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Fiber Internet Access: How the USA Compares Globally
Fiber internet is revolutionizing the way the world connects to the web.
With unparalleled speeds, massive bandwidth, and extremely low latency, it's no surprise that fiber internet adoption is growing rapidly around the globe.
However, access to fiber internet varies greatly by country; how does the United States stack up?
Fiber Internet Connectivity Rates Around the World
According to broadband statistics from the OECD, the United States lags, ranking 32nd out of 38 countries for fiber internet connectivity.
Only 23.1% of all total fixed broadband connections in the United States are through fiber internet.
- Korea – 89.6%
- Iceland – 88.7%
- Spain – 85.8%
- Lithuania – 79.9%
- Japan – 79.1%
- Latvia – 77.6%
- Sweden – 77.6%
- Norway – 72.5%
- New Zealand – 70.1%
- Chile – 69.4%
- France – 66.3%
- Portugal – 66.3%
- Finland – 65.7%
- Mexico – 64.5%
- Luxembourg – 64.2%
- Denmark – 55.4%
- Slovenia – 53.3%
- Estonia – 50.0%
- Poland – 48.1%
- Israel – 48.0%
- Costa Rica – 47.5%
- Slovak Republic – 47.0%
- Hungary – 43.0%
- Ireland – 40.5%
- Colombia – 37.1%
- Türkiye – 34.5%
- Netherlands – 33.8%
- Canada – 31.8%
- Switzerland – 30.0%
- Australia – 26.4%
- Italy – 24.3%
- United States – 23.1%
- Czechia – 21.6%
- United Kingdom – 20.1%
- Austria – 11.2%
- Germany – 11.2%
- Greece – 8.3%
- Belgium – 7.9%
In contrast, South Korea, the current number one country for fiber internet access, has a connectivity rate of 89.6%.
Our next-door neighbors, Canada and Mexico, also have much wider fiber connectivity rates at 31.8% and 64.5%, respectively.
When connecting more internet users to fiber, the United States needs to expand significantly to catch up to its contemporaries – but there are promising signs of continued growth.
Expanding Fiber Internet Access
In terms of growth, the United States expanded fiber internet access by 14.5% in 2023. While this is a step in the right direction, top-growing countries like Greece are taking massive leaps, expanding fiber internet access by 78.8% during the same year.
When measuring the total number of fixed broadband subscriptions, which includes Fiber, DSL, and cable, the United States ranks number #1 with over 131 million subscriptions. Considering that the US has the highest population out of any OECD nation, it makes sense that it has the highest number of fixed broadband subscriptions.
However, out of every 100 inhabitants, only 39.1 have a fixed broadband subscription in the US, ranking it 15th out of the 38 OECD countries for internet access. France has the highest population of fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, with 47 out of every 100 inhabitants currently subscribed to an internet plan.
There are roughly 30 million active fiber internet subscriptions in the United States.
While the future of fiber is exciting to think about, the need for widely accessible, high-speed internet is more urgent than ever.
What Internet Speeds Are Most Common in the US?
Currently, the majority of subscribers in the US have plans that exceed at least 100 Mbps.
The US has a median download speed of 242.38 Mbps, the 6th fastest median internet speed in the world.
61% of all fixed broadband plans are between 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps, while 18% of plans are 1 Gbps or higher.
20% of all active internet plans are below 100 Mbps. As various facets of our lives—including education, work, communication, and entertainment—become increasingly reliant on internet access, the demand for faster and more affordable connections continues to rise.
As fiber internet continues to expand, faster speeds are becoming more accessible and affordable.
Fiber’s Share of the Global Broadband Market
Fiber internet makes up most connections in the OECD fixed broadband market, and it's continuing to grow.
In 2023, fiber internet comprised 42.5% of all fixed broadband subscriptions worldwide.
Copper cable internet was the second most utilized at 29%, with DSL following third at 20.3%.
Over the upcoming years, we'll undoubtedly see fiber internet continue to grow and expand as it becomes the global standard for high-speed internet.
The Future of Fiber
The technology behind fiber internet paves the way with unparalleled speeds, massive bandwidth, and robust network resiliency. Rapid technological advancements and increasing global adoption show a promising future for accessible, high-speed internet.
There is growing recognition in the United States for the need to provide better access to fiber internet. Work has already begun to lay the infrastructure to expand fiber accessibility across the United States. In fact, the Fiber Broadband Association estimates that the amount of fiber deployed over the next five years will nearly match the total amount deployed throughout history.
With ongoing innovations across technology, fiber internet is here to revolutionize the future of connectivity.
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