2016-01-08

Netflix has gone global, but if you are travelling, what speeds and quality can you expect?

Netflix has announced that it’s launching across the globe (excluding China, Crimea, Syria and North Korea), which means that the streaming service is now available in a whole host of countries that you might be planning to travel to in the near future.

You can check out the available titles per country by clicking here and the comparison of available titles versus the US library by clicking here.

The existing streaming rights that Netflix has means that the availability of content will vary by region, whether you’re in Hong Kong, India, Russia or Iran, for example. But Netflix itself won’t discriminate against you if you have an active subscription and your country location changes.

This means that if you log into Netflix abroad without using a VPN, you’ll be provided with whatever the local Netflix catalogue offers instead of the current library of titles in your location. Depending on where you are, that may be a larger or smaller library, but you should at the very least get a basic level of access.

Content is one issue, and the other is probably going to be connection speed, because Netflix dynamically adjusts the visual quality offered based on your current connection speeds. Netflix provides advised connection speeds for each level of quality offered, so it’s not too hard to discern what you need to have in order to be able to access a specific quality level.

It’s worth noting that not every title available on Netflix is streamed in HD or 4K quality. For example, most Netflix Originals are available in 4K, but other titles might only be available in standard definition (SD).

Here is Netflix’s advice on required broadband speeds for each type of connection, bearing in mind that the entry level speeds of 0.5Mbps and 1.5Mbps would require significant buffering:

0.5 Megabits per second – Required broadband connection speed

1.5 Megabits per second – Recommended broadband connection speed

3.0 Megabits per second – Recommended for SD quality

5.0 Megabits per second – Recommended for HD quality

25 Megabits per second – Recommended for Ultra HD quality

With Netflix increasing its footprint across the globe, it’s also increasing its audience, as long as those countries can meet the required speeds.

Using the global speed metrics provided by Akamai’s State Of The Internet data for Q3 2015, here is how each country compares and what type of connection a user in those countries can expect. Any location marked as N/A did not have available average download data for comparison purposes.

Keep in mind that these are only averages, and you may well hit a better connection than these numbers suggest, which would improve your Netflix experience. It’s interesting to note that there’s still no country on Earth that automatically passes the 4K quality barrier outright.

Likewise, for the countries where Akamai presents download speed data, there are none that outright fail the lowest bar for Netflix streaming, although you’re likely to encounter significant buffering connecting at anything under the recommended 1.5Mbps rate.

Country

Average Net Speed

Equivalent Netflix Quality

South Korea

20.543

HD

Sweden

17.445

HD

Norway

16.433

HD

Switzerland

16.204

HD

Hong Kong

15.8

HD

Netherlands

15.621

HD

Japan

15.027

HD

Finland

14.824

HD

Latvia

14.54

HD

Czech Republic

14.526

HD

Denmark

13.955

HD

Romania

13.082

HD

Iceland

13.046

HD

United Kingdom

12.974

HD

Belgium

12.775

HD

United States

12.572

HD

Singapore

12.5

HD

Ireland

12.431

HD

Lithuania

12.228

HD

Bulgaria

12.117

HD

Canada

11.896

HD

Andorra

11.78

HD

Germany

11.527

HD

Austria

11.391

HD

Israel

11.197

HD

Slovakia

11.189

HD

Hungary

10.659

HD

Portugal

10.583

HD

Poland

10.567

HD

Liechtenstein

10.476

HD

Spain

10.352

HD

Russia

10.225

HD

Ukraine

10.154

HD

Taiwan

10.07

HD

Slovenia

9.748

HD

Moldova

9.738

HD

Malta

9.695

HD

Estonia

9.374

HD

Rwanda

9.292

HD

Luxembourg

9.129

HD

Puerto Rico

8.795

HD

New Zealand

8.652

HD

Thailand

8.236

HD

France

8.154

HD

Australia

7.827

HD

Bahamas

7.599

HD

Mongolia

7.542

HD

Faroe Islands

7.479

HD

Georgia

7.071

HD

Trinidad and Tobago

6.799

HD

United Arab Emirates

6.793

HD

Italy

6.526

HD

Greece

6.322

HD

Turkey

6.225

HD

Macedonia

6.135

HD

Belarus

6.037

HD

San Marino

6.034

HD

Qatar

6.004

HD

Uruguay

5.92

HD

Kazakhstan

5.893

HD

Barbados

5.792

HD

Bosnia and Herzegovina

5.76

HD

Jamaica

5.684

HD

Papua New Guinea

5.683

HD

Chile

5.674

HD

U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas)

5.665

HD

Croatia

5.563

HD

Mexico

5.546

HD

Cyprus

5.509

HD

Kuwait

5.301

HD

Grenada

5.142

HD

Sri Lanka (Ceylon)

5.13

HD

Albania

5.042

HD

Malaysia

4.883

SD (Recommended)

Montenegro

4.685

SD (Recommended)

Fijian Islands

4.637

SD (Recommended)

Zimbabwe

4.452

SD (Recommended)

Peru

4.43

SD (Recommended)

Saint Kitts And Nevis

4.396

SD (Recommended)

Colombia

4.242

SD (Recommended)

Argentina

4.171

SD (Recommended)

Ecuador

4.091

SD (Recommended)

Saint Vincent And The Grenadines

4.058

SD (Recommended)

Bahrain

3.957

SD (Recommended)

Dominica

3.957

SD (Recommended)

Cambodia (Kampuchea)

3.916

SD (Recommended)

Armenia

3.892

SD (Recommended)

Uzbekistan

3.778

SD (Recommended)

Iraq

3.7

SD (Recommended)

Brunei Darussalam

3.697

SD (Recommended)

South Africa

3.669

SD (Recommended)

Brazil

3.645

SD (Recommended)

Jordan

3.608

SD (Recommended)

Greenland

3.563

SD (Recommended)

Panama

3.485

SD (Recommended)

Azerbaijan

3.421

SD (Recommended)

Lesotho

3.416

SD (Recommended)

Vietnam

3.389

SD (Recommended)

Liberia

3.386

SD (Recommended)

Myanmar (Burma)

3.295

SD (Recommended)

Costa Rica

3.203

SD (Recommended)

Saint Lucia

3.201

SD (Recommended)

Morocco

3.163

SD (Recommended)

Western Sahara

3.163

SD (Recommended)

Saudi Arabia

3.152

SD (Recommended)

Oman

3.052

SD (Recommended)

Tajikistan

3.048

SD (Recommended)

Indonesia

2.969

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Mauritius

2.908

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Guatemala

2.907

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Tunisia

2.901

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

British Guyana

2.833

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Philippines

2.816

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

El Salvador

2.763

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Lao People’s Democratic Republic

2.677

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Kyrgyzstan

2.669

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Bangladesh

2.608

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Madagascar

2.564

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Nicaragua

2.553

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Nigeria

2.527

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Kenya

2.526

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

India

2.522

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Honduras

2.445

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Sao Tome and Principe

2.427

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Algeria

2.422

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Dominican Republic

2.303

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Suriname

2.232

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Haiti

2.145

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Bhutan

2.111

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Burundi

2.111

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire)

2.076

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Pakistan

2.064

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

South Sudan

2.044

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Republic of the Congo

2.002

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Iran

1.997

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Belize

1.99

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Turkmenistan

1.975

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Mozambique

1.924

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Sierra Leone

1.886

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Gabon

1.877

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Tanzania

1.844

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Gambia

1.842

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Ethiopia

1.825

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Nepal

1.825

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Angola

1.8

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Namibia

1.781

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Bolivia

1.779

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Malawi

1.763

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Egypt

1.738

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Djibouti Republic

1.734

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Sint Maarten

1.703

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Anguilla

1.7

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Antigua and Barbuda

1.7

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Ghana

1.691

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Somalia

1.673

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Cameroon

1.657

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Uganda

1.633

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Lebanon

1.626

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Cuba

1.621

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Paraguay

1.506

SD (Recommended, buffering likely)

Venezuela

1.453

SD (Minimum Requirement)

East Timor (Timor-Leste)

1.437

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Zambia

1.397

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Swaziland

1.37

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Guinea

1.322

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Senegal

1.296

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Sudan

1.294

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Botswana

1.232

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Mauritania

1.229

SD (Minimum Requirement)

American Samoa

1.188

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Equatorial Guinea

1.164

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Democratic Republic of Congo

1.138

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Eritrea

1.134

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Benin (Dahomey)

1.126

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Chad

1.043

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Afghanistan

0.976

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Yemen

0.89

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Comoros

0.807

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Togo

0.777

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Guinea-Bissau

0.644

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Niger

0.622

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Central African Republic

0.616

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Libya

0.587

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Burkina Faso (Upper Volta)

0.578

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Mali

0.521

SD (Minimum Requirement)

Aruba

N/A

Australian Antarctica

N/A

Bermuda

N/A

Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba

N/A

British Indian Ocean Territory

N/A

British Virgin Islands

N/A

Cape Verde Islands (Cabo Verde)

N/A

Cayman Islands

N/A

Christmas Island

N/A

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

N/A

Cook Islands

N/A

Curaçao

N/A

Falkland Islands

N/A

Federated States of Micronesia

N/A

French Guiana

N/A

French Polynesia

N/A

Gibraltar

N/A

Guadeloupe

N/A

Guam

N/A

Guernsey

N/A

Heard Island and McDonald Islands

N/A

Isle Of Man

N/A

Jersey

N/A

Kiribati

N/A

Macao

N/A

Maldives

N/A

Marshall Islands

N/A

Martinique

N/A

Mayotte

N/A

Micronesia

N/A

Monaco

N/A

Montserrat

N/A

Nauru

N/A

Netherlands Antilles

N/A

New Caledonia

N/A

Niue

N/A

Norfolk Island

N/A

Northern Mariana Islands

N/A

Palau

N/A

Palestine

N/A

Pitcairn Islands

N/A

Réunion

N/A

Saint Barthélemy

N/A

Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

N/A

Saint Martin

N/A

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

N/A

Samoa

N/A

Seychelles

N/A

Solomon Islands

N/A

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

N/A

Tokelau Islands

N/A

Tonga

N/A

Turks And Caicos Islands

N/A

Tuvalu

N/A

United States Minor Outlying Islands (Baker Island, Midway Atoll, Wake Island)

N/A

Vanuatu (New Hebrides)

N/A

Vatican City

N/A

Wallis and Futuna

N/A

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