The streaming industry is a behemoth. Currently sitting at $500+ billion in market size, it is expected to rise above $1 trillion in the next five years. Netflix is one of the largest streaming services, owning 44% of the market in the U.S. and Canada, with 75.57 million subscribers between those two countries. Over 238 million Netflix users across 190 countries can enjoy 13,500+ titles on demand worldwide. Or can they? Due to licensing rights, not all 13,500+ titles are available in every country. Since catalogs differ between regions, the question remains: which one is best? We used the unofficial Netflix online global search (aka uNoGS) to evaluate Netflix by country and award superlatives to the best of what the service offers worldwide.
Netflix by Country: The Best
Best price (USD): India
Starting with the most cost-effective subscription offered on Netflix by country, users in India pay just $2.40 a month (on a basic package) for 6366 titles. Although this is below the median number of titles from the countries we studied, the cost-per-title ratio is still exceptionally low. Factoring in other categories (which we will discuss later), like title ratings, Oscar winners, and release dates, India exceeds the median in most of these categories, making it one of the world’s best places to pay for Netflix.
Biggest catalog: Slovakia
Shockingly, Slovakia has the most titles available at 8427; that’s 200 more than the runner-up Bulgaria. Although the subscription price is about the median at $8.47 per month, the cost-per-title is low due to the number of titles present. However, Slovakia has the least number of IMDb top-250 movies, falls short on ratings in every other category, and only carries four Oscar-winning titles. Despite this, quite a few gems are hidden in this massive catalog.
Newest titles: Czech Republic
To achieve this result, we evaluated the number of titles per catalog released in 2018 to the present day. The Czech Republic had the newest catalog, with 5106 out of 6836 titles released in 2018 or later. That’s nearly 75% of the content they offer! They also had the second-highest overall catalog rating, meaning the Czechs are the most up-to-date while enjoying a list of the best titles.
Most IMDb top 250 rated shows: Switzerland
If you firmly believe in the IMDb rating system, the following few categories are for you. Within Switzerland’s catalog of 7154, which is on the high side, are nearly one-fifth of IMDb’s top 250 shows of all time. It also exceeds the median rating in many other categories, making it a good quality selection. But you didn’t think that would be free, did you? Switzerland subscribers pay the highest monthly premium at $12.78 per month, over $1.50 more than the second-highest rate, which the Danes pay.
Most IMDb top 250 rated movies and Oscar-winning titles: Australia
Although Australia falls short on top-rated shows at just 34 (only two above the lowest, which is the Ukrainian catalog), it contains nearly one-fifth of IMDb’s top 250 movies of all time in its median-sized catalog of 6642. It also includes the most Oscar-winning titles at 14, with ratings and release dates exceeding the median. At a below-median price of $7.49 per month, Australian movie buffs may have lucked out with this selection.
Most combined IMDb top 250 titles: South Korea
Switzerland has the most IMDb top 250 shows, and Australia has the most IMDb top 250 movies, but what if we combined the two metrics? In that case, South Korea comes out on top, with 89 titles total. Of those, 44 titles are in the IMDb top 250 shows, and 45 are in the IMDb top 250 movies. In fact, South Korea is only two titles behind Switzerland for IMDb top 250 shows and three titles behind Australia for IMDb top 250 films, so they’re well represented in both categories.
Most well-rounded catalog: Germany
Germany may not hold the top spot in these categories, but they deserve a special mention. When looking at titles that exceeded a rating of eight on IMDb, Germany was near the top with 582 in their sizable catalog of 7315. Germany had the second-highest number of IMDb top 250 titles, with 87 combined films and TV series. At a median price of $8.47 per month, Germany also came within a five-title deficit of every other winner on this list and came in second for the most new titles. Germany could be considered the overall winner of this Netflix by Country bracket for being runner-up in almost every category at a reasonable monthly price.
Netflix by Country: The Worst
We don’t want to make you feel bad, but you should know what you pay for. Unfortunately, where there are winners, there are also losers; and if you look at the data for Netflix by country, the results are clear.
Smallest catalog: Israel
Selection is essential, and sadly, Israel has the smallest one. We would like to tell you they make up for it in ratings and new titles, but they fared median results compared to other countries. To add insult to injury, Israel also had the highest cost-per-title. This is likely due to its small catalog, but with little else to make up for it, Israelites are not getting a lot for paying an above-median price of $9.04 per month.
Worst-rated catalog overall: South Korea
The K-Drama fans aren’t going to like this one. Despite having the most combined IMDb 250 films and TV series titles, South Korea had the lowest number of titles to exceed a rating of eight on IMDb. Just 488 of their below-average 6093 title catalog qualified. However, as we mentioned, South Korea makes up for having the most IMDb top 250 films and TV series combined and also the second most Oscar-winning titles. South Koreans also pay a below-median price of $7.29 per month, so it’s safe to say you get what you pay for.
Fewest Oscar-winning titles: Romania & United Kingdom
We honestly expected more from the U.K., an English-speaking country heavily intertwined with Hollywood. But Romania and the U.K. offer just two Oscar-winning titles in their catalog. Romanians pay one of the lowest prices of $5.29 per month for one of the most extensive catalogs (7748 titles) with some of the worst ratings. However, the U.K. also has a vast catalog of 7482 titles, with above-median results in a few categories. So, each country has its benefits and drawbacks.
Where does the U.S. rank?
We assume the many reading this article are U.S.-based Netflix subscribers, and you’re probably wondering why the U.S. hasn’t been mentioned yet. Here’s why:
Catalog Size
U.S. subscribers can access a catalog that we consider way below the median size of 6135. Although it is nowhere near some of the smallest catalogs, it’s still considerably small for Netflix’s largest global market, especially compared to the U.K. catalog.
Countries with more extensive catalogs: Albania, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, U.K.
Price
Considering what we just told you about the catalog size, you won’t like what you hear about the price. U.S. subscribers pay the third-highest monthly fee and cost-per-title of any countries we evaluated at $9.99. As we mentioned, Switzerland and Denmark have the top two highest prices, but they also have 500+ more titles than what is available in the US. Ouch.
IMDb Ratings and Oscar-Winners
So far, the news hasn’t been great, so surely ratings will make up for it, right? Well…
The U.S. comes up painfully average in these categories, falling short of the median in all but IMDb’s top 250 shows, which only exceeds the median by one. On top of that, in the country where the Oscars are hosted, the U.S. has just five winners in its catalog. Turns out, being the biggest market doesn’t mean much in terms of quality when you look at Netflix by country.
Get the most out of streaming
Did you know that your internet service provider can see everything you’re doing with your internet? Unfortunately, when it comes to streaming, ISPs often use bandwidth throttling. This practice artificially slows your internet connection down to preserve capacity on their network, meaning less time watching your show and more time staring at a loading dial. Although it is entirely legal, considering the price you pay for premium service, it’s not fair.
One of the best ways to combat bandwidth throttling is by using a virtual private network, or VPN. It works by encrypting and tunneling your internet traffic through a remote server, making it nearly impossible for third parties to link your activity back to you. IPVanish offers VPN apps for all major streaming devices, such as Apple TV, Fire TV, and NVIDIA SHIELD, with intuitive features like Optimal Location and Favorites to get you streaming faster and better!
Sources for Netflix by Country
Comparitech. (2023). Which countries pay the most and least for Netflix? comparitech.com
uNoGS. (2023). uNoGS. unogs.com
