Americans Pay the Most for the Worst Internet Service

February 19, 2021 2 min read

This story originally appeared on PCMag

Internet connectivity can be expensive, especially when you upgrade your plan to get the best connection possible. Some areas in the United States pay as high as $7 per megabit. But what if you had a bad connection? How much would you still be willing to pay? According to Surfshark, the worst internet in the world is also the least affordable.

Using information from the Digital Quality of Life index, Surfshark was able to determine that the regions that pay the most for internet also receive the worst-quality connections. Oceania has the most affordable and also the best overall quality internet in the world, followed by Europe and Asia. The Americas have the fourth-most-expensive internet and also have the second-worst connectivity. Africa comes in last for quality and affordability.

The average global cost of internet connectivity is $18,584.96 over the span of a lifetime. But US residents can expect to pay $32,400 for a lifetime of internet, while residents of Nigeria will pay $50,680 over a lifetime for what has been shown to be worse internet quality in terms of speed and reliability.

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The Internet Affordability Index has the global average score at 11.0, with Oceania, Europe, and Asia all surpassing that mark. Meanwhile, the Americas sit at 0.06 and Africa is at just 0.03. Overall, this means that 75% of countries have to work more than the global average just to afford internet.

Countries including Nigeria and Kenya must put in 34 hours and 14 hours of work, respectively, in order to afford internet service. Many residents of Central and South American countries put in an average of between 6 and 10 hours of work, while the United States only requires 52 minutes. For context, Canada residents need only 7 minutes of work, and Israel just 17 seconds.