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?
With Netflix available in over 190 countries worldwide, you can now stream your favourite 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.
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.
This is where Netflix streaming quality is the highest
The type of connection a user can expect depends on the average internet speed of the country they’re in. 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.
A minimum internet speed of 0.5 Megabits per second is required for Netflix to work.
The speeds recommended by Netflix are:
- 25 Mbps to stream Ultra HD
- 5 Mbps for HD quality
- 3 Mbps to stream in SD
- 1.5 Mbps to stream Netflix at all
There are only 26 countries where you can expect Ultra HD streaming, but there are over 100 where you’ll likely get speeds quick enough for HD streaming or better. Only 30 countries had an average connection speed lower than that recommended by Netflix.
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.
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).
| Rank (1-207) | Country | Mean download speed 2019 (Mbps) | Quality expected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taiwan | 85.02 | Ultra HD |
| 2 | Singapore | 70.86 | Ultra HD |
| 3 | Jersey | 67.46 | Ultra HD |
| 4 | Sweden | 55.18 | Ultra HD |
| 5 | Denmark | 49.19 | Ultra HD |
| 6 | Japan | 42.77 | Ultra HD |
| 7 | Luxembourg | 41.69 | Ultra HD |
| 8 | Netherlands | 40.21 | Ultra HD |
| 9 | Switzerland | 38.85 | Ultra HD |
| 10 | San Marino | 38.73 | Ultra HD |
| 11 | Norway | 38.46 | Ultra HD |
| 12 | Andorra | 38.31 | Ultra HD |
| 13 | Spain | 36.06 | Ultra HD |
| 14 | Belgium | 35.69 | Ultra HD |
| 15 | United States | 32.89 | Ultra HD |
| 16 | Latvia | 32.74 | Ultra HD |
| 17 | New Zealand | 32.72 | Ultra HD |
| 18 | Estonia | 31.55 | Ultra HD |
| 19 | Hong Kong | 31.37 | Ultra HD |
| 20 | Hungary | 31.1 | Ultra HD |
| 21 | Lithuania | 30.66 | Ultra HD |
| 22 | France | 30.44 | Ultra HD |
| 23 | Slovakia | 29.45 | Ultra HD |
| 24 | Finland | 29.34 | Ultra HD |
| 25 | Canada | 28.76 | Ultra HD |
| 26 | Slovenia | 27.83 | Ultra HD |
| 27 | Germany | 24.64 | HD |
| 28 | Poland | 24.38 | HD |
| 29 | Ireland | 23.87 | HD |
| 30 | Malaysia | 23.86 | HD |
| 31 | Czechia | 23.27 | HD |
| 32 | Portugal | 22.75 | HD |
| 33 | Madagascar | 22.57 | HD |
| 34 | United Kingdom | 22.37 | HD |
| 35 | Iceland | 22.13 | HD |
| 36 | Liechtenstein | 22.04 | HD |
| 37 | Romania | 21.8 | HD |
| 38 | Gibraltar | 20.27 | HD |
| 39 | Monaco | 20.2 | HD |
| 40 | Austria | 19.33 | HD |
| 41 | Macao | 19.19 | HD |
| 42 | Republic of Korea | 19.18 | HD |
| 43 | Serbia | 19.17 | HD |
| 44 | Guernsey | 18.26 | HD |
| 45 | Thailand | 18.21 | HD |
| 46 | Malta | 18.16 | HD |
| 47 | Italy | 17.3 | HD |
| 48 | Croatia | 17.22 | HD |
| 49 | Bulgaria | 16.95 | HD |
| 50 | Australia | 16.36 | HD |
| 51 | Cayman Islands | 16.12 | HD |
| 52 | Barbados | 16.03 | HD |
| 53 | Aruba | 15.15 | HD |
| 54 | Russia | 14.89 | HD |
| 55 | Bermuda | 13.55 | HD |
| 56 | Greece | 13.41 | HD |
| 57 | Belarus | 13.19 | HD |
| 58 | Trinidad and Tobago | 12.9 | HD |
| 59 | Kosovo | 12.07 | HD |
| 60 | Republic of Moldova | 11.56 | HD |
| 61 | U.S. Virgin Islands | 11.45 | HD |
| 62 | Bahamas | 11.13 | HD |
| 63 | Isle of Man | 11.04 | HD |
| 64 | Cyprus | 11 | HD |
| 65 | Faroe Islands | 10.21 | HD |
| 66 | Réunion | 10.02 | HD |
| 67 | United Arab Emirates | 9.62 | HD |
| 68 | Dominica | 9.48 | HD |
| 69 | Uruguay | 9.16 | HD |
| 70 | Montenegro | 9.1 | HD |
| 71 | Jamaica | 9.08 | HD |
| 72 | Israel | 8.85 | HD |
| 73 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 8.78 | HD |
| 74 | India | 8.66 | HD |
| 75 | South Africa | 8.4 | HD |
| 76 | Panama | 8.09 | HD |
| 77 | Puerto Rico | 8 | HD |
| 78 | North Macedonia | 7.97 | HD |
| 79 | Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba | 7.92 | HD |
| 80 | British Virgin Islands | 7.75 | HD |
| 81 | Ukraine | 7.72 | HD |
| 82 | Sri Lanka | 7.67 | HD |
| 83 | Curaçao | 7.64 | HD |
| 84 | Kenya | 7.62 | HD |
| 85 | Albania | 7.61 | HD |
| 86 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 7.53 | HD |
| 87 | Martinique | 7.23 | HD |
| 88 | Georgia | 7.14 | HD |
| 89 | Vietnam | 7.02 | HD |
| 90 | Belize | 6.8 | HD |
| 91 | Guadeloupe | 6.72 | HD |
| 92 | Indonesia | 6.65 | HD |
| 93 | Greenland | 6.51 | HD |
| 94 | Bahrain | 6.24 | HD |
| 95 | St Kitts and Nevis | 6.16 | HD |
| 96 | Saint Lucia | 6.08 | HD |
| 97 | Philippines | 6.05 | HD |
| 98 | Mexico | 6.02 | HD |
| 99 | Antigua and Barbuda | 5.91 | HD |
| 100 | Morocco | 5.48 | HD |
| 101 | Qatar | 5.35 | HD |
| 102 | Turkey | 5.27 | HD |
| 103 | Saudi Arabia | 5.27 | HD |
| 104 | Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan | 5.2 | HD |
| 105 | Sint Maarten | 5.13 | HD |
| 106 | Grenada | 5.07 | HD |
| 107 | Oman | 5.07 | HD |
| 108 | Mauritius | 5.02 | HD |
| 109 | Myanmar | 4.87 | SD |
| 110 | Armenia | 4.85 | SD |
| 111 | Brazil | 4.84 | SD |
| 112 | Brunei | 4.78 | SD |
| 113 | Kazakhstan | 4.66 | SD |
| 114 | Tunisia | 4.64 | SD |
| 115 | Fiji | 4.62 | SD |
| 116 | Anguilla | 4.59 | SD |
| 117 | Costa Rica | 4.52 | SD |
| 118 | Iran | 4.39 | SD |
| 119 | New Caledonia | 4.34 | SD |
| 120 | Saint-Barthélemy | 4.12 | SD |
| 121 | Dominican Republic | 4.09 | SD |
| 122 | Cambodia | 4.03 | SD |
| 123 | Saint Martin | 3.98 | SD |
| 124 | Chile | 3.89 | SD |
| 125 | Kuwait | 3.88 | SD |
| 126 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 3.81 | SD |
| 127 | Guam | 3.73 | SD |
| 128 | Nepal | 3.62 | SD |
| 129 | Paraguay | 3.55 | SD |
| 130 | Guyana | 3.49 | SD |
| 131 | Colombia | 3.48 | SD |
| 132 | Ecuador | 3.46 | SD |
| 133 | Suriname | 3.4 | SD |
| 134 | Namibia | 3.39 | SD |
| 135 | Rwanda | 3.34 | SD |
| 136 | Cabo Verde | 3.31 | SD |
| 137 | Guatemala | 3.22 | SD |
| 138 | Uganda | 3.22 | SD |
| 139 | Ghana | 3.2 | SD |
| 140 | Zambia | 3.13 | SD |
| 141 | Azerbaijan | 3.1 | SD |
| 142 | Burundi | 3.03 | SD |
| 143 | Haiti | 2.94 | SD |
| 144 | El Salvador | 2.93 | SD |
| 145 | Seychelles | 2.93 | SD |
| 146 | Laos | 2.92 | SD |
| 147 | Peru | 2.86 | SD |
| 148 | Honduras | 2.84 | SD |
| 149 | Argentina | 2.83 | SD |
| 150 | Zimbabwe | 2.73 | SD |
| 151 | Bangladesh | 2.72 | SD |
| 152 | China | 2.69 | SD |
| 153 | Comoros | 2.54 | SD |
| 154 | Nicaragua | 2.54 | SD |
| 155 | Kyrgyzstan | 2.5 | SD |
| 156 | Papua New Guinea | 2.47 | SD |
| 157 | Tanzania | 2.34 | SD |
| 158 | French Guiana | 2.26 | SD |
| 159 | Senegal | 2.25 | SD |
| 160 | Mozambique | 2.16 | SD |
| 161 | Liberia | 2.11 | SD |
| 162 | Mongolia | 2.1 | SD |
| 163 | Togo | 1.96 | SD |
| 164 | Sudan | 1.93 | SD |
| 165 | Botswana | 1.92 | SD |
| 166 | Libya | 1.88 | SD |
| 167 | Lebanon | 1.84 | SD |
| 168 | Ivory Coast | 1.83 | SD |
| 169 | Palestine | 1.83 | SD |
| 170 | Maldives | 1.81 | SD |
| 171 | Bolivia | 1.73 | SD |
| 172 | Cuba | 1.66 | SD |
| 173 | Egypt | 1.62 | SD |
| 174 | Malawi | 1.59 | SD |
| 175 | Mali | 1.56 | SD |
| 176 | Nigeria | 1.56 | SD |
| 177 | French Polynesia | 1.51 | SD |
| 178 | eSwatini (Formerly Swaziland) | 1.45 | Unable to stream |
| 179 | Pakistan | 1.44 | Unable to stream |
| 180 | Iraq | 1.39 | Unable to stream |
| 181 | Uzbekistan | 1.37 | Unable to stream |
| 182 | Algeria | 1.37 | Unable to stream |
| 183 | Venezuela | 1.37 | Unable to stream |
| 184 | Afghanistan | 1.26 | Unable to stream |
| 185 | Gabon | 1.26 | Unable to stream |
| 186 | Guinea | 1.25 | Unable to stream |
| 187 | Angola | 1.21 | Unable to stream |
| 188 | Gambia | 1.21 | Unable to stream |
| 189 | Sierra Leone | 1.2 | Unable to stream |
| 190 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 1.1 | Unable to stream |
| 191 | Mayotte | 1.09 | Unable to stream |
| 192 | Tajikistan | 1.05 | Unable to stream |
| 193 | Cameroon | 1.03 | Unable to stream |
| 194 | Burkina Faso | 1.02 | Unable to stream |
| 195 | Syria | 0.95 | Unable to stream |
| 196 | Benin | 0.94 | Unable to stream |
| 197 | Republic of the Congo | 0.93 | Unable to stream |
| 198 | Djibouti | 0.88 | Unable to stream |
| 199 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 0.87 | Unable to stream |
| 200 | Somalia | 0.86 | Unable to stream |
| 201 | Ethiopia | 0.8 | Unable to stream |
| 202 | Niger | 0.71 | Unable to stream |
| 203 | Turkmenistan | 0.7 | Unable to stream |
| 204 | Mauritania | 0.59 | Unable to stream |
| 205 | Equatorial Guinea | 0.51 | Unable to stream |
| 206 | Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste | 0.45 | Unable to stream |
| 207 | Yemen | 0.38 | Unable to stream |
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