559 internet outages were recorded worldwide in the week of September 21–27, 2026, and 406 of them (73%) were in the United States.
The biggest internet outage of the last two years was the AWS outage on October 20, 2025, which lasted about 15 hours and drew more than 17 million Downdetector reports worldwide.
In this blog, we cover the latest internet outage statistics for 2026: weekly US and global outage counts, the biggest outages of 2025 and 2026, the most common causes, the cost of downtime, and how to check if the internet is down near you.
What Are the Key Internet Outage Statistics in 2026?
Iran’s 88-day shutdown was the longest internet outage of 2026, while the biggest outage of the last two years was AWS in October 2025, with more than 17 million Downdetector reports.
About 559 internet outages happen worldwide every week, 73% of them in the US, and Iran’s 88-day shutdown was the longest internet outage in 2026.
Here are the key internet outage statistics for 2026 at a glance, including weekly US and global outages, the biggest outages, and what they cost.
| Internet Outage Statistic | Number | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Global network outages (weekly) | 559 (up 5%) | Sep 21–27, 2026 |
| US network outages (weekly) | 406 (73% of global) | Sep 21–27, 2026 |
| Global public cloud outages (weekly) | 280 (up 50% from 187) | Sep 21–27, 2026 |
| Biggest outage of 2025 | AWS: 17M+ reports, 15+ hours | Oct 20, 2025 |
| Biggest US carrier outage of 2026 | Verizon: 180,000+ reports, USD 20 credit | Jan 14, 2026 |
| Longest shutdown of 2026 | Iran: about 88 days | Feb 28 – May 26, 2026 |
| Government internet shutdowns | 313 in 52 countries (record high) | 2025 |
| Outages costing over USD 100,000 | 57% of organizations | 2026 report |
| Outages costing over USD 1 million | 1 in 5 organizations | 2026 report |
| Leading cause of major outages | Power failures | 2026 report |
- The US accounts for about 73% of all internet outages recorded worldwide each week.
- Cloud outages are rising fast, up 50% in a single week in September 2026.
- AWS’s October 2025 internet outage remains the biggest of the last two years, with 17 million+ reports.
- Government shutdowns hit a record 313 in 2025, and Iran’s 88-day blackout was the longest of 2026.
- Internet Outages are getting more expensive: 1 in 5 now costs more than USD 1 million.
How Many Internet Outages Happen Every Week?
Between 531 and 559 internet outages happened worldwide every week in September 2026, and the US accounted for 67% to 75% of them.
| Week (2026) | Global Outages | US Outages | Global ISP Outages | Global Cloud Outages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 21–27 | 559 (+5%) | 406 (+14%) | 162 (−34%) | 280 (+50%) |
| Sep 14–20 | 531 (−1%) | 356 (−11%) | 246 (−10%) | 187 (+7%) |
| Sep 7–13 | 539 (−22%) | 402 (−25%) | 272 (−18%) | 174 (−6%) |
| Aug 31–Sep 6 | 687 | n/a | 331 | 185 |
Source: ThousandEyes weekly outage data, via Network World
- The US sees most of the world’s recorded internet outages, about 7 in 10 every week.
- Weekly internet outages have roughly doubled during 2026, from about 240–325 a week in spring to 500–690 a week from July to September.
- Cloud internet outages are rising while ISP outages are falling, a sign that more disruptions now start in cloud platforms, not local networks.
- AI tools run on the same cloud platforms, so a single cloud outage can cut off millions of ChatGPT users at once.
How Many Internet Outages Happen in the US?
About 350 to 400 internet outages hit the US every week in September 2026, around 70% of all outages recorded worldwide.
The biggest US internet outages of the past three years hit mobile carriers, cloud platforms and gaming networks.
| Date | US Outage | Impact | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16, 2026 | Salesforce | About 4 hours 40 minutes of errors and timeouts | Application-layer issue (ThousandEyes) |
| Sep 1, 2026 | Google Cloud (us-central1-b) | Disruption in a US cloud region | Network problem |
| Jan 14–15, 2026 | Verizon Wireless | 180,000+ Downdetector reports; phones stuck in SOS mode across many states | Software issue |
| Oct 20, 2025 | AWS (US-EAST-1) | 1.2M US/Canada reports for AWS alone; 15+ hour disruption | DNS automation fault linked to DynamoDB |
| Oct 15, 2025 | YouTube | 1.5M US/Canada reports | Global streaming issue |
| Aug 30, 2025 | Verizon | 515,923 US/Canada reports | Network disruption |
| Jul 24, 2025 | Starlink | 583,989 US/Canada reports | Software failure |
| Feb 7, 2025 | PlayStation Network | 1.6M US/Canada reports; 24+ hours | Internal network issue |
| Feb 22, 2024 | AT&T Mobility | 92M+ calls blocked, 25,000+ blocked 911 calls; about 12 hours | Equipment configuration error (FCC) |
Sources: ThousandEyes, Ookla Downdetector, Tom’s Guide, FCC
- Mobile carrier internet outages hit the most people at once. AT&T’s 2024 outage blocked more than 92 million calls.
- Social media apps are hit just as hard. When a big outage strikes, millions of people lose access at once, as our Instagram user statistics show.
- Configuration and software errors, not cyberattacks, caused most major US internet outages, including AT&T, Verizon and AWS.
- PlayStation Network had the most US/Canada reports of any internet outage in 2025, at 1.6 million.
What Were the Biggest Internet Outages of 2026?
Iran’s 88-day nationwide shutdown was the longest internet outage of 2026, while Verizon’s January 14 outage was the biggest in the US.
95 internet disruptions were recorded worldwide from January to September 2026.
| Date (2026) | Outage | Duration | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 28 – May 26 | Iran nationwide shutdown | About 88 days | Government-ordered, during military strikes |
| Jan 8 – Feb 2 | Iran nationwide shutdown | About 24 days | Government-ordered, during protests |
| Jan 28 onward | Portugal (Leiria, Santarém) | Weeks of recovery | Storm Kristin and power outages |
| Mar 1 onward | AWS data centers in UAE and Bahrain | Days to weeks | Drone strikes and physical damage |
| Mar 4 – Mar 23 | Cuba (three national grid collapses) | 17 to 30+ hours each | Power grid failure |
| Jan 13 – 26 | Uganda | Near-total, then partial | Election-related shutdown |
| Jan 14 – 15 | Verizon (US) | About 1 day | Software issue |
| Apr 13 – 21 | Guam | About 8 days | Super Typhoon Sinlaku |
| Jun 2 – Sep 28 | Iraq exam shutdowns | 21 events, about 90 minutes each | Government-ordered during exams |
| Sep 16 | Salesforce (global) | About 4 hours 40 minutes | Application-layer issue |
Sources: Cloudflare Radar quarterly disruption summaries, ThousandEyes,
- Government shutdowns caused the longest internet outages of 2026, led by Iran.
- Physical attacks on cloud infrastructure became a new cause of internet outages in 2026, with AWS data centers in the Middle East damaged in March.
- Exam-season shutdowns returned in Iraq and Sudan, making August and September the busiest internet outage months of 2026.
What Were the Biggest Internet Outages of 2026?
Iran’s 88-day nationwide shutdown was the biggest internet outage of 2026 so far, cutting off about 90 million people from February 28 to May 26, 2026.
In the US, the biggest outage was Verizon’s on January 14, 2026, with more than 180,000 Downdetector reports at its peak.
| Rank | Internet Outage | Date (2026) | Duration | Impact | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iran nationwide shutdown | Feb 28 – May 26 | About 88 days | Traffic fell to under 1% of normal | Government-ordered, during military strikes |
| 2 | AWS Middle East (UAE and Bahrain) | Mar 1 onward | Days to weeks | Cloud services disrupted across the region | Drone strikes and damage to data centers |
| 3 | Verizon Wireless (US) | Jan 14–15 | About 1 day | 180,000+ Downdetector reports | Software issue |
| 4 | Cuba power grid collapses | Mar 4 – Mar 23 | 17 to 30+ hours each | Nationwide outages, three times in one month | Power grid failure |
| 5 | Salesforce (global) | Sep 16 | About 4 hours 40 minutes | Errors and timeouts worldwide | Application-layer issue |
Sources: Cloudflare Radar Q1 and Q2 2026 Internet Disruption Summaries; Tom’s Guide; ThousandEyes
Iran Internet Shutdown (February 28 – May 26, 2026)
Iran cut off the internet for about 88 days in 2026, the longest internet shutdown of the year.
The blackout began on February 28 as military strikes escalated, and traffic fell to under 1% of normal levels.
- It was Iran’s second shutdown of 2026, after a 24-day blackout during protests from January 8 to February 1.
- Iran was offline for more than 110 days in the first five months of 2026.
- When service returned on May 26, traffic recovered to only about 40% of pre-shutdown levels the next day (Cloudflare).
Verizon Outage (January 14, 2026)
Verizon’s wireless network went down for about a day on January 14, 2026, leaving phones stuck in SOS mode across much of the US.
Downdetector reports passed 180,000 at the peak, with problems reported from New York, Texas, Florida and many other states.
- The internet outage started around 12:30 PM ET, and Verizon declared it resolved on January 15.
- Verizon blamed a software issue and said it was not a cyberattack.
- Affected customers received a USD 20 credit per account.
AWS Middle East Outage (March 2026)
AWS data centers in the UAE and Bahrain went down in March 2026 after drone strikes damaged its cloud infrastructure.
It was one of the first major cloud internet outages caused by physical attacks rather than software or power problems.
Traffic to the affected AWS UAE region stayed low for months because of physical damage.
Connection failures began around March 1–2, with further disruption in Bahrain on March 23.
Which Regions Had the Most Internet Outages in 2026?
North America had the most internet outages in 2026: the US alone accounted for about 70% of all outages recorded worldwide each week.
The Middle East had the longest outages, led by Iran’s 88-day shutdown and drone strikes on AWS data centers in the UAE and Bahrain.
| Region | Biggest 2026 Outage | Other Major Outages | Main Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Verizon (Jan 14): 180,000+ reports | Google Cloud us-central1-b (Sep 1), Salesforce (Sep 16) | Software and network errors |
| Middle East | Iran shutdown (Feb 28 – May 26): about 88 days | AWS UAE and Bahrain (March), Iraq exam shutdowns (Jun–Sep) | Government shutdowns and conflict |
| Africa | Uganda election shutdown (Jan 13–26) | Sudan exam blackouts (Apr 13–23), Congo cable cut (Jan), Tanzania power outage (Jun 27) | Government shutdowns and infrastructure |
| Latin America & Caribbean | Cuba grid collapses (three in March) | Dominican Republic (Feb 23–24), Paraguay (Feb 18), Venezuela earthquake (Jun 24), Saint Lucia fiber cut (Jun 21) | Power failures |
| Europe | Portugal storm outages (from Jan 28) | Ukraine energy attacks (Jan), Germany .de DNS failure (May 5) | Weather, war and configuration errors |
| Asia-Pacific | Guam, Super Typhoon Sinlaku (Apr 13–21) | n/a | Weather |
Sources: ThousandEyes (via Network World); Cloudflare Radar Q1 and Q2 2026 Internet Disruption Summaries; Tom’s Guide
- North America has the most outages, but most are short software, cloud or ISP problems.
- The Middle East had the longest outages of 2026, mostly from government shutdowns and conflict.
- Power failures were the top cause in Latin America and the Caribbean, led by Cuba’s three grid collapses in one month.
- Africa saw internet outages from elections, exams, cable cuts and power failures.
- Weather caused the biggest internet outages in Europe and Asia-Pacific, from Storm Kristin in Portugal to Super Typhoon Sinlaku in Guam.
Which Countries Had the Most Internet Outages in 2025 and 2026?
The United States filed the most internet outage reports in 2025, with more than 6.3 million, mostly during the AWS outage on October 20, 2025.
In 2026, Iraq had the most internet outages, with 21 shutdowns, while Iran was offline the longest, about 111 days.
Countries With the Most internet Outage Reports in 2025
In 2025, the US had the most internet outage reports, with over 6.3 million. The UK came second with over 1.5 million, and Germany was third with over 774,000.
These were countries with the most numbers of internet outages of 2025, ranked by the number of outage reports.
| Rank | Country | Outage Reports (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 6,300,000+ |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 1,500,000+ |
| 3 | Germany | 774,000+ |
| 4 | Netherlands | 737,000+ |
| 5 | Brazil | 589,000+ |
| 6 | France | 587,000+ |
| 7 | Australia | 516,000+ |
| 8 | Canada | 475,000+ |
| 9 | India | 428,000+ |
| 10 | Japan | 368,000+ |
Source: Ookla Downdetector
Countries With the Most Internet Outages in 2026
Iraq had the most internet disruptions from January to September 2026, with 21 exam-related shutdowns, followed by Sudan (10) and Cuba (3), while Iran was offline the longest at about 111 days.
Here are the countries with the most internet outages in 2026, ranked by number of disruptions.
| Rank | Country | Internet Disruptions (Jan–Sep 2026) | Duration | Main Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iraq | 21 | About 90 minutes each | Exam-related shutdowns |
| 2 | Sudan | 10 | About 3.5 hours each | Exam-related shutdowns |
| 3 | Cuba | 3 | 17 to 30+ hours each | National power grid collapses |
| 4 | Ukraine | 3 | 3 to 7+ hours each | Attacks on energy infrastructure |
| 5 | Iran | 2 | About 111 days in total | Government-ordered shutdowns |
| 6 | Republic of Congo | 2 | Up to about 60 hours | Undersea cable cut and election shutdown |
| 7 | United States | 2+ | Up to about 1 day | Verizon software issue, US Virgin Islands power failure |
| 8 | Uganda | 1 | About 13 days | Election shutdown |
Sources: Cloudflare Radar Q1 and Q2 2026 Internet Disruption Summaries; TechnologyChecker Internet Outage Tracker
- The US had the most user internet outage reports in 2025, more than 4 times the UK’s total, mainly because so many US apps run on AWS.
- Streaming apps were hit too: Spotify drew 468,334 outage reports in Europe on April 16, 2025 (Ookla). See our Spotify users and revenue stats to understand how many people that affects.
- In 2026, the most internet outages happened in Iraq and Sudan, almost all short exam shutdowns.
- Iran’s internet outages were the longest by far, with more than 110 days offline in 2026.
- Outage reports and internet outage events measure different things. The US has the most users affected, while Iraq and Iran have the most government-ordered cuts.
How Many Internet Shutdowns Happen Every Year?
India had the most internet shutdowns from 2018 to 2025, with 430, followed by Iraq (160) and Syria (73).
At least 313 government internet shutdowns happened in 52 countries in 2025, up from 304 in 2024 and the most ever recorded (Access Now). Myanmar had the most, with at least 95.
In 2026, Iran imposed the longest shutdown of the year, cutting the internet for about 88 days from February 28 to May 26.
At the lowest point, traffic fell to under 1% of normal levels (Cloudflare). Iraq and Sudan also cut the internet repeatedly during school exams.
| Rank | Country | Internet Shutdowns (2018–2025) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 430 |
| 2 | Iraq | 160 |
| 3 | Syria | 73 |
| 4 | Sudan | 37 |
| 5 | Pakistan | 18 |
| 6 | Iran | 17 |
| 7 | Algeria | 17 |
| 8 | Yemen | 14 |
| 9 | Ethiopia | 11 |
| 10 | Venezuela | 10 |
Sources: Statista; Internet Society Pulse
- Government shutdowns hit a record high in 2025, with 313 recorded.
- India had the most shutdowns from 2018 to 2025, mostly regional cuts in places like Jammu and Kashmir.
- Exam-season shutdowns are now a yearly pattern in Iraq, Sudan and Syria.
What Causes Internet Outages?
Power failures are the leading cause of major data center outages, while most of the biggest internet-wide outages are caused by configuration and software errors at cloud providers and carriers.
- Power failures: UPS systems, transfer switches and generators cause most power-related outages. Whole countries can go offline when the grid fails, as in Cuba’s three grid collapses in March 2026.
- Configuration and software errors: A bad change or update can take down a whole network. This caused the AT&T (2024), Verizon (2026), AWS (2025) and Cloudflare (2025) internet outages.
- Cloud and third-party providers: Third-party IT, cloud, telecom and data center providers caused about two-thirds of publicly reported outages over nine years (Uptime Institute). This is why customer service bots also go offline during cloud outages. See our chatbot statistics to learn how many businesses now rely on them.
- Fiber and cable cuts: Damaged undersea or underground cables can cut off whole regions, as with the WACS cable cut in Congo (January 2026) and the Saint Lucia fiber cut (June 2026).
- Weather and natural disasters: Storms, typhoons and earthquakes, like Super Typhoon Sinlaku in Guam (April 2026), damage power and network equipment.
- Government shutdowns: Governments cut access during protests, elections, conflicts and exams.
- Cyberattacks: DDoS and other attacks can overload networks, though most major internet outages in 2025 and 2026 were not caused by attacks.
How Much Do Internet Outages Cost?
Internet outages cost businesses about USD 5,600 per minute on average, or more than USD 300,000 per hour, according to Gartner. The real cost depends on the size of the business and how much it relies on the internet.
57% of organizations say their most recent major internet outage cost more than USD 100,000, and 1 in 5 say it cost more than USD 1 million.
One industry study put the average cost of unplanned IT downtime at about USD 14,056 per minute.
- Verizon gave affected customers a USD 20 credit per account after its January 2026 internet outage.
- AT&T’s 2024 outage blocked more than 25,000 calls to 911 (FCC), a reminder that outages can be a safety issue, not just a business cost.
- Per-site outage rates have fallen for five years in a row, but each outage is becoming more expensive (Uptime Institute).
- For remote teams, an outage also means lost work hours when cloud tools stop loading. See how many teams depend on them in our Notion users and revenue statistics.
How Can You Check if the Internet Is Down?
You can check if the internet outages is down by looking at Downdetector, Cloudflare Radar or the ThousandEyes Internet Outages Map, which show real-time reports and traffic drops by service and location.
- Downdetector: Shows user reports for specific apps, websites and internet providers.
- Cloudflare Radar: Shows traffic drops and disruptions by country and network.
- ThousandEyes Internet Outages Map: Shows live ISP, cloud and app internet outages worldwide.
- Your provider’s status page: Comcast Xfinity, Verizon, AT&T, Spectrum and other ISPs post outage updates on their websites and apps.
- Restart your router: If no internet outage is reported, the problem is probably your own connection.
Conclusion: What Do These Internet Outage Statistics Tell Us?
Internet outages are more common than most people think. 500 to 700 network outages happen worldwide every week, and about 70% hit the United States.
The biggest internet outage of the last two years was AWS on October 20, 2025, with 17 million+ reports, while Iran’s 88-day shutdown was the longest of 2026.
Most major outages come from configuration errors, cloud failures and power problems, not cyberattacks, and they are getting more expensive: 1 in 5 now costs more than USD 1 million.
As these internet outage statistics show, spreading services across more than one cloud provider and region is still the best way for businesses to stay online when a major outage hits.
FAQs About Internet Outage Statistics
What was the biggest internet outage in 2026?
The longest internet outage of 2026 was Iran’s government-ordered shutdown, which lasted about 88 days from February 28 to May 26, 2026. In the US, the biggest outage was Verizon’s on January 14, 2026, with more than 180,000 Downdetector reports.
How many internet outages happen every week in 2026?
About 530 to 560 internet outages happened worldwide every week in September 2026, including 559 in the week of September 21–27.
What is the most common cause of internet outages in 2026?
Power failures are the leading cause of major data center outages, according to Uptime Institute’s 2026 report. Many of the biggest internet-wide outages, including Verizon’s in January 2026, were caused by software or configuration errors.
How can I check if the internet is down?
You can check Downdetector, Cloudflare Radar or the ThousandEyes Internet Outages Map, or visit your internet provider’s status page. If none show an outage, restart your router and check your own connection.
