Mobile Internet Speed 2017
Mobile internet speed evaluates the download and upload rates on cellular networks, crucial for mobile connectivity.
Interactive Map
Complete Data Rankings
Rank | Actions | ||
|---|---|---|---|
1 |  Saint Kitts and Nevis | 62.215 Mbps | |
2 |  Monaco | 51.112 Mbps | |
3 |  Gibraltar | 50.731 Mbps | |
4 |  Cayman Islands | 48.395 Mbps | |
5 |  Andorra | 46.479 Mbps | |
6 |  Switzerland | 46.332 Mbps | |
7 |  France | 43.624 Mbps | |
8 |  Denmark | 43.57 Mbps | |
9 |  Liechtenstein | 42.941 Mbps | |
10 |  Netherlands | 42.099 Mbps | |
11 |  South Korea | 41.168 Mbps | |
12 |  Norway | 41.033 Mbps | |
13 |  Germany | 39.989 Mbps | |
14 |  United Kingdom | 39.249 Mbps | |
15 |  Iceland | 39.188 Mbps | |
16 |  Malta | 38.751 Mbps | |
17 |  Belgium | 38.491 Mbps | |
18 |  Sweden | 38.327 Mbps | |
19 |  Canada | 37.828 Mbps | |
20 |  Luxembourg | 35.977 Mbps | |
21 |  Faroe Islands | 35.907 Mbps | |
22 |  Bermuda | 35.874 Mbps | |
23 |  China, Hong Kong SAR | 35.703 Mbps | |
24 |  Greece | 35.135 Mbps | |
25 |  Portugal | 34.602 Mbps | |
26 |  Cyprus | 33.654 Mbps | |
27 |  Belarus | 33.313 Mbps | |
28 |  New Zealand | 32.892 Mbps | |
29 |  United States | 32.57 Mbps | |
30 |  Estonia | 32.522 Mbps | |
31 |  Australia | 32.033 Mbps | |
32 |  Japan | 31.899 Mbps | |
33 |  Barbados | 31.888 Mbps | |
34 |  Spain | 31.296 Mbps | |
35 |  Finland | 31.044 Mbps | |
36 |  San Marino | 30.543 Mbps | |
37 |  Hungary | 30.214 Mbps | |
38 |  United Arab Emirates | 29.908 Mbps | |
39 |  Czech Republic | 29.845 Mbps | |
40 |  Curaçao | 29.284 Mbps | |
41 |  Slovenia | 29.18 Mbps | |
42 |  Ireland | 29.079 Mbps | |
43 |  China, Macao SAR | 28.768 Mbps | |
44 |  Austria | 28.543 Mbps | |
45 |  Lithuania | 28.232 Mbps | |
46 |  Uruguay | 28.133 Mbps | |
47 |  Israel | 28.008 Mbps | |
48 |  China | 27.91 Mbps | |
49 |  Italy | 27.465 Mbps | |
50 |  Latvia | 27.089 Mbps | |
51 |  Croatia | 26.865 Mbps | |
52 |  Singapore | 26.333 Mbps | |
53 |  Slovakia | 25.859 Mbps | |
54 |  Bulgaria | 25.393 Mbps | |
55 |  Romania | 24.149 Mbps | |
56 |  Trinidad and Tobago | 22.61 Mbps | |
57 |  Dominica | 22.517 Mbps | |
58 |  Bahamas | 22.246 Mbps | |
59 |  Montenegro | 22.161 Mbps | |
60 |  Greenland | 21.728 Mbps | |
61 |  Saudi Arabia | 21.614 Mbps | |
62 |  Russia | 21.276 Mbps | |
63 |  Serbia | 21.149 Mbps | |
64 |  French Polynesia | 20.595 Mbps | |
65 |  Georgia | 20.464 Mbps | |
66 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 20.426 Mbps | |
67 |  North Macedonia | 20.418 Mbps | |
68 |  Poland | 19.953 Mbps | |
69 |  Puerto Rico | 19.576 Mbps | |
70 |  Grenada | 19.261 Mbps | |
71 |  Mauritius | 19.06 Mbps | |
72 |  Republic of Moldova | 18.297 Mbps | |
73 |  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 18.24 Mbps | |
74 |  Azerbaijan | 18.109 Mbps | |
75 |  Saint Lucia | 18.049 Mbps | |
76 |  Argentina | 17.708 Mbps | |
77 |  Chile | 16.501 Mbps | |
78 |  British Virgin Islands | 15.3 Mbps | |
79 |  Costa Rica | 15.144 Mbps | |
80 |  Turkey | 14.353 Mbps | |
81 |  Brazil | 14.122 Mbps | |
82 |  Kazakhstan | 13.811 Mbps | |
83 |  Mexico | 13.777 Mbps | |
84 |  Seychelles | 13.539 Mbps | |
85 |  Colombia | 13.154 Mbps | |
86 |  Bahrain | 13.101 Mbps | |
87 |  Ukraine | 12.354 Mbps | |
88 |  Suriname | 11.995 Mbps | |
89 |  Vietnam | 11.841 Mbps | |
90 |  Thailand | 11.535 Mbps | |
91 |  Iraq | 10.911 Mbps | |
92 |  Armenia | 10.817 Mbps | |
93 |  Panama | 10.763 Mbps | |
94 |  Ecuador | 10.613 Mbps | |
95 |  Albania | 10.476 Mbps | |
96 |  Uzbekistan | 10.435 Mbps | |
97 |  Iran | 10.114 Mbps | |
98 |  Antigua and Barbuda | 9.948 Mbps | |
99 |  Brunei Darussalam | 9.49 Mbps | |
100 |  Qatar | 9.479 Mbps | |
101 |  Mongolia | 9.184 Mbps | |
102 |  Venezuela | 8.532 Mbps | |
103 |  Jamaica | 8.492 Mbps | |
104 |  Guyana | 8.444 Mbps | |
105 |  Malaysia | 8.307 Mbps | |
106 |  Maldives | 7.972 Mbps | |
107 |  Algeria | 7.7 Mbps | |
108 |  Dominican Republic | 7.693 Mbps | |
109 |  State of Palestine | 7.588 Mbps | |
110 |  Oman | 7.478 Mbps | |
111 |  Syrian Arab Republic | 7.402 Mbps | |
112 |  Peru | 7.375 Mbps | |
113 |  El Salvador | 7.263 Mbps | |
114 |  Tunisia | 6.882 Mbps | |
115 |  Sri Lanka | 5.526 Mbps | |
116 |  Belize | 5.093 Mbps | |
117 |  Egypt | 5.047 Mbps | |
118 |  Libya | 4.719 Mbps | |
119 |  Paraguay | 4.579 Mbps | |
120 |  Bangladesh | 4.501 Mbps | |
121 |  Kyrgyzstan | 4.148 Mbps | |
122 |  Tuvalu | 4.14 Mbps | |
123 |  Morocco | 3.89 Mbps | |
124 |  Micronesia (Fed. States of) | 3.449 Mbps | |
125 |  Bolivia | 3.35 Mbps | |
126 |  Nicaragua | 3.327 Mbps | |
127 |  Jordan | 3.243 Mbps | |
128 |  Guatemala | 3.205 Mbps | |
129 |  Philippines | 3.144 Mbps | |
130 |  Cabo Verde | 2.923 Mbps | |
131 |  Tonga | 2.847 Mbps | |
132 |  Kuwait | 2.833 Mbps | |
133 |  Namibia | 2.624 Mbps | |
134 |  Honduras | 2.485 Mbps | |
135 |  Indonesia | 2.325 Mbps | |
136 |  Djibouti | 2.312 Mbps | |
137 |  Bhutan | 2.215 Mbps | |
138 |  Marshall Islands | 2.149 Mbps | |
139 |  South Africa | 1.949 Mbps | |
140 |  Nepal | 1.796 Mbps | |
141 |  Cameroon | 1.585 Mbps | |
142 |  Botswana | 1.431 Mbps | |
143 |  Tanzania | 1.372 Mbps | |
144 |  Eswatini | 1.342 Mbps | |
145 |  Fiji | 1.321 Mbps | |
146 |  India | 1.313 Mbps | |
147 |  Zimbabwe | 1.265 Mbps | |
148 |  Turkmenistan | 1.156 Mbps | |
149 |  Yemen | 1.115 Mbps | |
150 |  Pakistan | 1.038 Mbps | |
151 |  Cambodia | 0.831 Mbps | |
152 |  Samoa | 0.824 Mbps | |
153 |  Senegal | 0.722 Mbps | |
154 |  Sao Tome and Principe | 0.715 Mbps | |
155 |  Gabon | 0.684 Mbps | |
156 |  Somalia | 0.657 Mbps | |
157 |  Togo | 0.627 Mbps | |
158 |  Kenya | 0.586 Mbps | |
159 |  Côte d'Ivoire | 0.534 Mbps | |
160 |  Laos | 0.388 Mbps | |
161 |  Angola | 0.321 Mbps | |
162 |  Mauritania | 0.3 Mbps | |
163 |  Cuba | 0.298 Mbps | |
164 |  Haiti | 0.276 Mbps | |
165 |  Timor-Leste | 0.267 Mbps | |
166 |  Benin | 0.238 Mbps | |
167 |  Lesotho | 0.223 Mbps | |
168 |  Mozambique | 0.219 Mbps | |
169 |  Comoros | 0.217 Mbps | |
170 |  Myanmar | 0.215 Mbps | |
171 |  Zambia | 0.206 Mbps | |
172 |  Papua New Guinea | 0.196 Mbps | |
173 |  Ghana | 0.189 Mbps | |
174 |  Liberia | 0.186 Mbps | |
175 |  Rwanda | 0.178 Mbps | |
176 |  Gambia | 0.171 Mbps | |
177 |  Solomon Islands | 0.17 Mbps | |
178 |  Equatorial Guinea | 0.121 Mbps | |
179 |  Madagascar | 0.094 Mbps | |
180 |  Kiribati | 0.092 Mbps | |
181 |  Mali | 0.078 Mbps | |
182 |  Sudan | 0.072 Mbps | |
183 |  Tajikistan | 0.066 Mbps | |
184 |  Burkina Faso | 0.062 Mbps | |
185 |  Malawi | 0.06 Mbps | |
186 |  Ethiopia | 0.057 Mbps | |
187 |  Nigeria | 0.055 Mbps | |
188 |  Guinea-Bissau | 0.045 Mbps | |
189 |  Niger | 0.04 Mbps | |
190 |  Burundi | 0.034 Mbps | |
191 |  Eritrea | 0.032 Mbps | |
192 |  Afghanistan | 0.026 Mbps | |
193 |  Central African Republic | 0.013 Mbps | |
194 |  Guinea | 0.009 Mbps | |
195 |  Chad | 0.002 Mbps | |
196 |  South Sudan | 0.002 Mbps | |
197 |  Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 0.001 Mbps |
- #1Saint Kitts and Nevis
- #2Monaco
- #3Gibraltar
- #4Cayman Islands
- #5Andorra
- #6Switzerland
- #7France
- #8Denmark
- #9Liechtenstein
- #10Netherlands
Analysis: These countries represent the highest values in this dataset, showcasing significant scale and impact on global statistics.
- #197Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- #196South Sudan
- #195Chad
- #194Guinea
- #193Central African Republic
- #192Afghanistan
- #191Eritrea
- #190Burundi
- #189Niger
- #188Guinea-Bissau
Context: These countries or territories have the lowest values, often due to geographic size, administrative status, or specific characteristics.
Analysis & Context
In 2017, Saint Kitts and Nevis achieved the highest Mobile Internet Speed globally, reaching an impressive 62.21 Mbps. The global range for mobile internet speed varied widely, from as low as 0.00 Mbps to this peak value. The global average speed was recorded at 14.57 Mbps, providing a benchmark for mobile connectivity across 197 countries.
Exploring the Leaders in Mobile Internet Speed
The top performers in mobile internet speed in 2017 were predominantly small, high-income countries. Saint Kitts and Nevis led with 62.21 Mbps, followed by Monaco at 51.11 Mbps and Gibraltar at 50.73 Mbps. These regions benefit from concentrated infrastructure investment and high-density urban environments, allowing for efficient deployment of advanced mobile technologies. The presence of Switzerland and France in the top ten, with speeds of 46.33 Mbps and 43.62 Mbps respectively, indicates strong telecommunications sectors supported by robust regulatory frameworks and significant private sector investment.
Challenges in Low-Speed Regions
At the opposite end of the spectrum, countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan recorded speeds close to 0.00 Mbps. These nations face significant challenges, including political instability, economic constraints, and underdeveloped infrastructure, which impede the development and maintenance of mobile internet networks. The slow speeds in countries like Chad and Guinea (0.00 Mbps and 0.01 Mbps respectively) highlight the digital divide that persists in regions with limited access to technological advancements and investment.
Year-over-Year Changes and Emerging Trends
In 2017, the most notable improvements in mobile internet speeds were observed in Saint Kitts and Nevis, which experienced a staggering increase of 32.10 Mbps (a 106.6% growth). Similarly, the United Arab Emirates saw a significant rise of 15.54 Mbps (108.2%), reflecting aggressive investments in their telecommunications infrastructure. Conversely, some countries experienced declines; San Marino and Bahrain recorded decreases of 4.58 Mbps and 3.15 Mbps respectively, possibly due to market saturation or temporary technical setbacks.
Economic and Policy Drivers of Mobile Internet Speed
Economic prosperity and effective policy implementation are critical drivers of mobile internet speed. Countries like Switzerland and Denmark (43.57 Mbps) benefit from high GDP per capita, which facilitates investment in cutting-edge technology. Moreover, regulatory environments that prioritize telecommunications advancements, as seen in France and the Netherlands (42.10 Mbps), encourage competitive markets and innovation. In contrast, economic challenges and political instability in nations like Afghanistan (0.03 Mbps) and Eritrea hinder technological progress, resulting in slower mobile internet speeds.
The 2017 data on mobile internet speeds reveals stark disparities across the globe, driven by a complex interplay of economic conditions, technological investments, and policy frameworks. Understanding these factors can help in formulating strategies to bridge the digital divide and enhance global connectivity.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mobile Internet Speed in 2017
Which country had the highest mobile internet speed in 2017?
Saint Kitts and Nevis had the highest mobile internet speed in 2017, with 62.21 Mbps.
Which country had the lowest mobile internet speed in 2017?
The Democratic Republic of the Congo had the lowest mobile internet speed in 2017, with 0 Mbps.
What was the average mobile internet speed across countries in 2017?
The average mobile internet speed across countries in 2017 was 14.57 Mbps.
What was the median mobile internet speed in 2017?
The median mobile internet speed in 2017 was 9.49 Mbps.
What were the top three countries for mobile internet speed in 2017?
The top three countries for mobile internet speed in 2017 were Saint Kitts and Nevis (62.21 Mbps), Monaco (51.11 Mbps), and Gibraltar (50.73 Mbps).
How many countries were included in the mobile internet speed dataset for 2017?
The mobile internet speed dataset for 2017 included 197 countries.
Insights by country
Niger
Niger ranked #189 globally for Mobile Internet Speed in 2017, with a speed of 0.04035372 Mbps. This figure is significantly lower than many neighboring countries, highlighting the challenges faced in the region. Contributing factors include Niger's vast desert geography, which complicates infrastructure development, and limited investment in telecommunications due to economic constraints.
Kenya
In 2017, Kenya ranked #158 globally for Mobile Internet Speed with a value of 0.5860083 Mbps. This figure is significantly lower than the global average, reflecting challenges in connectivity compared to more developed nations. Contributing factors include the country's diverse geography, which complicates infrastructure development, and economic constraints that limit investment in telecommunications technology.
Fiji
In 2017, Fiji ranked #145 globally for Mobile Internet Speed, with a rate of 1.3208034 Mbps. This performance is notably lower than many neighboring Pacific nations, which often benefit from better infrastructure investments. Geographic challenges, including its archipelago nature, and limited economic resources contribute to the slower mobile internet development in Fiji.
Myanmar
In 2017, Myanmar ranked #170 globally for Mobile Internet Speed, with a speed of 0.21498628 Mbps. This figure is significantly lower than many neighboring countries, reflecting a broader trend of limited internet infrastructure in the region. Contributing factors include ongoing political instability, a lack of investment in telecommunications, and geographical challenges that hinder network expansion.
Guatemala
In 2017, Guatemala ranked #128 globally with a Mobile Internet Speed of 3.205098 Mbps. This speed is notably lower than the global average, indicating challenges in connectivity compared to higher-ranked countries. Factors contributing to this situation include limited infrastructure investment, a diverse topography that complicates network expansion, and economic constraints that hinder technological advancement.
Ecuador
Ecuador ranked #94 globally for Mobile Internet Speed in 2017, with a speed of 10.612518 Mbps. This speed is below the regional average for South America, indicating challenges in connectivity compared to more developed neighbors like Chile. Factors contributing to this ranking include the country's diverse geography, which complicates infrastructure development, and ongoing economic constraints that limit investment in telecommunications.
Finland
In 2017, Finland achieved a global rank of #35 with a mobile internet speed of 31.04352 Mbps. This speed is notable when compared to many neighboring countries, which often experience slower connections. Finland's advanced telecommunications infrastructure and strong government support for digital innovation have been key drivers of this performance.
Additionally, the country's high population density in urban areas facilitates the deployment of efficient mobile networks, further enhancing internet accessibility.
Denmark
In 2017, Denmark achieved a remarkable 8th global rank in Mobile Internet Speed with a value of 43.56978 Mbps. This performance places Denmark well above the global average, showcasing its advanced telecommunications infrastructure. The country benefits from a high population density and strong government support for digital innovation, which drives the development of robust mobile networks.
Canada
In 2017, Canada achieved a global rank of #19 with a mobile internet speed of 37.827694 Mbps. This performance is notably higher than the global average, reflecting Canada's advanced telecommunications infrastructure. Key drivers of this high speed include significant investments in technology by both government and private sectors, as well as a relatively low population density that facilitates widespread network coverage across vast geographic areas.
Malta
In 2017, Malta achieved a global rank of #16 with a Mobile Internet Speed of 38.751278 Mbps. This places Malta significantly ahead of many European countries, reflecting a robust digital infrastructure. The high mobile internet speed can be attributed to Malta's small geographic size, which facilitates efficient network coverage, and a strong governmental push towards enhancing telecommunications as part of its economic development strategy.
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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