Bermudians pay more for internet than almost anyone else on the planet, a recently published UK study of 219 countries has found.

Cable.co.uk creates databases to allow UK buyers to compare broadband, TV, landline and mobile packages from the UK's leading providers.

And in their sixth annual study of the average price of broadband, Bermuda is included in the North American region, the world’s most expensive region.

The surprise that North America is the most expensive region, because it mainly consists of the US and Canada – is tempered once the Bermuda factor is considered.

The report states: “And while broadband in both USA and Canada is indeed expensive (with the USA coming in 146th in the world cheapest, and Canada 136th), regionally, the expense is amplified by the inclusion of Bermuda and Greenland, both of which are near the very bottom of the table, in the main part simply because they are both geographically troublesome locations to roll out fixed-line broadband.”

The report adds: “The region as a whole has an average price of USD 104.33, making it the most expensive region in the world. Canada was cheapest (USD 58.14, 136th), followed by the United States (USD 59.99, 146th) and Greenland (USD 114.19, 199th).

“Bermuda was the most expensive in the region (USD 185.00, 214th).”

The island slips further down the list when the report considers average cost of broadband per month, the cheapest and the most expensive broadband packages and other factors such as cost per megabit.

The countries below it on the list are (in descending order) the sub-Saharan African Congo ($193.46), Turks and Caicos ($199), Suriname in South America ($269.44) and the sub-Saharan country of Burundi ($383.79).

Their Global broadband pricing league table 2023 is the latest in an annual study of broadband pricing in 219 countries, revealing vast disparities in the cost of getting online.

The Commonwealth of Independent States, sometimes called “former USSR”, offers on average the cheapest broadband in the world, regionally. This region consists of 11 measured countries that includes Kazakhstan, Moldova, Belarus, Georgia and others.

Western Europe, with its advanced infrastructure and thriving telecoms markets, does not fare well, overall. Not a single country in the region made it into the top-50 cheapest, with Malta coming in cheapest in the region, in 59th place, with an average package price of USD 27.41.

The UK's overall placement of 76th is actually a big improvement since last year.

The report names Sudan as offering the cheapest broadband packages in the world, with an average cost for broadband of $2.30 per month, with the cheapest package measured at 84 cents per month and the most expensive at $4.32 per month for the sub-Saharan African country.

The authors caution that the data refers to pricing, not affordability. But Sudan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Belarus, Romania, Ukraine, Iran, Nepal and Egypt are all countries that provide broadband service at an average cost per month of less than ten bucks.