Which country has the worst internet in the world in 2025 (lowest speeds)? 

Curious which country had the worst internet (lowest speeds) in 2025? This deep-dive explains the data, names the slowest countries (with measured Mbps), why speeds are so low, and what can help — backed by 2025 sources.

Internet speed rankings change a little every month, but the pattern is clear in 2025: while many countries race toward gigabit home broadband and multi-hundred Mbps mobile, a small group of nations still experience single-digit megabit speeds on average. If you’re asking “which country has the worst internet in the world in 2025?” — the short answer is: Turkmenistan (and a handful of conflict- or infrastructure-challenged states) consistently rank at the very bottom of global speed lists in 2025. Below we explain the data, show comparable low-speed countries, dig into the causes, and outline realistic paths to improvement.

Headline finding: Turkmenistan sits at the bottom in 2025

Multiple trackers and summaries of 2025 measurements place Turkmenistan among the slowest (and in several datasets, the slowest) countries for median fixed broadband download speed. For example, analysis of Ookla/Speedtest data cited in 2025 summaries reports Turkmenistan’s typical fixed-line (median) speeds in the ~3–4 Mbps range — a level that puts it at the very bottom of the global table. That means everyday tasks such as streaming a HD video, video calls, or even reliably opening media-heavy websites are frequently slow or unreliable for many users there. 

Other countries with very low speeds in 2025

Turkmenistan is not the only country that struggles. Several countries repeatedly appear near the bottom of global rankings in 2025:

• Afghanistan — median speeds often reported in the low single-digit Mbps range due to insecurity and weak infrastructure.

• Yemen and Syria — conflict, damaged infrastructure and restricted investment keep speeds extremely low.

• Timor-Leste (East Timor) — small island geography, limited backbone links and high international transit costs push average fixed speeds into the single digits in many reports. Some rankings place Timor-Leste among the slowest several years running.

• Central African Republic, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia — low adoption, high costs, and limited fiber reach result in slow average speeds.

Different data sources (Speedtest Global Index, Cable.co.uk, WorldPopulationReview, DataReportal and country-level speed monitors) sometimes disagree about the exact order, but they agree on the headline: several countries remain in the very low single-digit Mbps bracket in 2025.

Why these countries have the slowest internet (key factors)

Understanding WHY a country ranks among the slowest is more useful than the ranking itself. The common causes are:

1. Conflict and instability. War damages fiber, cell towers and power supplies; it interrupts maintenance and deters investment. Yemen, Syria and parts of Afghanistan are clear examples.

2. Authoritarian control and market restrictions. In some states the government tightly controls international connectivity and ISPs; limited competition reduces incentives to invest in upgrades. Turkmenistan’s restrictive telecom environment has been repeatedly called out by analysts.

3. Geography and small size. Islands or remote nations (e.g., Timor-Leste, some Pacific microstates) face high per-user costs for submarine cable access and rely on expensive satellite links.

4. Low investment and affordability barriers. Many low-income countries have high relative connection costs (internet as a share of income is high), reducing uptake and scale economies that make fiber cost-effective.

5. Legacy copper networks, poor backbone and last-mile infrastructure. Where fiber penetration is low and copper/wireless last miles dominate, median speeds remain modest.

Numbers that put the problem in perspective

• Typical median fixed broadband speeds in the slowest countries (2025 snapshots) often sit in the ~2.5–6 Mbps range. By contrast, leading countries report medians in the hundreds of Mbps. The gap is therefore dozens to hundreds of times.

• In practice, a median of ~3–4 Mbps means common tasks like a Zoom video call or 720p streaming are frequently unreliable without long buffering or resolution drops.

(These figures are median values reported by public indexes in early/mid 2025; exact ranks can shift slightly month-to-month depending on sample size and measurement methodology.)

Measurement caveats: not all speed lists are created equal

A few notes that help readers interpret rankings:

• Median vs. average: many indexes report median speeds (a useful indicator of a “typical” user), while others report averages that can be skewed by a small number of very fast connections. Prefer median for user experience.

• Sample size, platform and geography: speed test samples come from users who run tests — low testing activity in very poor or rural areas can bias results. Some countries may under-report because tests are rarer.

• Political blocking of measurement tools: some countries restrict popular speed-test services, which complicates direct comparisons and can undercount or distort results. (As an example of how governments interfere with measurement tools, some countries block foreign testing services or push domestic alternatives.)

What can improve internet speeds in the slowest countries?

There is no single magic bullet, but a mix of public and private actions has proven effective elsewhere:

1. Expand international connectivity (submarine cables + terrestrial fiber). Lowering the cost of international transit reduces price and latency. Regional fiber projects and new submarine cables are transformational.

2. Improve last-mile infrastructure with fiber and modern wireless. Replacing aging copper and investing in fiber-to-the-home or fiber-to-the-village greatly raises baseline speeds.

3. Encourage competition and private investment. Market liberalization and transparent regulation attract operators and lower consumer prices.

4. Use satellite and non-terrestrial options where fiber is impractical. New generation LEO and MEO satellite services can rapidly raise capacity for remote islands and post-conflict zones — often as an interim solution.

5. Subsidies / public-private partnerships for underserved areas. Targeted subsidies and donor funding can create critical mass until commercial demand grows.

In 2025 the worst internet — measured by median fixed-line download speed — is concentrated in a small group of countries where conflict, geography, political restrictions, and low investment combine to produce extremely slow, single-digit Mbps connections. Turkmenistan repeatedly appears at the bottom in 2025 snapshots (median ~3–4 Mbps), with Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Timor-Leste, Central African Republic and Sudan among the other worst-performing nations. The path forward is practical: cheaper international links, last-mile upgrades, competition, targeted subsidies and modern satellite options are proven levers to accelerate speeds and close the global digital divide. 

FAQ

Q: Is Turkmenistan definitely the worst every month?
A: Rankings shift slightly month-to-month, but many 2025 data summaries place Turkmenistan at or very near the bottom for median fixed broadband speeds. Other countries (Afghanistan, Timor-Leste, Yemen, Syria, Central African Republic, Sudan) also frequently appear in the lowest tier.

Q: Are those speeds for mobile or fixed broadband?
A: Slowest figures cited above refer mostly to fixed broadband median speeds; mobile rankings follow a different pattern and sometimes show different low-rank countries. Always check whether a dataset is fixed or mobile.

Q: Where does the data come from?
A: Public indexes and aggregators such as Speedtest Global Index (Ookla), DataReportal, Cable.co.uk summaries and country monitors compile measured speed tests — those are the primary sources used by most 2025 summaries.