IPv6 reaches majority use in 21 countries as Starlink and other providers modernize global connectivity

What just happened? The number of countries where more than half of internet connections use the IPv6 protocol has surged from 13 to 21 over the past year. This rapid progress, tracked by measurements from organizations such as Akamai, APNIC, Facebook, and Google, highlights both evolution and the growing influence of new connectivity providers, most notably Starlink.

The most dramatic transformation has occurred in Tuvalu, a Pacific island nation with a population under 10,000. Until early 2025, Tuvalu had virtually no IPv6 presence. That changed almost overnight with the arrival of Starlink, SpaceX's satellite internet service.

Starlink's network is built on IPv6 by default, and its entry into Tuvalu's market – where it now commands an estimated 88 percent share – catapulted the country's IPv6 deployment from 0 to 59 percent in a matter of months. According to APNIC, Starlink is currently the only internet service provider ...