Namibia has experienced a significant decline in its internet quality, resulting in a drop of seven positions in the Digital Quality of Life Index.

Currently, Namibia’s internet quality stands at 43% below the global average, which has brought the country’s ranking down to 110th position out of 121 countries, a notable decrease from the previous year.

According to the index released by Surfshark, a cybersecurity company based in The Netherlands, Namibia’s fixed internet speed averages 21 megabytes per second (Mbps).

This is considerably slower than the world’s fastest fixed internet, found in Singapore, which boasts speeds of up to 300 Mbps. On the other end of the spectrum, Yemen has the slowest fixed internet in the world, with speeds as low as 11 Mbps.

In terms of mobile internet, Namibia’s average speed is 24 Mbps, which falls far short of the world’s fastest mobile internet in the United Arab Emirates, clocking in at a remarkable 310 Mbps.

Meanwhile, the world’s slowest mobile internet can be found in Venezuela, with speeds as low as 10 Mbps.

Gabriele Racaityte-Krasauske, Surfshark’s spokesperson, said it is troubling to see that Namibia ranks so low on the index.

“In many nations, ‘digital quality of life’ has merged into the broader concept of overall ‘quality of life’. There’s no other way to look at it now that so many daily activities, including work, education and leisure are done online,” she said.

Racaityte-Krasauske said it is crucial to pinpoint the areas in which a nation’s digital quality of life thrives and where attention is needed.

Compared to Angola, Namibia’s mobile internet is 28% slower, while fixed broadband is 14% slower. Since last year, mobile internet speed in Namibia has improved by 8%, while fixed broadband speed has grown by 14%.

Namibia’s internet affordability is lower than average, but still much better than Romania, where the world’s most affordable fixed internet requires just 18 minutes of work per month.

In contrast, Namibians must work one hour, 50 minutes, and 53 seconds each month to afford mobile internet, which is seven times more than in Luxembourg, where the world’s most affordable mobile internet demands just 16 minutes of work per month.

Meanwhile, Namibia’s global rankings are 98th in e-security, a five-place improvement from last year, 110th in e-infrastructure, and 102nd in e-government.