Akamai Releases State of the Internet Report for Q3 2016
World's No. 1 in internet speed at 26.3 Mbps

South Korea ranked first in the world for internet speed in the third quarter of 2016. It maintained the world's number one ranking for average internet speed for 11 consecutive quarters and also held the top spot in broadband internet penetration across all sectors.

According to the 'State of the Internet Q3 2016 Report' released by Akamai Korea (CEO Son Bu-han, www.akamai.co.kr), a global leader in the Content Delivery Network (CDN) sector, South Korea ranked first in the world with an average internet speed of 26.3 Mbps, a 28% increase compared to the same period last year. South Korea is the only country with an average internet speed exceeding 25 Mbps. Hong Kong (20.1 Mbps) and Norway (20 Mbps) took second and third place, respectively, following South Korea.

▲ Top 10 Countries with the Fastest Average Internet Speeds in Q3 2016 (Source: Akamai)

In the third quarter of 2016, the average global internet speed was 6.3 Mbps, up 2.3% from the previous quarter and 21% from the same period of the previous year. South Korea maintained its position as the world's number one in broadband internet penetration rates for 4 Mbps, 10 Mbps, 15 Mbps, and 25 Mbps, with rates of 97%, 78%, 61%, and 34%, respectively.

Belgium ranked first in IPv6 adoption rates with 39%, maintaining its top position from the previous quarter, followed by Greece and Germany. Six European countries made it into the top 10, leading the adoption of IPv6. India was the only Asian country to make the top 10, ranking 7th with 17%. Korea ranked 35th with a low adoption rate of 1.2%.

Belgium ranked first in IPv6 adoption rate at 39%, maintaining its top position from the previous quarter.

David Belson, editor of the State of the Internet report, stated, “Traffic surges during the holiday shopping season as many consumers access the internet through various devices. While this phenomenon can strain internet services, average internet speeds are steadily rising globally, so traffic-related issues are not expected this holiday season.”

The Akamai State of the Internet report utilizes reports and information collected from Akamai's global intelligent platforms to present comprehensive quarterly data on internet-related trends and security vulnerabilities, including attack traffic, internet penetration, and mobile connectivity. Detailed reports, including broadcast traffic data for the Rio Olympics held last August, are available on the website (http://www.stateoftheinternet.com/soti-reports).