From high-definition video streaming to always-connected devices, and the rise of data-intensive and cloud-based technologies, demand for data continues to grow. However, investment in the physical infrastructure that enables data to move around hasn’t kept pace, meaning traffic has already surpassed the volume that much of our global network infrastructure can handle efficiently.

Rising traffic is contributing to a growing frustration with connectivity. While global average internet speeds have improved significantly in recent years – rising from 1.7 megabits per second (Mbps) in 2010 to 118Mbps last year – the reliability and consistency of services lag, with search terms such as “Why is my internet so slow”, “Wi-Fi not working”, and “No internet connection” remaining high.

The infrastructure that underpins the internet is complex and largely invisible to consumers. Yet, it's crucial in keeping us online. When investments and upgrades fail to keep up with demand, users feel the impact through slower speeds, intermittent disruptions, and outright outages.

To highlight where pressures are most visible – and the frustration caused to end users - RETN conducted a global analysis of internet search data, revealing the countries where connectivity issues are most frequently experienced.

RETN analysed Google Trends data from the 30 most visited countries globally, as ranked by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Frustration-related searches, in both English and local languages, were used to rank each country. Adjusted for population and internet user base, this data was used to assign each country a comparable User Frustration Score.

Buffer zones: Where connectivity frustration is most common

1. Croatia | User Frustration Score: 26.32

Most common search: “Buffering”

Croatia has made rapid progress in expanding internet access, with the majority of its population now online. Likewise, fibre-optic connections overtook copper-based networks for the first time last year, yet high-speed internet is still not fully available nationwide. Approximately 66% of households can access speeds of 100Mbps or higher, while only 25% of rural properties have access to fibre coverage. Many continue to rely on connections that are unsuitable for today’s data-intensive uses, from high-definition streaming to online gaming. As a result, buffering – caused by data bottlenecks – remains a common cause of frustration.

2. The United Kingdom | User Frustration Score: 17.02

Most common search: “No internet connection”

While the UK boasts an extensive and largely dependable internet network, connectivity issues can still occur, particularly in more rural areas. Limited infrastructure in less densely populated areas, combined with high traffic demands, often leads to slow speeds or complete blackspots. Just 61% of rural homes have access to full fibre services, compared to 81% of urban households. Likewise, 46% of deprived rural areas lack access to 5G mobile networks, compared to less than 3% in urban areas. However, even in major cities, where infrastructure is more developed, dense populations can cause network congestion, resulting in slower speeds.

3. The United States | User Frustration Score: 15.49

Most common search: “Why is my internet so slow?”

The US is home to one of the largest internet user bases in the world, with approximately 322 million users, surpassed only by China and India. Many of these users live in large, densely populated cities, meaning high volumes of data are flowing through a limited number of routes to reach local populations, leading to congestion – particularly during peak usage hours. As a longstanding leader in high-speed internet, Americans have come to expect consistently fast download speeds. Consequently, even brief bottlenecks can cause significant frustration.

Investing in stability: Countries with the lowest frustration scores

In contrast, South Korea, Thailand, and Morocco lead the way in low connectivity frustration, despite their vast differences in the state of their internet infrastructure. While South Korea boasts a near 100% household access rate, largely served by high-speed fibre infrastructure, Morocco’s average speed of 61Mbps sits below the global average.

What links them is their efforts to improve services. Thailand, for instance, has spent the past decade planning and implementing initiatives such as Net Pracharat – the rollout of high-speed infrastructure in over 20,000 rural villages. Likewise, Morocco has announced plans to build a 500-megawatt data centre, reducing the distance data must travel to reach end users.

Connectivity hotspots: Why holiday destinations report lower frustration

Popular vacation destinations, such as Spain (3.57), France (2.07), and Mexico (1.77), also report relatively low levels of connectivity frustration. When tourism makes up a large part of a country’s GDP, there’s a strong financial incentive to keep people connected, both in urban centres and rural regions that attract large visitor numbers.

Today’s travellers expect to be able to access navigation apps to get around, booking platforms to find rooms and experiences, and social media to share their adventures, meaning a destination’s appeal is tied to the reliability of its internet.

As demand continues to rise, keeping consumers connected and satisfied the world over will require sustained investment in resilient, high-capacity infrastructure – not just at the Internet Service Providers level, but across the backbone that underpins it.

Methodology

The analysis is based on Google search behaviour to measure real-world frustration with internet performance. We examined a consistent set of high-intent search queries such as “internet is slow”, “wifi not working”, and “why is my internet so bad”, including both English and local-language equivalents. The study focused on the top 30 most-visited countries globally, using search volume data to identify where these queries are most common. To ensure fair comparison across markets of different sizes, results were normalised by population and internet user base, allowing us to rank countries based on the relative level of internet-related frustration rather than absolute search volume.

Detailed findings