work reliably, remains fundamental. Therefore, it’s time to take another look at the issue.

To make everything clearer, we have divided our comparison into several rankings. First, we analyze the quality of expansion in each country, i.e., where the population has widespread access to fast broadband. After all, what good is the best fiber optics if it is only available in a few neighborhoods?

Next, we take a look at maximum speeds: in which countries are the fastest downloads theoretically possible, for all those who want to know what the maximum is.

And finally, we consider the realistic average speed, i.e., the speed at which people actually surf in their everyday lives, which is probably the most important ranking for the average remote entrepreneur. For clarity, there are three separate top 10 lists for Europe, Asia, and North and South America. This way, you can easily compare whether your next destination can really compete in terms of network and immediately see where you can work productively as a digital nomad or entrepreneur.

Once again, we want to clarify that we are not network technicians and do not intend to write a manual on fiber optics here. There are surely nerds out there who, by analyzing ping values and studying routing tables, could come up with more accurate results. We are not interested in laboratory values, but in providing a practical overview: where can you count on a fast and stable internet connection as a traveler, entrepreneur, or digital nomad? And that’s what the following rankings are for.

Countries with (almost) universal broadband access

First, we look at countries where almost the entire population has access to fast internet. This is basic broadband. Today, this can reasonably be defined as a minimum of 10 Mbit/s, as typical applications (HD streaming, video calls, etc.) work smoothly at these speeds. In these countries, it can be assumed that more than 90% of the population can connect to the internet at least at this speed, so you will hardly ever have to surf at a snail’s pace. Virtually all households have access to a broadband connection. The leaders are countries in Europe and the Middle East, which are virtually tied at around 99%:

• Kuwait
• Qatar
• Iceland
• Norway
• Netherlands
• Saudi Arabia
• Switzerland
• United Arab Emirates
• Denmark
• Luxembourg

In all these countries, the proportion of people with Internet access is almost 100% of the population. Above this threshold, it can be said that broadband Internet has become commonplace. By way of comparison, the global average in July 2025 is around 69%. Globally, this means that around one-third of the world’s population still has no access to the internet, most of them on the African continent. Although access is growing year on year, the pace is very uneven: while Europe, parts of Asia, and North America are almost entirely connected, many regions with poor infrastructure, political instability, or high access costs are lagging behind.

Countries with the highest maximum speeds

Here we compare the maximum achievable connection speeds, i.e., the highest download speeds that are technically available in each country and have already been measured. Enormous progress has been made in recent years: while maximum download speeds of 100 Mbit/s were impressive a few years ago, gigabit connections for private customers are now a reality in leading countries. This equates to around 125 megabytes per second, allowing an Ultra HD movie to be downloaded in just a few seconds. The following list shows the countries where these enormous bandwidths are already available (although, of course, not all households use them). Important: these are not all the countries that have 10 Gbit/s connections, for example, but those where the penetration of these speeds is particularly high and, above all, available to a large number of people.

• United Arab Emirates: Etisalat offers 5G and 10G home connections, a pioneering initiative in the region.
• Singapore: up to 10 Gbit/s available. The city-state has a modern and comprehensive fiber optic infrastructure; the old copper connections were already disconnected in 2019.
• South Korea: up to 10 Gbit/s, one of the first countries with 10G home connections.
• Japan: up to 10 Gbit/s, NTT offers 10 gigabit fiber in many cities.
• Romania: up to 10 Gbit/s. A model country in Eastern Europe in terms of internet, with little network congestion. Providers such as Digi supply 10G connections to cities at affordable prices.
• USA: up to 10 Gbit/s.
• Spain: up to 10 Gbit/s.
• France: up to 10 Gbit/s.
• Switzerland: up to 10 Gbit/s
• Hong Kong: up to 10 Gbit/s. Thanks to almost 100% fiber optic coverage in this densely populated metropolis, these rates are technically feasible.

Today, when we talk about ultra-fast Internet, we are no longer referring to a 100 Mbit/s connection; in many countries, that is only the basic service. The cutting edge is now moving into the gigabit league, and countries such as Singapore, South Korea, and Japan are demonstrating how these connections can already be a reality across the entire territory. It is particularly striking that Asia and parts of Eastern Europe are advancing rapidly, as they have hardly had to drag along the old copper networks and have invested heavily in fiber optics.

The Gulf countries are also setting new standards with 5G and 10G connections to be digitally competitive. Western Europe and the United States are technically up to date, but often do not achieve the same availability or value for money. In other words, other countries also have these bandwidths, but not across their entire territory. So, if you want the fastest bandwidth, you can now find it in more and more places around the world, from Tokyo to Bucharest to Dubai.

Continental comparison: where is the fastest Internet on average?

It’s time to move from the global perspective to the different continents and, above all, to the average internet speed in the fastest countries. That’s why we’ve divided the ranking into three major areas: Europe, Asia, and North and South America. This way, you can immediately see where digital infrastructure is already part of everyday life and where you still have to expect glitches and slow speeds.

The European network in the ranking

Since Europe has already performed well in the previous categories, we will now take a specific look at the internal European ranking. Here, a difference across the continent can be observed: while northern and central Europe are leading the way, some countries in southern and eastern Europe are still lagging behind. The top 10 countries in Europe in terms of average browsing speed:

Northern Europe (Iceland, Scandinavia) and small, wealthy countries (Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Andorra), where expansion is of course much easier, stand out for their excellent internet connection. It is worth noting that countries such as Romania (105 Mbit/s, ranked 32nd worldwide) and Hungary (~112 Mbit/s, ranked 29th) are also on a par with Western Europe. Germany (~88 Mbit/s) lags significantly behind. The Baltic and Eastern European countries, which were early adopters of modern networks, now surf faster than many Western European countries with outdated infrastructure.

However, there are also regional differences within Europe: rural areas in countries such as France and Italy tend to lag behind, while cities in almost all European countries already have gigabit-capable networks. Overall, however, it can be said that Europe, especially the north, is in a very good position globally when it comes to high-speed internet.

The Asian network in the ranking

For years, countries such as South Korea and Singapore have been synonymous with fast internet, which is also reflected in the figures for 2025. However, some countries in the Middle East have also joined the leaders. Here are the top 10 countries in Asia (including the Middle East) according to average speed.

Asia presents a divided picture: East Asia (in particular, high-tech countries such as South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore) and the digital pioneers of the Middle East (Israel, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates) record enormous speeds, with money and constant investment in infrastructure playing an important role. China lags significantly behind, with an average of ~37.6 Mbit/s, which, on the one hand, is due to the numerous rural areas, but, on the other hand, is surprising, as China has the highest number of fiber optic connections in the world in absolute terms.

The most populous countries, India and Indonesia, only reach 19.5 Mbit/s and 45.9 Mbit/s, respectively, where a large part of the population still connects to the internet with slow mobile connections. Overall, East Asia is pulling away from the rest of the continent. However, it is interesting to note that some city-states or regions (Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore) achieve enormous values thanks to their compact size. Thus, Asia has, on the one hand, absolute leaders and, on the other, many countries with recovery needs, so the digital divide is relatively large.

The American network in the ranking

Finally, let’s take a look at the Americas. Here it is worth considering North America, Central America, and South America together, as the two American continents are heterogeneous in terms of Internet speed. In North America, the United States and Canada have long been the leaders, but in South America, especially in the southern tip (Chile, Uruguay), they are rapidly catching up. The top 10 by average speed:

The ranking shows that although North America is still in the lead, Latin America is making huge strides. The United States ranks first, but it is followed closely by Canada and Uruguay, two countries that are only slightly slower. Uruguay is particularly surprising: a few years ago, the average speed there was in the double digits, but now the country is the leader in South America thanks to its nationwide network coverage. Chile even took the lead globally in 2022 and remains the leader in the region, although others are following in its footsteps.

Larger countries such as Mexico and Colombia do not appear here, as they are below the global average. In general, northeastern America (US/Canada) and the southern cone countries of South America (Chile, Uruguay) have the fastest internet in the Americas, while Central America and most Caribbean countries continue to lag far behind, with a few islands standing out positively (Barbados, Grenada, etc.).

The Americas are also an example of how inequality within a country lowers average values: in the US, for example, around 85% of households have broadband >=25 Mbit/s, but there are still rural regions with slow connections. The same is true in Brazil and Mexico. Therefore, the highest values in the Americas are mainly achieved in metropolitan areas: for example, someone living in New York or Toronto surfs much faster than someone living in rural Kansas or Oaxaca.

Mobile internet around the world: the best solutions for 2025

Of course, today you can also do without local providers altogether and use global offerings. As the leading global solution today, Starlink offers high-speed internet almost everywhere in the world, independent of local mobile or cable networks. Since 2025, there have been new rates and special devices for travelers. Another new feature is Starlink Mini, a more compact kit that fits in a backpack and can run on direct current.

Starlink has thousands of satellites in low orbit and now covers all continents and most of the oceans (it can be used in over 100 countries). In practice, download speeds of between 100 and 200 Mbit/s (in some cases up to 250 Mbit/s) and upload speeds of between 10 and 20 Mbit/s are achieved. This allows for video conferencing, etc., even in remote regions. However, a clear view of the sky is necessary, as trees, buildings, or bad weather can affect the connection.

The big advantage of Starlink is that it does not depend on local infrastructure: whether in rural areas, in the mountains, or at sea near the coast, it provides broadband Internet where there was none before. The disadvantages are the size of the hardware and the installation: the satellite dish is quite bulky. Although Starlink “Roam” is designed for travel, internet during the trip requires special hardware. In addition, Starlink is not available in some countries for regulatory reasons. For boats, Starlink offers connection near the coast through Roam rates; on the open sea, it is necessary to use an “ocean mode” or an expensive maritime subscription. However, overall, Starlink 2025 is an excellent and proven option for worldwide Internet access, especially if you often work outside the range of mobile networks.

International eSIM with Denationalize.me

Thanks to our partner Pangia, we can now also offer you our own service that connects you instantly to the internet in over 100 countries around the world, without long queues at the airport or complicated rates. You no longer have to search for a SIM card in each new country, check roaming costs, top up your balance, and, in the worst case, be left without a connection. Your international eSIM card with Denationalize.me is ready for you.

With this solution, you only need to install an eSIM once and you can automatically browse on the best available network. No hidden roaming traps, no expensive daily passes: just connect and start browsing. The costs remain predictable: flat data rates for less than €1 per day and flexible terms make the solution particularly attractive for you as a digital nomad, frequent traveler, or entrepreneur.

It is also planned that you will soon be able to have multiple phone numbers from different countries (e.g., US, EU) on the same eSIM, which is perfect for you if you work internationally and want to be reachable.

And because Denationalize.me is more than just technology, the eSIM is integrated into a community of like-minded people: networking events, impactful projects, and real connections around the world. In this way, the eSIM becomes not just a digital tool, but part of a global movement of people who live and work without borders.

We help you with your international life

We make sure that your international life is not frustrated by bureaucracy or bad providers. For over 10 years now, we have been helping entrepreneurs, digital nomads, frequent travelers, and freedom lovers build their global structure, from the right mobile phone and internet solution to registering international companies, changes of residence, or a new citizenship.

Don’t let local regulations slow you down. Take control of your life and design your own rules, not the ones the state has programmed for you.

If you’re ready to take the next step: contact us and we’ll show you how you can live and work without limits.

Because your life is yours!