With over $120 billion invested into the metaverse in the first five months of 2022 alone, it is looking likely to soon become a part of our everyday lives. But where are the most metaverse-ready countries in the world?
The study by Uswitch has analysed nations on several factors such as fixed broadband speeds, broadband package prices, the number of blockchain financial start-ups and the price of high technology exports, to reveal the most metaverse-ready countries in the world.
Top 10 most metaverse/metaverse ready countries:
| Rank | Country | Median fixed broadband speed (Mbps) | Average monthly broadband package | Blockchain financial services startups Per million people | High-technology exports per capita | Annual metaverse Google searches Per million people | metaverse readiness score /10 |
| 1 | Netherlands | 106.51 | £40.02 | 14.8 | £5,002 | 24,137 | 7.74 |
| 2 | Switzerland | 122.76 | £55.24 | 36.9 | £3,807 | 30,238 | 7.61 |
| 3 | Lithuania | 87.21 | £9.65 | 17.2 | £963 | 10,625 | 7.39 |
| 4 | Malta | 87.36 | £31.37 | – | £1,328 | 30,936 | 7.31 |
| 5 | France | 105.23 | £25.07 | 4.0 | £1,252 | 26,559 | 6.96 |
| 6 | Sweden | 98.45 | £30.69 | 5.9 | £1,578 | 22,504 | 6.82 |
| 7 | United Kingdom | 66.22 | £33.82 | 23.8 | £859 | 21,991 | 6.77 |
| 8 | Denmark | 156.06 | £42.43 | 7.0 | £1,829 | 17,416 | 6.74 |
| 9 | Canada | 111.76 | £48.06 | 14.3 | £1,094 | 29,585 | 6.45 |
| 9 | Luxembourg | 93.22 | £59.17 | 34.4 | £659 | 28,807 | 6.45 |
The country most ready for the metaverse is the Netherlands, according to the metrics. It has one of the highest median fixed broadband speeds of 106.51Mbps, suggesting it is one of the closest countries to reaching the fundamentally required speeds for the metaverse. The country also produced £5,002 of high-technology exports per capita in 2021.
The second most metaverse-ready country is Switzerland. With high-tech exports only just behind the Netherlands at £3,807 per capita, Switzerland has also seen a massive 36.91 blockchain financial services start-ups, which will be key players in the future of the metaverse. It is also the nation with the most Google searches about the metaverse per million citizens, with over 30,000 per million people last year.
Five places behind Switzerland is the United Kingdom, with a metaverse readiness score of 6.77/10. The UK has a keen interest in the metaverse with almost 22,000 annual Google searches per million people. With an average monthly broadband package of £33.82, the internet is more affordable than 5 other nations in the top 10.
Further study insights:
- The USA has the fastest average download speed of up to 167.36 Mbps
- Romania has the cheapest internet for just £7.80 a month, which is around three-quarters cheaper than the average of each of these countries listed
- The country with the most blockchain startups is Cyprus with 42.8 per million people
- The Republic of Ireland has the most high-tech exports with £7,325 per capita
- Cyprus sees the most annual google searches, with 34,082 per million people
