In just over a year the US has dropped two places in worldwide broadband rankings. As measured by household usage, broadband penetration in the US dropped from 25th to 27th place worldwide. The US remained at 22nd place in broadband use by population. Qatar jumped two spots to lead Liechtenstein and Luxembourg in household penetration of broadband, while Iceland jumped 2 spots to 3rd place behind Liechtenstein and Luxembourg in broadband penetration by population.
World Broadband Penetration Rankings by Household
The United States dropped from 25th place in Q3 2009 to 27th place in Q1 2011 at 77.5% in broadband penetration by household, according to data from Point Topic (see Figure 1). While the US stood at 77.5% penetration in Q1 2011, it was behind the UK at 79.3% and Canada at 85.7% penetration. Qatar (137.7%), Liechtenstein (137.5%), and Luxembourg (127.5%) led all countries surveyed.
Figure 1: Broadband Penetration by Household, Q1 2011
Source: Point-Topic.com
US Remains at 22nd Place in Broadband Penetration by Population
As measured by population, broadband subscribers per 100 inhabitants in the US remained at 22nd place worldwide, according to the “World Broadband Statistics, Q1 2011” survey (see Figure 2). US broadband penetration by population was 29.8% in Q1 2011,
behind Slovenia at 31.3% (21st place), Guernsey at 32.3%, Germany at 32.8%, Canada at 33.1%, and the UK at 33.4%. Liechtenstein remained in the top spot since our last survey in 2010 at 63.2% penetration by population, followed by Luxembourg up one spot at 51% and Iceland up two spots from 5th to 3rd place at 50.7%.
Figure 2: Broadband Penetration by Population, Q1 2011
Source: Point-Topic.com
Serbia Leads World in Broadband Subscriber Growth
Serbia leads all countries surveyed with a 68% annual growth rate from Q1 2010 to Q1 2011 (see Figure 3). Thailand, Belarus, Pakistan, and Jordan follow Serbia. The US is in 78th place worldwide with a 5.7% annual growth rate.
Figure 3: Broadband Subscribers Annual Growth – Q1 2010 – Q1 2011
Source: Point-Topic.com
China Leads US in Total Broadband Subscribers
China continues to lead the world in total broadband subscribers. As of the first quarter of 2011, China had over 135 million broadband subscribers, with the US at over 88 million subscribers in second place (see Figure 4). Japan, German, and France followed China and the US in total subscribers.
Figure 4: Total Broadband Subscribers – Q4 2010 – Q1 2011
Source: Point-Topic.com
Further Reading
- Point Topic
- Provided the data used in this Bandwidth Report, see the “World Broadband Statistics, Q1 2011” report for details.