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Netflix goes global: How fast can you stream videos in different countries?
Netflix has gone global, but what streaming speed and quality can you expect when traveling abroad?
Updated
With Netflix available in over 190 countries worldwide, you can now watch your favorite TV shows and movies from just about any hotel room while traveling abroad – or anywhere with an Internet connection. But is it going to be as fast to stream as it is in your home country? What kind of Netflix streaming speed you can expect abroad?
Netflix’s existing streaming rights mean that content availability varies by region. So, if you’re in Hong Kong, you might not have access to all the titles you would in Russia, India or Iran, for example. Don’t worry – if you have an active Netflix account, you’ll be able to access all the titles in the local Netflix catalogue. But you may not be able to access TV shows or movies you were watching in your home country.
You can check out the available titles per country by clicking here and the comparison of available titles versus the US library by clicking here.
Netflix streaming speeds.
Content is one issue, and the other is connection speed. Netflix streaming speeds vary according to your local connection, and it dynamically adjusts the streaming video quality based on that. Netflix recommends certain connection speeds for each level of streaming quality.
Not every title available in Netflix’s catalogue – at home or abroad – will be available in High Definition (HD) or Ultra HD quality. For example, most Netflix Originals are available in Ultra HD, but other TV shows and movies might only be available in Standard Definition (SD) quality.
Netflix recommends that your connection speed be at least 3 Mbps for SD videos and 5 Mbps for HD and Ultra HD. So, where will you be able to enjoy the best Netflix streaming speeds?
This is where Netflix streaming speeds are the fastest.
The type of connection a user can expect depends on Akamai’s State Of The Internet data for Q1 2016 shows how each country compares in Internet speeds. Once you locate the country you’re visiting, you will know what your connection speed is, and find out just how fast your Netflix streaming speed will be.
In some countries, you will be able to stream HD-quality videos, and in others you will be able to stream SD-quality (and you might have to spend some time buffering, too). For example, you’re going to be able to stream HD in South Korea, but you’re not going to be able to in India.
Keep in mind that these are only averages, and that average connection speeds are constantly going up worldwide. You may well hit a better connection than these numbers suggest, which would improve your Netflix experience. Remember that these Internet connection speeds are useful to know for more than just Netflix streaming speeds, but also for general Internet access.
You will need a minimum Internet connection speed of:
- 5 Mbps to stream HD or Ultra HD
- 3 Mbps to easily stream SD
- 1.5 Mbps for SD with buffering likely
- 0.5 Mbps as a minimum requirement for streaming content
Country | Average Connection Speed (in Mbps) | Equivalent Netflix Streaming Quality |
---|---|---|
South Korea | 29.047 | HD |
Sweden | 20.646 | HD |
Norway | 21.315 | HD |
Switzerland | 18.662 | HD |
Hong Kong | 19.873 | HD |
Netherlands | 17.914 | HD |
Japan | 18.185 | HD |
Finland | 17.745 | HD |
Latvia | 18.326 | HD |
Czech Republic | 17.768 | HD |
Denmark | 17.180 | HD |
Romania | 16.070 | HD |
Iceland | 17.458 | HD |
United Kingdom | 14.936 | HD |
Belgium | 15.286 | HD |
United States | 15.333 | HD |
Singapore | 16.501 | HD |
Ireland | 14.390 | HD |
Lithuania | 15.105 | HD |
Bulgaria | 15.815 | HD |
Canada | 14.288 | HD |
Germany | 13.931 | HD |
Austria | 13.418 | HD |
Israel | 13.483 | HD |
Slovakia | 13.801 | HD |
Hungary | 13.752 | HD |
Portugal | 13.144 | HD |
Poland | 12.754 | HD |
Spain | 13.309 | HD |
Russia | 12.171 | HD |
Ukraine | 12.329 | HD |
Taiwan | 14.811 | HD |
Slovenia | 14.479 | HD |
Moldova | 11.513 | HD |
Malta | 12.700 | HD |
Estonia | 11.697 | HD |
Rwanda | 11.299 | HD |
Luxembourg | 10.580 | HD |
Puerto Rico | 10.633 | HD |
New Zealand | 10.479 | HD |
Thailand | 10.769 | HD |
France | 9.877 | HD |
Australia | 8.785 | HD |
Bahamas | 8.376 | HD |
Mongolia | 8.570 | HD |
Georgia | 8.683 | HD |
Trinidad and Tobago | 7.589 | HD |
United Arab Emirates | 8.762 | HD |
Italy | 8.171 | HD |
Greece | 7.835 | HD |
Turkey | 7.240 | HD |
Macedonia | 7.536 | HD |
Belarus | 7.583 | HD |
Qatar | 8.358 | HD |
Uruguay | 7.099 | HD |
Kazakhstan | 6.790 | HD |
Bosnia and Herzegovina | 7.577 | HD |
Jamaica | 6.646 | HD |
Papua New Guinea | 8.253 | HD |
Chile | 7.311 | HD |
U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas) | 7.655 | HD |
Croatia | 7.408 | HD |
Mexico | 7.050 | HD |
Cyprus | 7.168 | HD |
Kuwait | 6.599 | HD |
Grenada | 5.700 | HD |
Sri Lanka (Ceylon) | 5.405 | HD |
Albania | 5.853 | HD |
Malaysia | 6.379 | HD |
Montenegro | 5.413 | HD |
Fiji | 5.543 | HD |
Zimbabwe | 4.687 | SD (Recommended) |
Peru | 5.200 | HD |
Saint Kitts And Nevis | 4.766 | SD (Recommended) |
Colombia | 4.646 | SD (Recommended) |
Argentina | 5.334 | HD |
Ecuador | 5.281 | HD |
St. Vincent and Grenada | 4.521 | SD (Recommended) |
Bahrain | 5.201 | HD |
Dominica | 3.957 | SD (Recommended) |
Cambodia (Kampuchea) | 5.247 | HD |
Armenia | 4.491 | SD (Recommended) |
Uzbekistan | 3.283 | SD (Recommended) |
Iraq | 3.729 | SD (Recommended) |
Brunei Darussalam | 3.697 | SD (Recommended) |
South Africa | 6.500 | HD |
Brazil | 4.521 | SD (Recommended) |
Jordan | 4.557 | SD (Recommended) |
Greenland | 3.748 | SD (Recommended) |
Panama | 4.471 | SD (Recommended) |
Azerbaijan | 4.425 | SD (Recommended) |
Lesotho | 3.416 | SD (Recommended) |
Vietnam | 5.029 | HD |
Liberia | 4.077 | SD (Recommended) |
Myanmar (Burma) | 3.646 | SD (Recommended) |
Costa Rica | 3.883 | SD (Recommended) |
Saint Lucia | 3.479 | SD (Recommended) |
Morocco | 4.252 | SD (Recommended) |
Saudi Arabia | 4.653 | SD (Recommended) |
Oman | 3.968 | SD (Recommended) |
Tajikistan | 4.286 | SD (Recommended) |
Indonesia | 4.543 | SD (Recommended) |
Mauritius | 5.611 | HD |
Guatemala | 3.533 | SD (Recommended) |
Tunisia | 3.754 | SD (Recommended) |
British Guyana | 3.007 | SD (Recommended) |
Philippines | 3.470 | SD (Recommended) |
El Salvador | 3.189 | SD (Recommended) |
Laos | 3.085 | SD (Recommended) |
Kyrgyzstan | 3.281 | SD (Recommended) |
Bangladesh | 3.634 | SD (Recommended) |
Madagascar | 3.788 | SD (Recommended) |
Nicaragua | 2.994 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Nigeria | 3.317 | SD (Recommended) |
Kenya | 7.288 | HD |
India | 3.465 | SD (Recommended) |
Honduras | 2.843 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Sao Tome and Principe | 2.553 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Algeria | 2.250 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Dominican Republic | 3.148 | SD (Recommended) |
Suriname | 2.450 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Haiti | 2.719 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Bhutan | 3.185 | SD (Recommended) |
Burundi | 3.537 | SD (Recommended) |
Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire) | 1.936 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Pakistan | 2.508 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
South Sudan | 3.108 | SD (Recommended) |
Republic of the Congo | 3.462 | SD (Recommended) |
Iran | 3.535 | SD (Recommended) |
Belize | 2.145 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Turkmenistan | 3.113 | SD (Recommended) |
Mozambique | 2.371 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Sierra Leone | 2.628 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Gabon | 1.755 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Tanzania | 2.939 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Gambia | 2.051 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Ethiopia | 3.029 | SD (Recommended) |
Nepal | 3.774 | SD (Recommended) |
Angola | 2.787 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Namibia | 2.263 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Bolivia | 2.449 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Malawi | 1.762 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Egypt | 2.428 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Djibouti Republic | 2.353 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Antigua and Barbuda | 2.250 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Ghana | 2.586 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Somalia | 1.846 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Cameroon | 1.954 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Uganda | 1.898 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Lebanon | 1.974 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Cuba | 2.429 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Paraguay | 2.164 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Venezuela | 1.904 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
East Timor (Timor-Leste) | 1.970 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Zambia | 2.103 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Swaziland | 1.625 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Guinea | 1.233 | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Senegal | 1.924 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Sudan | 2.121 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Botswana | 1.765 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Mauritania | 1.899 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
American Samoa | N/A | |
Equatorial Guinea | 1.408 | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Democratic Republic of Congo | 1.202 | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Eritrea | 1.281 | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Benin (Dahomey) | 1.398 | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Chad | 1.599 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Afghanistan | 1.329 | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Yemen | 0.915 | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Comoros | N/A | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Togo | 1.043 | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Guinea-Bissau | 1.602 | SD (Recommended, buffering likely) |
Niger | 0.867 | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Central African Republic | 0.707 | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Libya | 0.721 | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) | 0.725 | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Mali | 0.694 | SD (Minimum Requirement) |
Aruba | N/A | |
Australian Antarctica | N/A | |
Bermuda | N/A | |
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba | N/A | |
British Indian Ocean Territory | N/A | |
British Virgin Islands | N/A | |
Cape Verde Islands (Cabo Verde) | N/A | |
Cayman Islands | N/A | |
Christmas Island | N/A | |
Cocos (Keeling) Islands | N/A | |
Cook Islands | N/A | |
Curaçao | N/A | |
Falkland Islands | N/A | |
Federated States of Micronesia | N/A | |
French Guiana | N/A | |
French Polynesia | N/A | |
Gibraltar | N/A | |
Guadeloupe | N/A | |
Guam | N/A | |
Guernsey | N/A | |
Heard Island and McDonald Islands | N/A | |
Isle Of Man | N/A | |
Jersey | N/A | |
Kiribati | N/A | |
Macao | N/A | |
Maldives | N/A | |
Marshall Islands | N/A | |
Martinique | N/A | |
Mayotte | N/A | |
Micronesia | N/A | |
Monaco | N/A | |
Montserrat | N/A | |
Nauru | N/A | |
Netherlands Antilles | N/A | |
New Caledonia | N/A | |
Niue | N/A | |
Norfolk Island | N/A | |
Northern Mariana Islands | N/A | |
Palau | N/A | |
Palestine | N/A | |
Pitcairn Islands | N/A | |
Réunion | N/A | |
Saint Barthélemy | N/A | |
Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha | N/A | |
Saint Martin | N/A | |
Saint Pierre and Miquelon | N/A | |
Samoa | N/A | |
Seychelles | N/A | |
Solomon Islands | N/A | |
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | N/A | |
Tokelau Islands | N/A | |
Tonga | N/A | |
Turks And Caicos Islands | N/A | |
Tuvalu | N/A | |
United States Minor Outlying Islands (Baker Island, Midway Atoll, Wake Island) | N/A | |
Vanuatu (New Hebrides) | 1.463 | |
Vatican City | N/A | |
Wallis and Futuna | N/A |
Adjusting your playback settings for data usage.
When you are traveling, you might be on a limited data plan and need to monitor how much data your Netflix streaming is using. You can adjust your settings for streaming higher or lower quality videos by clicking on “Your Account” in the drop down menu at the top right of your screen. Then click “Playback Settings.” If your data is limited, choose “Auto” or “Low.” If you are connected to WiFi or broadband and data is unlimited, choose “Medium” or “High” for highest quality streaming (and highest data usage).
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