Mobile Internet Speed 2016
Mobile internet speed evaluates the download and upload rates on cellular networks, crucial for mobile connectivity.
Interactive Map
Complete Data Rankings
Rank | Actions | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1 |  Monaco | 49.936 Mbps | |
2 |  Gibraltar | 48.737 Mbps | |
3 |  Switzerland | 45.086 Mbps | |
4 |  Andorra | 45.012 Mbps | |
5 |  Denmark | 42.97 Mbps | |
6 |  France | 42.528 Mbps | |
7 |  Liechtenstein | 42.363 Mbps | |
8 |  Netherlands | 41.981 Mbps | |
9 |  Norway | 40.24 Mbps | |
10 |  South Korea | 40.071 Mbps | |
11 |  Cayman Islands | 38.883 Mbps | |
12 |  United Kingdom | 38.659 Mbps | |
13 |  Germany | 38.499 Mbps | |
14 |  Iceland | 38.15 Mbps | |
15 |  Belgium | 37.681 Mbps | |
16 |  Malta | 37.618 Mbps | |
17 |  Sweden | 37.082 Mbps | |
18 |  Canada | 36.823 Mbps | |
19 |  Faroe Islands | 36.292 Mbps | |
20 |  Bermuda | 35.93 Mbps | |
21 |  China, Hong Kong SAR | 35.448 Mbps | |
22 |  San Marino | 35.128 Mbps | |
23 |  Luxembourg | 34.807 Mbps | |
24 |  Greece | 33.549 Mbps | |
25 |  Portugal | 32.626 Mbps | |
26 |  New Zealand | 32.462 Mbps | |
27 |  Belarus | 32.293 Mbps | |
28 |  United States | 32.114 Mbps | |
29 |  Cyprus | 32.013 Mbps | |
30 |  Estonia | 31.499 Mbps | |
31 |  Japan | 31.304 Mbps | |
32 |  Finland | 31.153 Mbps | |
33 |  Barbados | 31.076 Mbps | |
34 |  Australia | 30.308 Mbps | |
35 |  Spain | 30.199 Mbps | |
36 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 30.118 Mbps | |
37 |  Lithuania | 29.896 Mbps | |
38 |  Czech Republic | 29.149 Mbps | |
39 |  Austria | 28.878 Mbps | |
40 |  Hungary | 28.689 Mbps | |
41 |  Ireland | 28.615 Mbps | |
42 |  Slovenia | 28.589 Mbps | |
43 |  Singapore | 28.539 Mbps | |
44 |  China, Macao SAR | 28.055 Mbps | |
45 |  Israel | 27.503 Mbps | |
46 |  Uruguay | 27.274 Mbps | |
47 |  Latvia | 26.489 Mbps | |
48 |  Italy | 25.734 Mbps | |
49 |  Curaçao | 25.457 Mbps | |
50 |  Croatia | 25.234 Mbps | |
51 |  Slovakia | 24.626 Mbps | |
52 |  Bulgaria | 23.818 Mbps | |
53 |  China | 22.976 Mbps | |
54 |  Romania | 22.498 Mbps | |
55 |  Dominica | 22.25 Mbps | |
56 |  Bahamas | 21.937 Mbps | |
57 |  Saudi Arabia | 20.827 Mbps | |
58 |  Serbia | 20.609 Mbps | |
59 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 20.56 Mbps | |
60 |  French Polynesia | 19.859 Mbps | |
61 |  Puerto Rico | 19.76 Mbps | |
62 |  North Macedonia | 19.453 Mbps | |
63 |  Poland | 19.151 Mbps | |
64 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 19.075 Mbps | |
65 |  Russia | 18.88 Mbps | |
66 |  Montenegro | 18.398 Mbps | |
67 |  British Virgin Islands | 18.354 Mbps | |
68 |  Azerbaijan | 18.277 Mbps | |
69 |  Grenada | 18.085 Mbps | |
70 |  Georgia | 17.96 Mbps | |
71 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 17.785 Mbps | |
72 |  Republic of Moldova | 17.216 Mbps | |
73 |  Saint Lucia | 16.958 Mbps | |
74 |  Argentina | 16.519 Mbps | |
75 |  Mauritius | 16.458 Mbps | |
76 |  Bahrain | 16.255 Mbps | |
77 |  Chile | 15.901 Mbps | |
78 |  United Arab Emirates | 14.368 Mbps | |
79 |  Brazil | 13.218 Mbps | |
80 |  Costa Rica | 13.131 Mbps | |
81 |  Mexico | 13.026 Mbps | |
82 |  Turkey | 12.859 Mbps | |
83 |  Kazakhstan | 12.797 Mbps | |
84 |  Seychelles | 12.78 Mbps | |
85 |  Colombia | 12.465 Mbps | |
86 |  Suriname | 12.117 Mbps | |
87 |  Ukraine | 12.034 Mbps | |
88 |  Panama | 10.671 Mbps | |
89 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 10.294 Mbps | |
90 |  Armenia | 10.25 Mbps | |
91 |  Thailand | 10.188 Mbps | |
92 |  Jamaica | 10.181 Mbps | |
93 |  Qatar | 9.761 Mbps | |
94 |  Ecuador | 9.752 Mbps | |
95 |  Vietnam | 9.679 Mbps | |
96 |  Albania | 9.192 Mbps | |
97 |  Iran | 9.078 Mbps | |
98 |  Uzbekistan | 8.779 Mbps | |
99 |  Malaysia | 8.552 Mbps | |
100 |  Venezuela | 8.496 Mbps | |
101 |  Brunei Darussalam | 8.448 Mbps | |
102 |  Guyana | 7.492 Mbps | |
103 |  Mongolia | 7.437 Mbps | |
104 |  Dominican Republic | 7.215 Mbps | |
105 |  Algeria | 7 Mbps | |
106 |  State of Palestine | 6.922 Mbps | |
107 |  Peru | 6.871 Mbps | |
108 |  Maldives | 6.611 Mbps | |
109 |  El Salvador | 6.375 Mbps | |
110 |  Oman | 6.355 Mbps | |
111 |  Tunisia | 5.554 Mbps | |
112 |  Syrian Arab Republic | 5.26 Mbps | |
113 |  Belize | 5.038 Mbps | |
114 |  Egypt | 4.397 Mbps | |
115 |  Tuvalu | 4.117 Mbps | |
116 |  Bangladesh | 4.099 Mbps | |
117 |  Sri Lanka | 4.072 Mbps | |
118 |  Paraguay | 3.947 Mbps | |
119 |  Kyrgyzstan | 3.943 Mbps | |
120 |  Morocco | 3.585 Mbps | |
121 |  Guatemala | 3.11 Mbps | |
122 |  Cabo Verde | 3.032 Mbps | |
123 |  Jordan | 2.971 Mbps | |
124 |  Micronesia (Fed. States of) | 2.905 Mbps | |
125 |  Tonga | 2.843 Mbps | |
126 |  Nicaragua | 2.84 Mbps | |
127 |  Philippines | 2.797 Mbps | |
128 |  Botswana | 2.643 Mbps | |
129 |  Namibia | 2.638 Mbps | |
130 |  Bolivia | 2.572 Mbps | |
131 |  Libya | 2.547 Mbps | |
132 |  Kuwait | 2.532 Mbps | |
133 |  Honduras | 2.341 Mbps | |
134 |  Djibouti | 2.339 Mbps | |
135 |  Bhutan | 2.205 Mbps | |
136 |  Marshall Islands | 2.096 Mbps | |
137 |  South Africa | 2.01 Mbps | |
138 |  Indonesia | 1.975 Mbps | |
139 |  Vanuatu | 1.612 Mbps | |
140 |  Cameroon | 1.555 Mbps | |
141 |  India | 1.388 Mbps | |
142 |  Fiji | 1.342 Mbps | |
143 |  Zimbabwe | 1.17 Mbps | |
144 |  Pakistan | 1.13 Mbps | |
145 |  Samoa | 1.066 Mbps | |
146 |  Yemen | 0.86 Mbps | |
147 |  Nepal | 0.802 Mbps | |
148 |  Turkmenistan | 0.734 Mbps | |
149 |  Gabon | 0.715 Mbps | |
150 |  Sao Tome and Principe | 0.7 Mbps | |
151 |  Senegal | 0.654 Mbps | |
152 |  Somalia | 0.641 Mbps | |
153 |  Togo | 0.621 Mbps | |
154 |  Cambodia | 0.616 Mbps | |
155 |  Eswatini | 0.609 Mbps | |
156 |  Tanzania | 0.592 Mbps | |
157 |  Côte d'Ivoire | 0.525 Mbps | |
158 |  Ethiopia | 0.524 Mbps | |
159 |  Laos | 0.354 Mbps | |
160 |  Ghana | 0.295 Mbps | |
161 |  Angola | 0.29 Mbps | |
162 |  Kenya | 0.276 Mbps | |
163 |  Mauritania | 0.273 Mbps | |
164 |  Solomon Islands | 0.247 Mbps | |
165 |  Uganda | 0.237 Mbps | |
166 |  Equatorial Guinea | 0.224 Mbps | |
167 |  Comoros | 0.22 Mbps | |
168 |  Benin | 0.191 Mbps | |
169 |  Papua New Guinea | 0.19 Mbps | |
170 |  Zambia | 0.188 Mbps | |
171 |  Rwanda | 0.182 Mbps | |
172 |  Myanmar | 0.174 Mbps | |
173 |  Mozambique | 0.17 Mbps | |
174 |  Liberia | 0.168 Mbps | |
175 |  Gambia | 0.164 Mbps | |
176 |  Cuba | 0.128 Mbps | |
177 |  Mali | 0.112 Mbps | |
178 |  Lesotho | 0.105 Mbps | |
179 |  Madagascar | 0.101 Mbps | |
180 |  Kiribati | 0.093 Mbps | |
181 |  Tajikistan | 0.068 Mbps | |
182 |  Burkina Faso | 0.064 Mbps | |
183 |  Sudan | 0.064 Mbps | |
184 |  Nigeria | 0.055 Mbps | |
185 |  Malawi | 0.05 Mbps | |
186 |  Guinea-Bissau | 0.048 Mbps | |
187 |  Niger | 0.037 Mbps | |
188 |  Chad | 0.034 Mbps | |
189 |  Burundi | 0.029 Mbps | |
190 |  Afghanistan | 0.025 Mbps | |
191 |  Eritrea | 0.019 Mbps | |
192 |  Central African Republic | 0.016 Mbps | |
193 |  Haiti | 0.013 Mbps | |
194 |  Guinea | 0.009 Mbps | |
195 |  South Sudan | 0.001 Mbps | |
196 |  Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 0.001 Mbps |
- #1Monaco
- #2Gibraltar
- #3Switzerland
- #4Andorra
- #5Denmark
- #6France
- #7Liechtenstein
- #8Netherlands
- #9Norway
- #10South Korea
Analysis: These countries represent the highest values in this dataset, showcasing significant scale and impact on global statistics.
- #196Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- #195South Sudan
- #194Guinea
- #193Haiti
- #192Central African Republic
- #191Eritrea
- #190Afghanistan
- #189Burundi
- #188Chad
- #187Niger
Context: These countries or territories have the lowest values, often due to geographic size, administrative status, or specific characteristics.
Analysis & Context
In 2016, Monaco led the world in Mobile Internet Speed with a download rate of 49.94 Mbps, while speeds globally ranged from 0.00 to 49.94 Mbps. The global average speed was 13.68 Mbps, providing a benchmark for evaluating connectivity across different regions.
Economic Prosperity and High Mobile Internet Speeds
The correlation between economic prosperity and high mobile internet speeds is evident from the data. Countries such as Monaco (49.94 Mbps), Switzerland (45.09 Mbps), and Denmark (42.97 Mbps) not only top the list for mobile internet speeds but are also known for their high GDP per capita and robust digital infrastructure. These nations have invested significantly in telecommunications technology, which is often facilitated by strong economic capabilities. The presence of advanced 4G networks and widespread smartphone adoption further contributes to their superior connectivity.
In contrast, countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo (0.00 Mbps) and South Sudan (0.001 Mbps) are at the bottom of the list, reflecting economic challenges and limited infrastructure investment. These nations often struggle with political instability and resource constraints, which hinder the development of comprehensive telecommunications networks.
Geographic and Policy Drivers of Internet Speed
Geography and national policy also play critical roles in determining mobile internet speeds. For example, South Korea (40.07 Mbps) has a strategic focus on becoming a global leader in ICT, supported by government initiatives that promote technological innovation and infrastructure improvements. Its compact geography allows for denser network coverage, enhancing speed and reliability.
Similarly, France (42.53 Mbps) and Netherlands (41.98 Mbps) benefit from proactive telecommunications policies and competitive markets that drive technological advancement. In contrast, countries with vast rural areas and challenging terrains, such as Afghanistan (0.03 Mbps), face significant obstacles in deploying widespread and efficient mobile networks.
Year-over-Year Trends and Notable Changes
The year-over-year trends reveal significant changes in mobile internet speeds for certain countries. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines experienced the most substantial increase, with speeds rising by 4.70 Mbps, a 29.7% improvement. This surge can be attributed to recent investments in network infrastructure and increased competition among service providers, which often leads to better service offerings and lower costs for consumers.
Conversely, Bermuda saw the most significant decrease, with speeds dropping by 11.34 Mbps, equating to a 24.0% decline. This reduction could be due to network congestion or economic factors affecting investment in technology upgrades. Other countries like Cayman Islands and Saint Kitts and Nevis also reported notable decreases, suggesting regional challenges in maintaining or upgrading existing telecommunications infrastructure.
Implications for Global Connectivity
The disparities in mobile internet speeds highlight important implications for global connectivity and digital inclusion. High-speed mobile internet is crucial for economic activities, education, and access to information, making it a key factor in economic development and quality of life. Countries with slower speeds face challenges in participating fully in the digital economy, potentially widening the digital divide.
Efforts to improve mobile internet speeds in lower-performing countries should focus on infrastructure development, policy reforms, and international cooperation to ensure equitable access to digital resources. As mobile internet becomes increasingly integral to daily life, understanding and addressing these disparities will be essential for fostering inclusive growth and innovation worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mobile Internet Speed in 2016
Which country had the highest mobile internet speed in 2016?
Monaco had the highest mobile internet speed in 2016, with a speed of 49.94 Mbps.
Which country had the lowest mobile internet speed in 2016?
The Democratic Republic of the Congo had the lowest mobile internet speed in 2016, with a speed of 0 Mbps.
What was the average mobile internet speed across all countries in 2016?
The average mobile internet speed across all countries in 2016 was 13.68 Mbps.
What was the median mobile internet speed in 2016?
The median mobile internet speed in 2016 was 8.67 Mbps.
Can you list the top 3 countries by mobile internet speed in 2016?
The top 3 countries by mobile internet speed in 2016 were Monaco with 49.94 Mbps, Gibraltar with 48.74 Mbps, and Switzerland with 45.09 Mbps.
How many countries are included in the mobile internet speed dataset for 2016?
The dataset includes mobile internet speed data for 196 countries in 2016.
Insights by country
Libya
In 2016, Libya ranked #131 globally for Mobile Internet Speed, with a speed of 2.5469964 Mbps. This figure is significantly lower than the global average, highlighting the challenges faced by the country in digital connectivity. Factors contributing to this low ranking include ongoing political instability, inadequate infrastructure investment, and limited competition in the telecommunications sector.
Dominica
In 2016, Dominica achieved a global rank of #55 with a mobile internet speed of 22.24952 Mbps. This speed is notably higher than the regional average in the Caribbean, reflecting the country's investments in telecommunications infrastructure following the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017.
The relatively small population and concentrated demand for mobile services have allowed for more efficient service delivery. Additionally, government policies aimed at improving digital connectivity have further enhanced the mobile internet landscape in Dominica.
Panama
In 2016, Panama ranked #88 globally for Mobile Internet Speed with a value of 10.670683 Mbps. This figure is notably lower than the global average, highlighting challenges in connectivity compared to top-performing countries. Factors influencing Panama's mobile internet performance include its geographic diversity and the ongoing development of its telecommunications infrastructure, which is crucial for enhancing access in both urban and rural areas.
Pakistan
In 2016, Pakistan ranked #144 globally for Mobile Internet Speed with a value of 1.1303474 Mbps. This speed is significantly lower than many neighboring countries, reflecting the challenges faced in digital infrastructure development in the region. Contributing factors include limited investment in telecommunications, a growing population with increasing demand for mobile connectivity, and regulatory hurdles that have hindered faster network expansion.
Afghanistan
In 2016, Afghanistan ranked #190 globally for Mobile Internet Speed, with a value of 0.025362665 Mbps. This figure is significantly lower than the global average, reflecting the country's limited telecommunications infrastructure compared to better-connected nations. Key factors contributing to this low speed include ongoing conflict, economic challenges, and a lack of investment in technology and infrastructure development.
Seychelles
Seychelles ranked #84 globally for Mobile Internet Speed in 2016, with a speed of 12.779887 Mbps. This speed was notably lower than the global leader, Norway, which boasted speeds exceeding 60 Mbps. The relatively moderate mobile internet speed in Seychelles can be attributed to its geographic isolation and limited infrastructure investments, as well as a small population that may not provide sufficient market incentives for extensive upgrades.
Ukraine
In 2016, Ukraine ranked #87 globally for Mobile Internet Speed, with a speed of 12.034259 Mbps. This places Ukraine below many European neighbors, reflecting challenges in infrastructure development compared to higher-ranking countries like Sweden. Key drivers of this statistic include ongoing economic reforms and the impact of conflict on investment in telecommunications infrastructure, which have hindered rapid technological advancement.
Burkina Faso
In 2016, Burkina Faso ranked #182 globally for Mobile Internet Speed, with a value of 0.06405013 Mbps. This performance places Burkina Faso significantly behind many countries, including regional neighbors that have made strides in mobile connectivity. Contributing factors to this low speed include limited infrastructure investment and a challenging economic landscape, which hampers the expansion of telecommunications services in the country.
Mali
Mali ranked #177 globally in Mobile Internet Speed in 2016, with a speed of 0.1117382 Mbps. This figure is significantly lower than the global average, reflecting challenges in infrastructure development compared to higher-ranked nations. Factors contributing to this low speed include limited investment in telecommunications infrastructure and ongoing socio-political instability, which hinder economic growth and technological advancement.
Iran
In 2016, Iran ranked #97 globally for Mobile Internet Speed with a value of 9.078102 Mbps. This performance is lower than the global average, reflecting challenges in infrastructure compared to more developed nations. Key factors contributing to this speed include economic sanctions that have hindered technological investment and the country's complex regulatory environment affecting internet service providers.
Data Source
Our World in Data
Our World in Data is a collaborative effort between researchers at the University of Oxford, who are the scientific editors of the website content; and the UK-based nonprofit organization Global Change Data Lab (GCDL), which publishes and maintains the website and the data tools that make our work possible.
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