These are the countries with the best internet in the world

Internet speeds
How's your internet speed?

How's the broadband in your part of the world? A new report from the International Telecommunication Union reveals which countries lead the way in terms of internet speeds, and which ones are stuck in the slow lane.

South Korea sits in the top spot, taking over from Denmark, which goes back to second place. The leaders are followed in the top five by Iceland, the United Kingdom and Sweden – the UK has climbed from tenth to fourth in the last five years.

Australia sits down in 13th, two spots ahead of the United States in 15th, with Germany sandwiched between them. Right at the bottom of the list is Chad, below Malawi, Madagascar, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

High speed broadband for the people

The report works out a special ICT Development Index, based around internet speed, the number of fixed internet subscriptions, and the percentage of households with a computer. The final IDI rating is out of ten: South Korea scored 8.93.

That's due in part to the thriving e-sports scene in the country, as well as a rapidly advancing technology market. High-speed internet is available almost everywhere for South Korean citizens, including in its PC cafes.

As you would expect, internet quality and access is improving across the globe: there are more countries in the 8-9 IDI range than ever before. If you want to make sure you'll have a decent connection the next time you go on holiday, the full report is here.

Via The Independent

David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.