South Korea Average Download Speed [VERIFIED]
Isidora Herline
This is a list of countries by Internet connection speed for average and median data transfer rates for Internet access by end-users.The difference between average and median speeds is the way individual measurements are aggregated. Average speeds are more commonly used but can give a wrong impression of the actual user experience since fast connections can bias the average results. Median results represent the point where half the population has faster and the other half of the population has slower data transfer rates.
About 46 million people in South Korea (or 95.1% of the population) use the Internet.[1] The country has the world's fastest average internet connection speed.[2][3] South Korea has consistently ranked first in the UN ICT Development Index since the index's launch. The government established policies and programs that facilitated the rapid expansion and use of broadband. The country has 97.6% of the population owning a smartphone, which is the highest in the world.
As of 2017, South Korea had the fastest average internet connection in the world at 28.6 Mbit/s, according to the report State of the Internet published by Akamai Technologies.[10] South Korea's speed is four times faster than the world average of 7.0 Mbit/s.[11] It is important to note that 100 Mbit/s services are the average standard in urban South Korean homes and the country is rapidly rolling out 1Gbit/s connections or 1,024 Mbit/s, at $20 per month,[citation needed] which is roughly 142 times as fast as the world average and 79 times as fast as the average speed in the United States.[12]
31. Gregory, C. (2020, November 11). Internet Addiction Disorder. Psycom. South Korean internet addiction camp: What is life like there? (2019, July 8). BBC NewsRound. Sullivan, M. (2019, August 13). Hooked on the Internet, South Korean Teens Go Into Digital Box. NPR. -on-the-internet-south-korean-teens-go-into-digital-detox34. Nabuco, C. & Young, K. (2017). Internet Addiction in Children and Adolescents: Risk Factors, Assessment, and Treatment. Springer Publishing Company.35. Uribe, LM., & Schub, T. (2018, September 28). Internet Addiction. CINAHL Nursing Guide EBSCO Publishing.
According to internet speed specialists Ookla the global average download speed on fixed broadband as of September 2021 was 113.25 Mbps on fixed broadband and 63.15 Mbps on mobile. These are both notable improvements over the scores of 85.73 Mbps broadband and 35.96 Mbps mobile just one year earlier in September 2020. As technology becomes more advanced and networks are improved, these numbers are expected to continue to grow. For 2021, Monaco claimed the broadband speed title with download speeds of 226.60 Mbps, followed by last year's leader, Singapore, and Hong Kong. However, once the focus switches to mobile connectivity the list switches, with United Arab Emirates taking the top spot with 238.06 Mbps, followed by South Korea with 202.61 Mbps and Norway at 177.72 Mbps.
Smaller countries tend to have an advantage when increasing internet speed, as making the necessary infrastructure upgrades is a slower and more daunting task in larger countries (though China's mobile networks seem to be covering the country's massive area quite well). For example, the United States has only the 15th-fastest mobile speeds at 110.07 Mbps and the 13th fastest broadband speeds at 203.81 Mbps, though average internet download speeds vary substantially from state to state. For the complete speed listing for every country tested, see the table below.
KT and LG U+ users' 5G download speeds increased to 410.9-419.5Mbps, up from 395-396.5Mbps. This means that for the first time, users' average 5G download speeds using all three operators exceeded the 400Mbps mark. Globally, South Korea is the only market where real-world 5G download speeds are over 400Mbps on all operators.
The overall average download speed of users is over the 100Mbps mark on all three operators. This is because LG U+'s Download Speed Experience score has risen from 92.9Mbps to 117.7Mbps compared with its score in the last report.
Upload Speed Experience measures the average upload speeds for each operator observed by our users across their mobile data networks. Typically upload speeds are slower than download speeds, as current mobile broadband technologies focus resources on providing the best possible download speed for users consuming content on their devices. As mobile internet trends move away from downloading content to creating content and supporting real-time communications services, upload speeds are becoming more vital and new technologies are emerging that boost upstream capacity.
This interactive global map shows average internet speeds by country. Hover over a country to reveal the average internet speed. Click on a link in the index to see top 10 fastest internet speeds by average, for specific global regions.
IMPORTANT: Internet speeds in each country are AVERAGE speeds. NOT the fastest internet speeds available. For insight into countries with the 'best' or fastest internet speeds, data shows the % of internet speed tests above certain thresholds. The % of connections above 4Mbps, 10Mbps and 15Mbps for each country indicates which country has overall higher internet speeds, over a larger sample of tests. For example, as of 2015, 80.5% of internet connection speed tests averaged above 10Mbps in South Korea. Likewise for nearby average internet speeds in Japan. At that time, Japan's internet speed test data shows 62.8% of Japanese internet users connected to average speeds higher than 10Mbps. (In the USA at that time, only 52.9% of USA internet users tested above an average internet speed of 10Mbps).
Individual Internet Service Providers in each country, may provide slower or faster internet speeds in certain areas. Internet speeds received by end users are also based on other factors, like the type of internet connection available. An average is a good indication of where an individual country's internet speed performance is at, in our opinion.
The average speed of internet varies greatly from country to country. Higher averages can be observed in Asian and Scandinavian countries. Overall, average global internet speed is 5.6Mbps, as of Q4 in 2015.
In Q3 of 2016, the global average internet speed increased to 6.3Mbps, which represents a 2.3% improvement. (Average global speeds are according to Akamai data and reporting, collected from 200 different countries).
In Q1 of 2017:, South Korean internet speeds were again significantly faster than the rest of the world. This is despite a small YoY speed decrease of -1.7%. At this time, average South Korean internet speeds of 28.6Mbps, exceeded that of 2nd place Norway by a considerable 5.1Mbps.
South Korea was the first country to complete the upgrade from dial-up internet to broadband, doing so in 2005. South Korea is also home to the most internet users per capita and the heaviest data usage worldwide. According to PCMag, better government planning in South Korea has improved internet connection speeds across the country dramatically. Additionally, a competitive Korean ISP market has led to exceptional service levels for end users. In the city of Cheongju, average internet speeds to citizens of 124.5Mbps are standard. Further, 1Gbps internet plans are available in South Korea for just $20 USD.
Average download speed data from May 2018 (via M-Lab), shows Singapore had the fastest average download speeds of 60.39Mbps, followed by Sweden (46Mbps) then Denmark (43.99Mbps). Surprisingly, South Korea came in at 30th position for average download speeds at this time, with 20.63Mbps.
In terms of the fastest internet connection speeds, (that are not scientific tests and available for consumer or business use), South Korea is also a world leader. Other Asian countries also have some of the fastest internet in the world. Japan and Hong Kong residents on average, connected at internet speeds above 16Mbps in Q4 of 2015.
Average internet speeds in the USA have increased by 12.69% QoQ, according to Akamai data. In Q3 of 2015, average connection speeds were 12.6Mbps. Whilst this is a positive for consumers, both peak and average internet speeds in the USA are well outside the global top 10.
Q1 2017 update: Average internet speeds in the USA increased to 18.7Mbps in 2017. This represented a +22% increase YoY, according to Akamai data. In Q1 of 2017, the USA enters top 10 average internet speed countries for the first time.
To summarize, internet speeds in the USA are well above the global average of 5.6Mbps. Within the Americas region, the USA ranks #1. On a regional level, South, Central and North American countries provide slow internet speeds, when compared on a global scale. To see how internet service speeds perform on a US state vs state level, see our internet speeds by state map.
Below this text, we've included two tables. These compare data between the last Akamai Internet speed report in 2017 and the M-Lab download speed data. There are of course some notable differences, but also similarities between the data sets. We included a breakdown below. Again, it's important to remember M-Lab data is average download speed. Akamai compiled average connection speed.
We will continue to monitor, update and compare year on year. Remember, new data measures average download speeds, not overall connection speed. Internet speed is very location dependent. Don't discount the importance of faster upload speeds today. Take your own speed test and contribute to open internet performance data here.
While these gains seem incremental when viewed quarter on quarter, they represent a significant boost Year on Year. Average connection speed is up 31 per cent from Q1 2012, and average peak saw a 58 per cent increase in the same time frame.
When taken against the rest of the world in terms of ranking, however, Australia is a little less impressive. Our average connection speed puts us at 41st in the world, while our average peak speed comes in at number 37.
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