Countries by Fixed broadband subscriptions (per 100 people)
Gibraltar ranks first in fixed broadband subscriptions with 60.97 per 100 people, meaning subscriptions effectively outnumber residents. Chad sits at the opposite end with a recorded value of zero. The gap between first and last spans the full range of global connectivity infrastructure.
Ranking 2023
Values shown in per capita.
Analysis
Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people measures the density of high-speed fixed internet access relative to population. According to the World Bank World Development Indicators (indicator IT.NET.BBND.P2), fixed broadband subscriptions refers to fixed subscriptions to high-speed access to the public Internet (a TCP/IP connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s. This includes cable modem, DSL, fiber-to-the-home/building, other fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions, satellite broadband and terrestrial fixed wireless broadband. This total is measured irrespective of the method of payment. The unit is subscriptions per 100 people, meaning values can exceed 100 if households or businesses hold multiple subscriptions. This dataset covers 208 countries, all with data from within the last 7 years, and 100% of datapoints are classified as official-quality. The data year is 2023, with 76% of countries reporting from that year directly.
The top of the ranking is concentrated among small territories, European nations, and a handful of larger economies. Gibraltar leads at rank 1 with 60.97 per 100, followed by the Cayman Islands at 56.36 (rank 2) and Monaco at 55.88 (rank 3). Andorra (rank 4, 51.74) and Liechtenstein (rank 5, 49.41) round out the top five. Among larger countries, France ranks 6th at 48.67, Switzerland 7th at 47.70, and South Korea 9th at 46.57. Germany (rank 11, 45.38) and China (rank 12, 44.73) also appear in the top tier, demonstrating that large population size does not necessarily limit subscription density.
The middle of the ranking shows notable variation. Uruguay (rank 46, 32.40) is the highest-ranked Latin American country, ahead of Argentina (rank 73, 25.36) and Brazil (rank 81, 22.42). China's rank of 12 at 44.73 is a counterintuitive placement for a country of its population size. Kuwait ranks 169th at 1.01 per 100, a notably low figure relative to its income level. Saudi Arabia ranks 18th at 43.57, placing ahead of the Netherlands (rank 19, 43.26) and Canada (rank 20, 42.52). India ranks 150th at 2.75 per 100 despite its large technology sector presence. The bottom of the ranking includes Sierra Leone (rank 206, 0.0023), South Sudan (rank 207, 0.0017), and Chad (rank 208, 0.00).
Several limitations apply to this metric. The figure measures subscriptions, not unique users or households with access, so a single business or household with multiple lines inflates the per-capita count. The 256 kbit/s downstream threshold for 'high-speed' is outdated relative to current broadband standards, meaning some counted subscriptions may represent very low-speed connections by contemporary measures. Satellite broadband and terrestrial fixed wireless are included alongside fiber and cable, which differ substantially in capacity and reliability. Reporting consistency is partial: only 76% of the 208 countries have data from 2023 specifically, with the remainder drawn from earlier years in the seven-year window. Two extreme outliers were identified at the 3-standard-deviation threshold, which may reflect reporting anomalies rather than true usage patterns. The value of zero for Chad may indicate no subscriptions or absent data.
Methodology
Data source: World Bank World Development Indicators, indicator code IT.NET.BBND.P2, data year 2023. The metric is defined as follows: fixed broadband subscriptions refers to fixed subscriptions to high-speed access to the public Internet (a TCP/IP connection), at downstream speeds equal to, or greater than, 256 kbit/s. This includes cable modem, DSL, fiber-to-the-home/building, other fixed (wired)-broadband subscriptions, satellite broadband and terrestrial fixed wireless broadband. This total is measured irrespective of the method of payment. The unit is subscriptions per 100 people. The dataset covers 208 countries, all passing the 80-country coverage threshold. All 208 countries (100%) have data from within the last 7 years, and 100% of datapoints are classified as official quality, exceeding the 70% threshold. The latest year (2023) is represented by 158 of 208 countries (76%). The data range runs from 0.00 to 60.97, a spread of 999%. Average year-over-year change is 16.2%, well below the 50% volatility threshold. Two extreme outliers were identified at the 3-standard-deviation level. Higher values indicate greater fixed broadband subscription density relative to population.