Record of slowest internet in the world

Pakistan Internet Speed ​​Ranking 2024:The condition of internet in Pakistan has become very bad. According to the latest data from Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, Pakistan’s internet speed has been found to be the slowest in the world. The decline in internet speed in October 2023 placed Pakistan in the list of countries with the slowest internet speed globally.

Chinese firewall held responsible

The government has blamed the national internet firewall set up by its close ally China for the decline in internet speeds in Pakistan. Due to this firewall, users had to face restrictions in VPN access, constant slow speeds and connectivity problems.

Internet condition is bad from July to October

Internet users of Pakistan have been complaining of slow speed since July 2023. This not only caused problems with web browsing, but also made media sharing and other online tasks difficult.

According to Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index,

• Pakistan was ranked 100th out of 111 countries in terms of mobile internet speed.
• Pakistan ranked 141st out of 158 countries in broadband speed.

VPN users also had to face difficulties

Internet problems in Pakistan are not limited to ordinary users only. VPN users also had to face this problem. Many Pakistanis use VPNs to access restricted websites such as X (formerly Twitter). But their problems increased due to decline in internet speed.

internet speed statistics

• Average download speed: 7.85 Mbps
• Mobile Download Speed: 19.59 Mbps
• Broadband download speed: 15.52Mbps

With this speed, it may take about one and a half to two hours to download a 2 GB movie.

Chinese firewall: the reason for digital surveillance

Internet service providers and the business community believe that the main reason for the decline in internet speed is the Chinese-built national internet firewall. This firewall monitors and controls Internet traffic.

• This firewall works like a digital gatekeeper, which decides which data to allow entry and which to block.
• Data traffic is slowing down due to China’s direct surveillance on Pakistan’s internet infrastructure.
• Now this firewall is also being installed on the servers of big Internet Service Providers (ISPs) of the country, due to which there is a possibility of further decline in speed.

Demand for ban on VPN

Recently, Pakistan’s Home Ministry had demanded a ban on unregulated use of VPNs. The ministry claimed that:

1. Use of VPN promotes terrorism and violent activities.
2. Obscene and blasphemous content is being accessed through VPNs.

However, this demand faced strong opposition in Pakistan, because VPN is the means through which people are able to access restricted websites and content.