Key findings
The average international tourist uses 387 MB of mobile data per day on a travel eSIM. The median is 380 MB/day, with country-level averages ranging from 320 MB/day (Greece, Portugal) at the low end to 450 MB/day (United States) at the high end. Higher-than-average usage clusters in destinations where ride-hailing apps, traffic-aware navigation, and US-style data-intensive apps dominate the daily routine. Lower-than-average usage clusters in destinations with widespread café Wi-Fi (most of southern Europe).
Mean
387 MB/day
Median
380 MB/day
Range
320 to 450 MB/day
Sample
22 destinations
Daily data usage by destination, ranked
Average MB used per tourist per day. Click any country to see its full eSIM plan range and country-specific install guide.
Bars are scaled from a 60% floor so the smallest values stay visually readable; the MB number on the right is exact.
By region
Regional averages weighted by sampled destinations in each region (cornerstone-tier countries only).
| Region | Avg MB/day | Sampled | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Americas | 427 MB | 3 countries | High usage driven by Uber, Lyft, and US-style data-intensive native apps. National park dead zones nudge the average down slightly. |
| Middle East | 420 MB | 1 countries | Heavy Careem usage plus WhatsApp VoIP being blocked (driving alternative app installs) pushes the average up. |
| Asia Pacific | 417 MB | 3 countries | Indonesian Gojek and Grab dominate usage in Bali. Australian outback travel offsets with periods of no signal. |
| Asia | 380 MB | 5 countries | Wide range. Japan and Korea sit mid-pack; Vietnam and Thailand high because of constant Grab use. |
| Africa | 370 MB | 2 countries | Higher than European average. WhatsApp dominates business communication, generating constant background data. |
| Europe | 366 MB | 8 countries | Lowest regional average. Dense café Wi-Fi networks and walkable cities reduce reliance on cellular data. |
How much data should you actually buy?
Multiply your destination's daily average by the number of days you'll be there, then add 10 to 20 percent headroom because your real usage will vary day-to-day. Here are concrete worked examples using the median 380 MB/day figure.
Weekend trip
1.1 GB needed
Pick the Traveler plan: includes headroom for a heavy day.
from €7.99
1-week trip
2.6 GB needed
Pick the Traveler plan: includes headroom for a heavy day.
from €7.99
2-week trip
5.2 GB needed
Pick the Roamer plan: includes headroom for a heavy day.
from €19.99
1-month trip
11.1 GB needed
Pick the Flux plan: includes headroom for a heavy day.
from €29.99
One caveat:if you'll be working remotely, video-calling daily, or streaming on long transit days, double these numbers. The figures above are for the typical sightseeing tourist who uses Maps, messaging, photo uploads, and occasional video.
How we measured this
The per-country figures are averages across activated RoamingFlex eSIM plans for international tourists (validity 1 to 30 days) over the rolling 90 days ending 24 May 2026. We exclude business plans, long-stay plans (90 days plus), and any plan flagged as primary line, since those usage patterns are not representative of a typical traveller.
Data is aggregated and anonymised at the country level. We never publish or share individual user data. The numbers are reported as the mean of daily MB usage across all activated plans in that country, rounded to the nearest 10 MB.
The 22-destination cornerstone set covers our most-visited countries. Long-tail destinations (the other 180 in our catalogue) have smaller sample sizes per country and aren't included in this release. We'll add them in subsequent reports as sample sizes grow.
Source dataset is this page, released under CC BY 4.0. Citation: RoamingFlex (2026). eSIM Data Usage by Country: A 22-Destination Dataset. Vektor Utility Holdings Limited.
Pick the right plan for your destination
Browse 22 country-specific guides with carriers, install steps, and country-specific FAQ.
Last updated 24 May 2026. Operated by Vektor Utility Holdings Limited (UK company 17174994).