Where Are The Fastest Internet Speeds In 2026? This Speedtest Data Has The Answer

Most internet users have become accustomed to speeds that allow them to scroll social media, stream video, and download files without interruption. A buffering video or slow-loading website is usually a sign that your internet isn't as fast as it should be rather than a normal part of the web browsing experience. However, for some users around the world, anything less than lightning-fast loading times for even the largest files are out of the ordinary.

According to data from Speedtest, internet users in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have the fastest mobile internet speeds, since they can expect to see 642.86 Mbps (Megabits-per-second) on average. It's hardly surprising, because cities like Dubai and Abu Dhabi have built their global reputation on being forward-thinking business hubs, and the Emirati government has a long-standing interest in digital development.

In April 2026, the country's government announced the launch of the world's first commercial U6GHz network, having already unveiled a national roadmap to transition to 6G in the coming years. Neighboring Middle Eastern countries aren't far behind the UAE, with Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain taking second, third, and fourth place respectively in the mobile internet speed rankings.

The UAE also has the third fastest fixed broadband speeds in the world, behind Singapore and Maldives. Much like the UAE, Singapore's appearance in the top performers list shouldn't come as a surprise given the country's status as a global finance and technology hub, but Maldives' status as country with the fastest fixed broadband speeds might seem more unexpected.

Until very recently, Maldives did not have world-leading internet speeds. However, a project partially financed by the IFC saw the country connected to the international submarine cable system for the first time. Hector Gomez Ang, IFC's Regional Director for South Asia, called the project "a top priority for the country to diversify its [...] growth," since it allowed the country's citizens to take remote work.

This is particularly important given the country's geography. Maldives is made up of around 1,200 small islands spanning more than 500 miles across the Indian Ocean. Tourism and transport revenue forms the backbone of the country's economy, but the government is aiming to boost revenue from other sectors. High-speed internet is a key part of that plan, and in 2025, the country announced that it had connected every inhabited island to its high-speed broadband network.

Connections between islands aren't all that useful if the country itself isn't directly connected to the international subsea cable network, but thanks to the aforementioned project, Maldives saw its connection go live in early 2026. After the launch, Speedtest data shows that the average fixed broadband download speed in the country leapt from just 36.72 Mbps at the start of 2026 to 675.02 Mbps by May 2026.

The UAE leads world averages for mobile internet speeds and Maldives offers the fastest fixed broadband speeds, while the U.S. does not appear in the top five best countries for either category. For mobile internet speeds, Speedtest says the U.S. is down in 11th place, with average speeds of 205.71 Mbps. That's just ahead of North Macedonia, which has an average speed of 190.42 Mbps, and just behind Bulgaria, which averages 209.95 Mbps.

However, the U.S. does perform slightly better in fixed broadband rankings, being ranked 9th in the world according to May 2026 data. Users can expect an average download speed of 306.86 Mbps, which is roughly on par with the likes of Switzerland and Macau.

While its average country-wide speeds are far below the world's best, Japan holds the world record for the fastest recorded internet speed thanks to the efforts of researchers at the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT). Its experimental network reached 1.02 Pbps, which equates to 1,020,000,000 Mbps.

Speedtest does not provide data for every single country and territory around the world, but out of the places it measures, the worst ranked of all is Turkmenistan. Internet users in the Central Asian country can expect fixed broadband speeds of just 2.2 Mbps. For context, that's less than the minimum speed required to stream a YouTube video at 720p. However, Turkmenistan places heavy restrictions on internet usage anyway. Access to many Western sites, including YouTube, WhatsApp, and Facebook,  currently blocked.