Study: 8 out of 10 Europeans get Internet at ‘fair price’
February 21, 2023
Surfshark has released its Global Internet Value Index (IVi), which uncovers countries overpaying for their Internet connection plan. The UK is in 20th place in the world with an index 96 per cent higher than the global average. Oceania and Europe lead the world in Internet value, while Internet affordability in North America, South America, and Africa is below average. Globally, only four out of 10 people get their internet at fair prices, while the remaining 61 per cent overpay for Internet they get.
Global Internet Value index (IVi) is calculated by dividing each country’s Internet speed by Internet affordability to determine which countries are overpaying for their Internet. According to Surfshark’s data, UK ranks 20th globally with an index of 0.1426, 96 per cent higher than the global average, meaning Britons get their Internet for a fair price compared to other countries worldwide.
Regarding regional position, UK ranks 14th, with its index 13 per cent higher than Europe’s average. UK is in fifth place in Northern Europe. Countries such as Ireland and Netherlands rank 32nd and ninth, respectively, both paying a fair price for the Internet they get. The UK has a 64 per cent higher index than Ireland and a 32 per cent lower index than the Netherlands.
“Internet Value index offers to look at Internet connection from a practical perspective – whether we get what we pay for. Even economically affluent countries with relatively fast Internet can overpay compared to others worldwide,” says Agneska Sablovskaja, Lead Researcher at Surfshark. “However, some countries may have slower internet but also pay a considerably lower price, which is then considered fair.”
8 out of 10 European people get their Internet at fair prices
Europe is the second-best region regarding Internet value as 78 per cent of European people get their internet at fair prices. Denmark takes the lead in Europe with an index nearly four times higher than the European average, closely followed by France. In terms of overall Internet value, countries in Western Europe tend to perform the best, with around 58 per cent higher index than the region’s average. However, internet value is below average by around 25 per cent in two Western European countries, Austria and Belgium.
Northern European countries perform well in terms of internet value (around 31 per cent higher index than the European average). However, four Northern European countries, Norway, Ireland, Latvia and Estonia are overpaying for internet connections.
Eastern Europe performs middle-of-the-line, with its index around 7.4 per cent lower than the European average. Romania ranks third in the region and is the only Eastern European country part of the top 10-ranking European countries.
Southern Europe performed the worst out of the continent’s four subregions, with a 50.9 per cent lower index than the European average. The three lowest-ranking countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and North Macedonia, are all located in Southern Europe. Out of the 10 lowest-ranking European countries, all but one (Belarus) are Southern European.
In Asia, four out of 10 people can access the Internet at a fair price compared to the rest of the region. Israel takes the lead in Asia with the best Internet value index, followed by Singapore and South Korea. Comparing Internet value in Africa, 4 out of every 10 people can access the Internet at a fair price. South Africa remains the outright leader, with Egypt ranking second, followed by Morocco. However, Zimbabwe and Uganda remain the lowest-ranking African countries, followed closely by Cameroon.
In North America, seven out of every 10 individuals can access the Internet at a fair price. The US outperforms Canada regarding Internet value. None of the countries that form part of the Latin American and the Caribbean subregion of North America have above-average Internet value. 59 per cent of South Americans get their Internet at a fair price. Chile is South America’s leader in Internet value, followed by Uruguay and Brazil.
Oceania’s Internet value index is 2.5 times higher than the global average. Australia ranked fifth in the world, and New Zealand ranked 25th overall.