Led by Germany and the UK, broadband subscriptions continue to grow faster in Europe than any other region in the world, trade group Broadband Forum said today, rising to almost 120 million out of the worldwide total of 380 million, in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, the U.S. still has the lead in terms of raw subscriber numbers — with China expected to soon surpass it, according to the data, which was compiled by DSL and broadband-focused research firm Point Topic. And it makes clear that the ongoing demand for broadband has paved the way for faster pipes. Fiber deployments are up more than 25 percent and DSL subscribers are about to hit the 250 million-mark, with IPTV encouraging providers to upgrade existing DSL pipes to ADSL2plus.

What the raw numbers don’t immediately show is where the most potential for subscriber growth lies. Belgium’s 2.7 million subscribers make up around 26 percent of the country’s inhabitants. By contrast, Poland’s total subscriber numbers, which grew at a much faster clip, are just shy of 10 percent of its 38.5 million residents. China’s subscription figure, on the other hand, hasn’t even cracked 6 percent of its 1.32 billion population.