Les vitesses Internet les plus rapides dans les pays arabes et dans le monde en 2024

Internet has undergone a radical transformation since the beginning of the new millennium, achieving major leaps that exceeded all expectations in terms of growth and spread. From modest speeds that did not exceed 56 kilobits per second, today we are talking about speeds measured in megabits and even gigabits. This amazing evolution is not limited to just speed increase, but also extends to the number of users and the volume of data circulated on the World Wide Web. In the midst of this evolution, some Arab countries have solidified their position among the global elite in terms of internet speeds. So let’s review the fastest and slowest internet connections – both mobile (phone networks) and fixed internet – in the Arab region first, and then in the world as a whole.

It is worth noting that the numbers mentioned below focus on download speeds only and not upload speeds. We relied on the Ookla Speedtest global index to gather the data, which adds any country with over 300 different users who have tested their speed using the SpeedTest tool, thus reflecting aggregated data from millions of tests conducted by users, providing a comprehensive view of global internet performance. However, it should be noted that some countries are exempt from the ranking altogether, and some may not reflect the true values and averages.

1. United Arab Emirates – Average download speed of about 400 megabits per second.
2. Qatar – Average download speed of about 350 megabits per second.
3. Kuwait – Average download speed of about 250 megabits per second.
4. Saudi Arabia – Average download speed of about 120 megabits per second.
5. Bahrain – Average download speed of about 110 megabits per second.
6. Oman – Average download speed of about 85 megabits per second.
7. Morocco – Average download speed of about 40 megabits per second.
8. Lebanon – Average download speed of about 34 megabits per second.
9. Iraq – Average download speed of about 33 megabits per second.
10. Jordan – Average download speed of about 29 megabits per second.

Gulf countries lead the way in mobile internet in the Arab world, with Gulf countries occupying the top positions closely followed by the United Arab Emirates, followed closely by Qatar, then Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and Bahrain also showing strong performance in the Arab world’s mobile internet speeds, while Oman, with slower internet speeds, still outperforms any non-Gulf Arab country.

This Gulf superiority can be attributed to massive investments in digital infrastructure and rapid adoption of modern technologies. The outstanding performance of the UAE is due to its early adoption of 5G technology and large investments in infrastructure, in addition to strong government support for digital transformation initiatives and continuous efforts to update the infrastructure. The impressive mobile internet performance in both Qatar and Kuwait reflects their comprehensive approach to developing digital infrastructure supported by continuous large investments and extensive coverage of 5G networks. Saudi Arabia has shown significant progress in recent years as initiatives such as Vision 2030 have led to rapid deployment of 5G networks and increased competition among service providers, resulting in noticeable improvements in mobile internet performance.

The significant variation in mobile internet speeds in the Arab world may be due to Gulf countries quickly acquiring 5G networks, with most preparing for 6G networks, while many other Arab countries still struggle to provide comprehensive coverage of 4G networks. Even Oman, with the slowest mobile internet speeds among Gulf countries, outperforms all other Arab countries. On the other hand, countries like Egypt (25 megabits per second), Algeria (24 megabits), Libya (15 megabits), Syria (12 megabits), and Yemen (8 megabits per second) suffer from the slowest mobile internet speeds in the Arab region, with data missing for Palestine due to current circumstances.

The scene looks vastly different when it comes to fixed internet, despite Gulf countries continuing to dominate in this area as well, with the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar still at the top of the rankings. There are some differences compared to mobile internet speeds that need to be noted.

While Jordan has the lowest performance among the top 10 countries in terms of internet speed in the Arab world, fixed internet connection is much better, with higher average speeds than Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Similarly, Egypt, despite having lower fixed internet speeds compared to the global average, still excels compared to other Arab countries, while ranking among the worst in terms of mobile internet speeds.

Lebanon stands out as an interesting example, having excellent mobile internet speeds that make it eighth among Arab countries, but possessing one of the worst fixed internet speeds in the Arab region and the world with an average download speed of 16 megabits per second. This contrast can be explained by Lebanon’s mountainous geography, making wireless networks a more practical option than traditional wired networks.

On a global level, the United Arab Emirates achieved a historic milestone by topping the list of the fastest mobile internet networks in the world, surpassing South Korea, which has dominated this position for many years. Interestingly, there are 4 Arab countries in the top 10 globally, with the UAE leading, followed by Qatar in second place, then Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, although not matching the exceptional speeds achieved by the UAE and Qatar. If the list were a bit longer, Bahrain, which ranks 12th, would also confirm the significant technological progress in the Gulf region.

While Gulf countries enjoy some of the fastest mobile internet services in the world, the situation is completely different in other countries. In fact, among the worst 10 countries in terms of mobile internet, there are 3 Arab countries, and looking at the global average, all Arab countries except Gulf and Morocco have mobile internet connections below the global average.

Similarly to mobile internet, both European and Asian countries dominate the global fixed internet scene, with Singapore leading the rankings. Hong Kong and Chile follow the United Arab Emirates among the top 10 countries globally, with the Emirates ranking second, making them clearly the top in the Arab world, followed by Kuwait at 16th place and Qatar at 21st globally. On the other side of the spectrum, 3 Arab countries are among the worst (Libya, Yemen, Syria). Africa ranks at the bottom in terms of internet speeds, with some countries providing high and relatively good speeds, but most African countries suffer from severely slow internet connections.

Notes on Arab and Global Internet Speeds

The above statistics reveal a significant digital divide in internet speeds depending on the type of connection, with the slowest and fastest mobile internet connections representing only about 2.1% of them. This is without a doubt a significant gap, and indicates a great disparity among countries, especially considering that the fastest and slowest are Arab countries in the Asian sector. This gap is even more pronounced in fixed internet, where the difference is less than one percent between the fastest and slowest connections, and again, both values are in Asia.

The significant variation in internet speeds between neighboring countries is influenced by multiple economic and political factors. This variation is evident in many cases, such as the large gap between Singapore and Malaysia, Morocco and Algeria, Egypt and Libya, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. These differences reflect the economic and technological challenges faced in developing internet infrastructure in the region.