Slow internet is a hassle, like taxes or traffic. And while internet speed is (somewhat) unavoidable, it is still oh-so-satisfying to complain about.
In that spirit, here is rank of download speeds in the Middle East, according to Net Index, in October 2014. While internet speed is influenced by a lot of factors - upload speed, download speed, individual routers, ISP firewalls - we decided to look exclusively at download speeds, as it is impossible to combine and rank all these separate aspects. No data was available for Yemen, Bahrain or Palestine, so they are not included in this list.
1. United Arab Emirates
![united-arab-emirates-flag united-arab-emirates-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/dab/united-arab-emirates-flag-700x.gif)
Download speed: 26.65 Mbps
Overall: 31st of 187 Countries
2. Oman
![oman-flag oman-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/b64/oman-flag1-700x.gif)
3. Turkey
![turkey-flag turkey-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/f32/turkey-flag-700x.gif)
Download speed: 13.3 Mbps
Overall: 67th of 187 Countries
4. Qatar
![Qatar-flag.jpg Qatar-flag.jpg](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/e8d/qatar-flag-jpg-700x.png)
Download speed: 13.24 Mbps
Overall: 69th of 187 Countries
5. Saudi Arabia
![saudi-arabia-flag saudi-arabia-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/0d4/saudi-arabia-flag-700x.gif)
Download speed: 10.5 Mbps
Overall: 83rd of 187 Countries
6. Kuwait
![kuwait-flag kuwait-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/c7d/kuwait-flag-700x.gif)
Download speed: 9.09 Mbps
Overall: 97th of 187 Countries
7. Libya
![libya-flag.gif libya-flag.gif](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/816/libya-flag-gif-700x.jpg)
Download speed: 5.49 Mbps
Overall: 136th of 187 Countries
8. Iraq
![iraq-flag iraq-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/b88/iraq-flag-700x.gif)
Download speed: 5.11 Mbps
Overall: 139th of 187 Countries
9. Morocco
![morocco-flag morocco-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/cef/morocco-flag-700x.gif)
Download speed: 4.82 Mbps
Overall: 144th of 187 Countries
10. Jordan
![jordan-flag jordan-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/3a7/jordan-flag-700x.gif)
4.77 Mbps
147th of 187 Countries
11. Islamic Republic of Iran
![iran-flag iran-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/d2f/iran-flag-700x.gif)
Download speed: 4.17 Mbps
Overall: 156th of 187 Countries
12. Tunisia
![tunisia-flag tunisia-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/a7a/tunisia-flag-700x.gif)
Download speed: 3.7 Mbps
Overall:159th of 187 Countries
13. Algeria
![algeria-flag algeria-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/2f0/algeria-flag-700x.gif)
Download speed: 3.14 Mbps
Overall: 168th of 187 Countries
14. Lebanon
![lebanon-flag lebanon-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/94d/lebanon-flag-700x.gif)
Download speed: 2.99 Mbps
Overall: 170th of 187 Countries
15. Egypt
![egypt-flag egypt-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/01b/egypt-flag-700x.gif)
Download speed: 2.8 Mbps
Overall: 173rd of 187 Countries
16. Syrian Arab Republic
![syria-flag syria-flag](https://stepcdn.com/assets/legacy/fbb/syria-flag-700x.gif)
Download speed: 1.39 Mbps
Overall: 187th of 187 Countries
Below is a graphic representation of this list, over the past two years. As you can see, there is a huge difference in speed between the top six (United Arab Emirates, Oman, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait) and the bottom ten (Libya, Iraq, Morocco, Jordan, Iran, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria) countries.
The civil war in Syria mostly likely accounts for their slow internet speeds, as Syrian download speeds have stagnated significantly since 2011. As for the top of the list, U.A.E.'s download speeds are incredibly fast, putting them in the same speed category as countries like the United Kingdom, France or Japan.
StepFeeders- do you live in one of the slowest internet countries? Or the fastest? Share your experiences in the comments below.