Broadband speed
Published:
29 October 2026
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Data on the percentage of homes and businesses in the UK with gigabit internet capability.
Summary main findings
From 2020 to 2025, the percentage of homes and businesses in the UK with access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection went up from 27% to 86%.
The percentage went up in all 4 countries in the UK. England had the largest increase, up from 25% in 2020 to 87% in 2025.
In 2025, 94% of homes and businesses in Northern Ireland had access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection – the highest percentage out of the 4 countries in the UK. Wales had the lowest percentage (79%).
Out of 41 UK regions, access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection was:
- highest in West Midlands at 96%
- lowest in Highlands and Islands at 46%
By year
Visualisation
Percentage of homes and businesses with access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection, by country over time (UK, 2020 to 2025)
Click or tap on legend items to toggle visibility
Data
| Year | England (%) | Scotland (%) | Wales (%) | Northern Ireland (%) | United Kingdom (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 87 | 80 | 79 | 94 | 86 |
| 2024 | 83 | 76 | 72 | 93 | 82 |
| 2023 | 77 | 70 | 63 | 91 | 76 |
| 2022 | 70 | 62 | 51 | 85 | 69 |
| 2021 | 45 | 50 | 35 | 74 | 46 |
| 2020 | 25 | 46 | 18 | 54 | 27 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
By area
Visualisation
Percentage of homes and businesses with access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection, by area (UK, 2025)
41 regions in the UK are ranked from the lowest to highest values. They are then divided into 5 equally-sized groups (‘quintiles’), from 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest).
The regional estimates have a large margin of error – do not rank or compare specific regions. See the composite indices for more precise estimates and to understand overall regional patterns.
Data
| Region | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 88.0 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 87.1 |
| Cheshire | 87.1 |
| Cornwall and Isles of Scilly | 62.4 |
| Cumbria | 75.0 |
| Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire | 89.2 |
| Devon | 76.9 |
| Dorset and Somerset | 77.3 |
| East Anglia | 78.6 |
| East Wales | 83.9 |
| East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 94.2 |
| Eastern Scotland | 83.7 |
| Essex | 86.7 |
| Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bath/Bristol area | 84.3 |
| Greater Manchester | 93.2 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 85.3 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 84.3 |
| Highlands and Islands | 45.7 |
| Inner London - East | 90.6 |
| Inner London - West | 90.6 |
| Kent | 79.8 |
| Lancashire | 89.3 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 90.5 |
| Lincolnshire | 75.0 |
| Merseyside | 90.7 |
| North Eastern Scotland | 67.7 |
| North Yorkshire | 81.2 |
| Northern Ireland | 94.0 |
| Northumberland, and Tyne and Wear | 88.6 |
| Outer London - East and North East | 92.1 |
| Outer London - South | 91.2 |
| Outer London - West and North West | 87.8 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 82.8 |
| South Yorkshire | 93.1 |
| Southern Scotland | 76.1 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 80.5 |
| Tees Valley and Durham | 87.9 |
| West Central Scotland | 92.9 |
| West Midlands | 95.7 |
| West Wales and The Valleys | 76.4 |
| West Yorkshire | 92.9 |
Download
For the full download file, see Download the data.
About the data
Data source
Office of Communications (Ofcom), Connected Nations Report (2025)
Time period
- 2020 to 2025 (By year)
- 2025 (By area)
Geographic area
UK
What the data measures
The data shows the percentage of homes and businesses in the UK that have access to a gigabit-capable broadband connection.
A gigabit internet connection is capable of average download speeds of at least 1Gbps (gigabits per second) – the same as 1,000 Mbps (megabits per second).
Things you need to know
Data was collected in September of each year from 2020 to 2023, and in July in 2024 and 2025.
Type of data
Administrative data
Full report
Read more in State of the Nation 2026 on GOV.UK.
Download the data
Download full dataset (CSV, 11KB)
This file contains the following variables:
- Measure code
- Measure title
- Chart type
- Area code
- Area type
- Area name
- Primary split type
- Primary split value
- Secondary split type
- Secondary split value
- Time period
- Value
- Sample size
- Unit
Page history
Publication release date:
29 October 2026