Western European internet is generally the fastest in the world. Research by cable.co.uk and M-Lab features a top 10 filled by countries from the area, with Macau the only exception.

The average download speed in Iceland is 279.55 Mbps, according to the study, based on 1.5 billion speed tests in 220 countries. The microstates of Jersey (2), Liechtenstein (4), Andorra (6), Gibraltar (8) and Monaco (10) are accompanied by the larger nations of Denmark (5), the Netherlands (7) and France (9).

Despite the impressive figures, it should be noted that the listed Mbps per country is not only an average, but may also paint a slightly rosier picture than reality can support. This is due to the fact every speed test was spun up by a consumer for a short burst of time, not continuously.

Large differences

The average internet speeds in Western Europe (141.12), the Baltics (106.45) and North America (104.18) are the only ones to go beyond 100 Mbps. Within these regions there are already significant differences, as the likes of Iceland (279.55 Mbps) and Jersey (273.51 Mbps) are grouped together with the Faroe Islands and Vatican City, boasting only of speeds of 56.61 and 51.60 Mbps, respectively.

The list shows large differences between global regions. While Europe and East Asia largely lead, Africa lags far behind. Only France’s Réunion, an island east of Madagascar, manages to enter the top 100. The average internet speed in Sub-Saharan Africa is 14.99 Mbps and in North Africa only 12.52 Mbps.

The full rankings can be accessed through an Excel file.

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