In today’s interconnected world, email as a communication channel is a double-edged sword. It’s easy, quick and allows businesses to connect with multiple clients at the same time. But some specific sending behavior combined with other technical factors can lead businesses to be labeled as questionable–not a great result for a worldwide business.
Thus, worldwide email deliverability is critically important to any company using email marketing efforts.
As businesses expand their reach beyond borders, making sure that emails are received and land in people’s inboxes becomes vital. Because let’s face it. Good deliverability rates mean better engagement, higher conversions and better business results!
However, email deliverability is not a one-size-fits-all concept. Each region faces unique challenges and understanding these regional differences is essential to achieve strong inbox placement at a global level.
This article draws from a recent report by the Warmy Research Team. It contains a deep dive into how infrastructure, ISP policies, regulations, engagement norms, and blacklist practices impact deliverability across various regions (North America, EMEA, APAC, and Latin America).
If you’re at the helm of a business looking to expand globally with email as a key communication channel, you will want to read on.
Different regions, different deliverability: Dissecting this phenomenon
Email deliverability varies greatly across regions, and there are many factors that influence this: infrastructure and ISP policies; regulations and compliance issues; user engagement and cultural norms; utilization of spam traps and blacklists.
Local infrastructure & ISP policies vary due to different advancements in technology
Key observations include:
- Local and regional ISPs often rely on rule-based filters (such as scanning sender IPs and content) and blacklists resulting in more emails being flagged as spam or bouncing due to outdated infrastructure.
- More advanced and global ISPs use sophisticated systems that prioritize engagement (opens, clicks, replies) and sender reputation.
What do these differences mean? An email that lands into inboxes in one country might get flagged as spam in another due to how the local ISP filters operate.
The legal landscape: different regulations mean different deliverability results
The legal environment and anti-spam laws in different regions strongly shape deliverability rates. Countries with strict data protection and opt-in laws tend to see higher inbox placement because senders maintain cleaner mailing lists and better sender reputations. In fact, Europe has one of the highest placement rates globally at ~90%+.
Here’s a breakdown of major regulations in various regions:
- Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires explicit opt-in consent and list hygiene.
- Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation is the strictest anti-spam law in the world and has led to high inbox rates due to mandatory explicit consent and transparent processes.
- The United States’ CAN-SPAM Act is a bit more lenient but it still sets basic requirements for opt-out mechanisms. However, compliance is often lower, which can lead to decreased deliverability compared to stricter regions.
Regions with relatively new regulations (like some countries in APAC and LATAM) saw higher rates of unsolicited bulk email and lower deliverability success. As new laws are coming into effect, this is slowly changing.
What do these observations mean? When there are laws that require senders to follow certain rules aligned with email sending practices, inbox placement improves over time.
Engagement, culture, and norms: What makes users click or block?
ESPs factor in user engagement and patterns such as opens, clicks, replies, and spam reports when it comes to filtering decisions. That being said, culture and norms affect how users interact with emails. Let’s say recipients in a certain region quickly mark unfamiliar emails as spam, the ESPs will then be more responsive in filtering new senders.
Other observations include:
- Regions where double opt-in is more common also have more engaged subscribers and fewer spam complaints—boosting sender reputations.
- In other regions where email marketing is relatively newer and less prioritized as a communication channel, recipients may tend to ignore emails. This then results in lower opens and clicks, which hurt senders’ reputations over time.
- In APAC and LATAM, consumers are less likely to engage with emails, especially as messaging apps (e.g., WhatsApp, WeChat) dominate communication. Email marketing may take a backseat in these regions, reducing open rates and engagement.
What do these observations mean? By respecting these cultural differences and ensuring emails resonate with regional preferences, marketers can significantly improve engagement and deliverability.
Blacklists and spam traps and how they create obstacles
In addition to the visible factors, several hidden obstacles can severely impact inbox placement.
For starters, different regions use global and local blacklists differently. Being listed on these blacklists can cause emails to be flagged as spam or rejected by ISPs. Global blacklists like Spamhaus are widely used in North America and Europe, while regional ones may target specific areas like LATAM or APAC.
Q: How does being blacklisted affect your email deliverability?
A: Emails sent from blacklisted IPs or domains will most likely be marked as spam or be shot down by the recipient’s ISP. This results in lower inbox placement rates and less interaction with your email.
🔖 Related Reading: Are Blacklists Killing Your Emails? A Deep Dive into How They Influence Email Providers is another recent study from the Warmy Research Team that uncovers how different ESPs utilize blacklists.
The numbers are in: Regional deliverability benchmarks (2024–2025)
In this section, we’ll explore how inbox placement rates vary across regions and provide actionable insights into how your emails are likely to perform in different parts of the world.
This table shows global email deliverability at a glance. Europe has the highest inbox placement rate at ~91% and Asia-Pacific has the lowest at ~78% on average. North America and Latin America are in the middle (mid-to-upper-80s).
What does this mean? One email campaign can hit almost all of its target inboxes in Germany, but the same campaign may see lower placement rates when implemented in APAC.
It’s important to note that even within regions, the differences at the country-level can be polarizing. Here are some examples:
- North America: Canada has a ~90% inbox placement rate vs. ~85% in the US
- APAC: Australia has a near 90% inbox placement rate (similar to top European countries), Brazil does pretty well at ~87%, but India lags behind at ~69-70%.
Let’s dissect the nuances per region.
North America: Consistent but competitive
North America, particularly the United States and Canada, offers a relatively stable email deliverability environment. However, the competition for inbox space is fierce, with stringent ISP policies and evolving privacy regulations.
Deliverability still remains strong—the region provides a stable and favorable environment, but senders must maintain high-quality email practices to stay competitive.
Latin America: Rising stars in email deliverability
Though initially challenging, Latin America has seen significant improvements in deliverability in recent years. This is primarily due to stricter data protection laws (e.g., Brazil’s LGPD) and a growing focus on email best practices.
In fact, one study reported that deliverability in Latin America improved by ~4.5 percentage points in the past two years. This trend also coincides with the adoption of stricter data laws.
However, some challenges still remain:
- Aggressive filtering by regional providers
- Email user base is divided between global providers and regional providers.
- Hitting the inbox of a local ISP may prove to be harder than hitting Gmail
- Higher likelihood of “missing” emails, which are neither delivered nor bounced is greater at some LATAM regional providers
- Historically high spam volumes and lower consumer trust
Despite these, the region shows promise. As LATAM markets continue to adhere to global standards, email senders who implement good sending practices will be rewarded.
Europe: The gold standard for deliverability success
Europe sets the benchmark for email deliverability, with some of the highest inbox placement rates in the world. This success is largely attributed to strict regulations like GDPR, which have helped ensure cleaner lists and higher engagement rates.
Other observations for Europe:
- The GDPR has essentially translated best sending practices into legal non-negotiables. In essence, email senders were forced to adhere to these regulations. As a result, both senders and non-senders now have better email experiences.
- Africa and the Middle East are also part of the EMEA region. However, senders targeting these areas may face infrastructure challenges, censorships, and stricter government firewalls.
- Local ISPs still remain popular in some countries, which make it harder for senders to penetrate.
While Europe’s culture benefits deliverability, senders must still take the time to monitor performance with individual European ISPs. Overall, the EMEA region is a stable and safe haven for email senders who implement best practices.
Asia Pacific: A region of contrasts
In a nutshell, Asia Pacific presents one of the most diverse deliverability landscapes. Advanced markets like Australia achieve excellent deliverability, while others like India and Southeast Asia lag behind. There are various factors that impact APAC’s overall lower deliverability compared to the other regions:
- Generally less mature email infrastructure (more outdated email addresses and domains)
- Inconsistent use of authentication protocols
- Existing history of bulk emails that has made ISPs more careful
- Gaps in connectivity—some regions have modern data centers while others still struggle with stable connection
- Local mailbox providers remain popular in some countries, making it more difficult for senders to adapt
- SMS and chat apps are more popular than email in some countries
In a nutshell, deliverability in APAC is a challenge. While senders may see excellent results in one country, it can be the opposite in another. To thrive, senders must implement country-specific strategies. Marketers targeting APAC need to be prepared to invest extra time, energy, and effort to break into the region successfully.
Region-by-region: How does your deliverability stack up?
Let’s compare the average inbox placement rates and engagement metrics across regions to give you a clearer picture of where your email campaigns might perform best:
From the comparison above, it’s clear that Europe leads in both inbox placement rates and engagement metrics, followed by North America. Latin America and Asia Pacific show some challenges but have room for growth, particularly as regulations and email marketing practices improve.
This following graph shows average inbox placement rates per country for a more zoomed in look.
Key takeaways:
- Europe offers the highest inbox placement and engagement, making it the ideal region for email marketers who focus on compliance and engagement.
- North America offers solid performance but demands ongoing optimization due to competitive inbox spaces and evolving privacy laws.
- Latin America is improving rapidly, with strong inbox rates and growing engagement as more senders adopt best practices.
- Asia Pacific requires a more tailored approach, with countries showing diverse deliverability outcomes based on infrastructure, local ISPs, and cultural habits.
How to optimize deliverability for global audiences with Warmy
Achieving high email deliverability across different regions requires a strategic approach. Marketers must not only adapt to varying technical requirements but also consider local laws, cultural norms, and engagement preferences.
Embrace the art of email authentication
Email authentication is the first and most crucial step in securing your global reputation. Authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC ensure that your emails are coming from a legitimate source, not a spammer. Here’s why they matter:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Verifies that your mail server is authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain.
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a digital signature to your emails, confirming they haven’t been altered during transmission.
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Provides feedback on authentication issues and ensures that emails from your domain are properly authenticated.
🔖 Related Reading: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC: Boosting Email Security and Deliverability
Setting up email authentication shouldn’t be complicated. That’s why Warmy.io offers free tools to help businesses generate and validate SPF and DMARC records with ease.
Warmy.io’s Free SPF Record Generator helps you:
- Generate a valid SPF record in seconds—just enter your domain and email provider.
- Automatically optimize your SPF record to avoid lookup limit failures.
- Validate your current SPF setup to identify errors and missing entries.
Meanwhile, Warmy.io’s Free DMARC Record Generator helps you:
- Create a valid DMARC record based on your email security needs.
- Monitor authentication failures to detect unauthorized senders.
- Gradually enforce DMARC policies to prevent email rejections.
Secure your global reputation with deliverability tests and domain health hub
Your sender reputation plays a critical role in global deliverability. ISPs across the world use engagement metrics (opens, clicks, complaints) to determine whether your emails should land in the inbox.
To secure your global reputation, take advantage of Warmy’s free email deliverability test which is critical for evaluating email reputation. It can quickly check if your emails are landing on its intended recipient and shows the percentage of emails that ends in spam, promotions, inbox, and unreceived across major email providers. Plus, it is capable of revealing if your domain or IP is listed anywhere on any blacklists.
Additionally, Warmy’s Domain Health Hub provides a domain health score based on a combination of various factors like authentication, blacklist status, and inbox placement tests. You’ll also be able to monitor your spam rate trends and overall deliverability performance with weekly or monthly tracking options. It also includes comprehensive DNS status checks to easily validate SPF, DKIM, DMARC, rDNS, MX, and A records for stronger authentication & security.
Comply with global laws
Complying with local laws, especially data privacy and anti-spam regulations, is non-negotiable. Key points for compliance:
- Double opt-In: A best practice in regions with strict regulations (e.g., Europe), where users confirm their subscription by clicking a link in a confirmation email. This ensures that only genuine, interested recipients are added to your list.
- Clear unsubscribe options: Make it easy for recipients to opt-out of future emails. Failing to honor this can lead to complaints, poor sender reputation, and legal penalties.
List hygiene 101: Clean up for success in every market
List hygiene is critical to ensuring your emails are delivered successfully, especially when targeting global audiences. Here’s how to maintain a clean list:
- Remove inactive subscribers: Regularly clean your list by removing or re-engaging subscribers who haven’t opened or clicked in the past 6–12 months.
- Prune invalid or misspelled email addresses: Use email validation tools to identify and remove addresses that are invalid or prone to bounce.
- Segment by engagement: Separate highly engaged users from inactive ones and tailor your email frequency accordingly. This helps avoid sending emails to recipients who may mark them as spam due to disinterest.
Maintaining a high-quality list reduces bounces, complaints, and spam reports, ultimately improving deliverability in all markets.
An alternative is using Warmy’s advanced seed lists. Unlike traditional warmup tools, Warmy.io doesn’t rely solely on automated interactions. While it leverages the power of technology for automated actions, it still puts a premium on the importance of human behavior.
Warmy offers the most advanced email seed list. It offers actual engagement—your emails are opened, scrolled through, clicked on, and replied to. If there are emails that land in spam, these are removed and marked as important to let the ESPs know you are credible.
Enforce the power of segmentation & content localization
To truly resonate with a global audience, content must be tailored to the region. Here’s how to leverage segmentation and localization:
- Segment by geography: Group your audience based on location (continent, country, or time zone) and send region-specific content that aligns with local interests and trends.
- Localize content: Translate your emails and adapt the content to suit local culture, preferences, and norms. This could include changing imagery, currency, dates, and references to local events.
- Use local language: A localized email in the recipient’s native language improves engagement, reducing the likelihood of emails being ignored or marked as spam.
Hit “Send” at the right moment
Sending emails at the right time can significantly affect engagement rates, which in turn impacts deliverability. Here’s how to optimize send times:
- Send according to local time: Timing is key to ensuring emails reach recipients when they’re most likely to open them. Use your email platform’s features to send emails at the optimal time for each recipient’s time zone.
- Avoid sending at odd hours: Emails sent late at night or during off-hours may be ignored, leading to poor engagement and a higher risk of being flagged as spam.
- Use behavioral triggers: For example, sending a follow-up email based on user activity, such as when they last engaged with your emails, can improve engagement rates.
Leverage Warmy to build a solid reputation globally
Achieving high email deliverability on a global scale requires a comprehensive strategy that takes into account regional differences, technical best practices, and cultural nuances.
Understanding the unique challenges and opportunities in different regions—whether it’s the stringent privacy laws of Europe, the rising standards in Latin America, or the diverse email ecosystems in Asia Pacific—empowers marketers to optimize their campaigns for maximum effectiveness.
With Warmy.io’s tools and best practices, you can navigate these complexities and build a solid reputation as a trusted sender. Deliverability is a dynamic, ongoing process, but with the right approach, your global email campaigns can thrive.
Dive deeper into what deliverability looks like for each region by downloading the full report here.
