High-speed internet is a necessity for many of us living in this digital age, woven into every aspect of how we live, work and play.
However, the level of internet accessibility and affordability can vary dramatically across the globe, from lightning-fast blanket coverage at budget prices to eye-wateringly expensive packages with prehistoric download speeds.
The MoneySuperMarket 2024 Internet Accessibility Index is a comprehensive study which analyses internet accessibility and affordability across 150 countries. Using 11 key ranking factors, we've identified the world's top-connected nations, ranking how well they cater to citizens' digital needs.
So whether you’re looking to see how your speed stacks up, planning a trip away or even looking at becoming a digital nomad, our Index provides insights into the countries with the best value for money broadband and best connectivity. It reveals the leaders in internet infrastructure, the challenges faced by countries with limited access, and the regions where affordability remains a pressing issue.
The best-connected countries
Denmark
Taking all ranking factors into account, Denmark is the world's best country for internet accessibility, with a connectivity score of 96.7 out of 100.
Boasting incredibly high internet speeds, excellent coverage and great affordability, our study found that the Danes lead the way for internet infrastructure, despite being dominated by a single provider.
However, Denmark did not score top marks in every individual category. The country's number of free WiFi hotspots lags behind European rivals, and less than 0.1% of web pages are written in Danish.
Singapore
The number two spot in our Index is taken by Singapore, one of the world's most prominent finance and business powerhouses.
As you might expect from somewhere with such a strong business focus, Singapore boasts excellent internet infrastructure, access, and speeds.
While Singapore's internet costs aren't the cheapest, high average wages make it one of the most affordable places in the world for broadband.
Finland
In 2010 Finland became the first country in the world to make internet access a legal right. It has since invested heavily in its digital infrastructure and takes the number three spot in our Index.
Boasting some of the world's best download speeds, coverage and affordability, the Land of a Thousand Lakes scored high marks across the board in every category.
Globally recognised as a pioneer in digital infrastructure, the Nordic country is also the most advanced digital economy in the EU, according to the latest Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI).
Countries with the fastest internet connections
According to our study, the fastest download speeds in the world can be found in Western Europe, with 7 out of the top 10 fastest connected countries hailing from the region, and every Western European country placing in the top 75 of our Index.
With an average download speed of 94.5 Mbps, Denmark took the top spot in download speed rankings, with Liechtenstein, Finland, San Marino and Iceland rounding out the top 5.
Other countries scoring highly included Andorra, Lithuania, Estonia, Macao and Malta which all boasted average connection speeds of 50Mbps or higher.
At the bottom of the speed rankings were Cameroon (1.3Mbps), Afghanistan (1.3Mbps), Gabon (1.4Mbps), Cuba (1.6Mbps) and Lebanon (2Mbps), most of which also scored poorly for affordability and value.
At 29.6Mbps, the United Kingdom placed 32nd overall for connection speed, despite improving speeds in recent years, while the United States performed better with 35.3Mbps, claiming 23rd overall in the speed rankings.
Global internet affordability rankings
To calculate the affordability of internet access, we looked at the average monthly cost of fixed-line broadband deals from major internet service providers in each country, comparing it to the average salary in the country.
Singapore topped our affordability rankings, with an average monthly broadband cost of £28.88 ($34.42), slightly below the world average, and high average salaries resulting in broadband costing just 0.76% of people’s average monthly income. .
Other countries towards the top of the list included, Macao (0.88%), Liechtenstein (0.90%) and Denmark (0.95%).
Generally, people living in African nations experienced the worst level of broadband affordability, with countries from African regions making up 20 of the top 25 least affordable countries for broadband.
Mozambique ranked as the least affordable country for internet access with the cost of broadband being as high as 185% of the average monthly median household salary.
Mauritania, Comoros, Madagascar, and Gabon were among the last five in our rankings.
Closer to home, the UK ranks 17th in broadband affordability, costing 1.24% of the average monthly income, while the United States placed 24th.
Broadband speed vs price - countries that offer the best and worst value for money
While Western European countries performed well on download speeds, overall, our study found Eastern European countries offered the best value for money for broadband.
And Moldova and Romania topped the list for the best value at 18p ($0.23) per Mbps, with Lithuania, Bulgaria, Demark, India and Hungary also boasting some of the best value broadband in the world.
With average download speeds of just 2.1Mbps and an average monthly cost of £206.76 ($265.22) for internet access, Suriname, offered the worst value-for-money internet in the world, thanks to its lack of high-speed infrastructure and challenging terrain consisting of mostly rolling hills and swamps, making it difficult to lay high speed cables.
Other countries which ranked low in value-for-money included Cameroon, Gabon, Comoros and Bhutan.
The UK just scraped into the top 50, at 47th place with an average cost of 97p ($1.25) per Mbps, making it particularly important to shop around for broadband deals. The United States ranked a middling 65th.
Countries with the most expensive and cheapest internet prices
From a pure cost perspective, Laos offers the cheapest fixed-price internet in the world, with an average cost of £5.62 ($7.23) per month.
In close second was Romania at just £6.87 ($8.84), which also benefited from good affordability compared to local wages, placing 11th overall on our most accessible countries list compared to Laos' 100th.
While our study found that Asian countries generally offered the least expensive internet offerings with India, Vietnam, Iran and Nepal offering some of the cheapest broadband prices. However, lower wages meant a low affordability score.
On the other side of the scale, a lack of infrastructure, investment and market competition saw African countries face some of the highest broadband prices in the world, with fixed-line broadband in Suriname costing an eye-watering £206.76 ($265.22) a month.
The most and least expensive countries for 1GB of mobile data
Mobile data, giving us instant interest access on the go, has changed from a luxury to a necessity over the past 20 years and is a cornerstone of how most of us live, work and play. Mobile data is valued in remote countries, where fixed-line infrastructure may be sparser, and expensive due to things like difficult terrain.
Across the 150 countries we analysed we saw average mobile internet coverage of 96%, with most major economies boasting near full coverage and no country having less than 70% overall coverage.
Israel has the cheapest mobile data with 1GB costing just 10p ($0.13).
In second place is Kyrgyzstan, with 1GB costing 23p ($0.30) thanks to large-scale investment in infrastructure and a variety of providers, however, overall internet affordability in the country is still a challenge.
In third place is Italy, at 27p ($0.35) where a wide range of providers offer competitive data plans, such as TIM, Vodafone Italia and Wind Tre.
On the other end of the scale, 1GB of mobile data costs you £5.53 ($7.12) in Switzerland, the most expensive country for mobile data. Though, this is in line with the general high cost of living, offset somewhat by higher salaries in the country.
Other countries with particularly high mobile data costs include Zambia (£5.54 / $7.10), New Zealand (£5.21 / $6.68), Andorra (£5.19 / $6.65), Seychelles (£5.16 / $6.62) and Canada (£5.08 / $6.51).
The UK places 57th overall for mobile data costs with the average cost of 1GB of data costing £1.06 ($1.37).
Ashton Berkhauer from MoneySuperMarket Broadband said: “Our research highlights the huge levels of disparity across the globe when it comes to internet accessibility.
From download speeds to affordability, in a world where high speed internet is an absolute necessity for many of us, there are still huge gaps in internet equality.
While the UK secured a respectable top 10 spot in the overall ranking, we found Britain lagged behind some of our larger European neighbours, such as Spain, France and Denmark.
General speaking, most countries benefited from competition in the broadband market to keep prices affordable among customers, making it particularly important for people to shop around broadband providers to find the right deal at the right price for them.”
- Whether you’re looking for high speed broadband deals, broadband and TV packages, or mobile broadband plans, we’ve got you covered with our customers saving up to when they switch broadband providers with MoneySuperMarket.
- Plus, when you find a new broadband provider with MoneySuperMarket, you’ll earn rewards with our Super Save Club, giving your even more ways to save.
- Explore the full methodology for this study here.
- *Annual Savings based on average monthly bill of £37.11 from nationally representative sample (1000) vs our cheapest monthly cost for superfast broadband (>55Mbs), Onestream £20.00 month.
