Iceland now has something to brag about other than Bjork and really cool-looking geothermal spas. According to the latest OECD report on broadband usage, Iceland has edged ahead of South Korea as the world leader in broadband penetration, as measured by the percentage of inhabitants with broadband connectivity:

Iceland topped the global ranking of high-speed Internet connections compiled by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), with 26.7 subscribers per 100 inhabitants, or 26.7% penetration, at the end of 2005. South Korea dropped to second place at 25.4 percent, followed by the Netherlands at 25.3 percent and Denmark at 25 percent.

The findings underscore growing European demand for high-speed Internet connectivity, with Finland (22.5 percent), Norway (21.9 percent), Sweden (20.3 percent) and Belgium (18.3 percent) also ranked among the OECD’s ten most-penetrated broadband markets. Each country added more than six subscribers per 100 inhabitants in 2005. Australia was ranked 17th with 13.8 percent.

Don’t worry, though, America (ranked 12th in the OECD survey) still has the largest absolute number of broadband subscribers in the OECD, at 49.39 million, while South Korea only has 12.19 million and Iceland - tiny but beautiful Iceland - only has 78,000+ broadband subscribers. As GigaOm points out, though, South Korea appears to be moving away from a reliance on cable and DSL connections to fiber-based broadband connections. So, when evaluating the numbers, it’s also important to keep an eye on the quality of the broadband connection. When it comes to download speeds, Japan and South Korea are at the front of the pack.

Tags: Iceland OECD broadband Internet

[image: Blue Lagoon, TabascoKid on Flickr]