There are now around 410.9 million broadband subscribers around the world, according to new research.

The latest figures from Point Topic show that the number of people signed up to broadband deals across the planet grew by 3.47 per cent in the final quarter of 2008.

In terms of penetration, Western Europe has the most with 25.73 per cent, followed by North America with 21.53 per cent.

Africa and the Middle East is the region least exposed to broadband services, with 2.91 per cent of inhabitants using high-speed internet.

Data for individual countries shows that China has the most broadband users, followed by the US – both countries boast over 70 million.

Japan is in third place, followed by Germany and France, with the UK coming in sixth position.

Cable broadband was found to be the second most popular form of connectivity, after DSL.