US Internet Speed Is Very Fast, but Not the Fastest in the World

US Internet speed is getting faster. That’s the good news. The bad news is that we are 13th in the world when it comes to average peak Internet speeds. Basically, we are way behind several other countries, and this poses a huge issue in the near future. The United States needs to step it up big time!

Why Is US Internet Speed an Issue?

Studies have linked faster Internet with better economic growth and higher education. But what about the next generation of apps? Fast Internet accelerates the way we use media, such as with Netflix and Hulu, and even faster broadband has the potential to stimulate, say, “Ultra HD” or virtual classrooms. This is important.

It is interesting that when South Korea decided to open up its public system to rivals, it flourished. This is one of many issues the United States will have to face, along with tiered pricing (offered in other countries) and building out better networks (rural Internet is still nonexistent in some states).

The Top 20 Countries With the Fastest Internet

These are based on the most recent average peak conditions (and are download speeds only):

1. Hong Kong: 65.4 Mbps
2. South Korea: 63.6 Mbps
3. Japan: 52 Mbps
4. Singapore: 50.1 Mbps
5. Israel: 47.7 Mbps
6. Romania: 45.4 Mbps
7. Latvia: 43.1 Mbps
8. Taiwan: 42.7 Mbps
9. Netherlands: 39.6 Mbps
10. Belgium: 38.5 Mbps
11. Switzerland: 38.4 Mbps
12. Bulgaria: 37 Mbps
13. United States: 37 Mbps
14. Kuwait: 36.4 Mbps
15. United Arab Emirates: 36 Mbps
16. United Kingdom: 35.7 Mbps
17. Canada: 34.8 Mbps
18. Czech Republic: 34.8 Mbps
19. Macau: 34.4 Mbps
20. Sweden: 33.1 Mbps

Luckily, folks like Google and Sonic.net are building out the next-generation of 1 gigabit networks, and when they go cross-country, our lagging Internet might be a part of the past (and so may a few cable and telco companies).