Real Reasons Why People Use VPNs Around the World: What the Data Shows

VPN usage patterns: regional overview

More than 1.6 billion people worldwide use virtual private network (VPN) apps, which is nearly 46% of all Internet users. Here’s a short numbers breakdown:  

Surprisingly, the United Arab Emirates is the country with the highest percentage of VPN users. Around 38% of UAE users browse the web with an active VPN client. At the same time, russia is in second place with 37.6% of users. 

Taking into account the numbers we see, almost a half of Internet users and one third of populations in top-using countries browse the web with VPN apps. These numbers are staggering, but what are the reasons for such a VPN boom?  

Reasons to use VPN

The global VPN market is expected to reach $75.59 billion by the end of 2027, so we can say people express a lot of interest in using VPNs. Speaking about the key reasons to use VPN services, general security comes as the primary motivation. 43% of users worldwide rely on VPN providers to safeguard themselves while surfing the web. There are also a wide range of other VPN purposes we need to discuss, so let’s cover them from the most to least prominent ones: 

1️⃣Security. Not much to add: people all over the world care about their online security from malware, phishing attacks or just vulnerable WiFi networks. It’s hard to say which country is the most security-conscious, but since feeling of safety is a basic human need, it applies to the whole world population.

2️⃣Streaming. Many people use VPNs to watch their favorite shows, movies and sports events without restrictions. Streaming platforms often impose geoblocks, which means content available in one country might not be available in another. A VPN allows you to bypass these limits by changing your virtual location to access any content. 

3️⃣Privacy. One of the main reasons to use a VPN is to protect your online privacy. Without a VPN your Internet Service Provider (ISP), advertisers and even cybercriminals can track your online activity. A VPN passes your data through an encrypted tunnel and masks your IP address making it much harder for anyone to snoop on your browsing habits. 

4️⃣Content access. Beyond streaming, VPNs give you broader access to content that might be restricted or censored in certain regions. Whether it’s accessing a news website blocked in your country or using a service only available in specific regions, a VPN removes these barriers. It allows you to browse freely, entering a more open and uncensored Internet.

5️⃣Traveling. When traveling a VPN is a digital safety net. VPN protects your Internet connection on unsecured public networks  like those in airports, hotels or cafes where hackers often lurk seeking a target. Plus it allows you to use your favorite services as if you were back home, bypassing georestrictions on banking, social media or streaming services. 

6️⃣Gaming. Gamers benefit from VPNs in more ways than one. Since VPN encrypts Internet traffic, it can help to avoid Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks that disrupt online games and let you play games that are geoblocked or released early in other regions. And by switching locations you can pair with different servers for better matchmaking, explore region exclusive content, or get higher connection speeds of course.

7️⃣Business use. In the hybrid work setup, VPNs are a must for remote access. Employees can connect to company local networks from anywhere in the world, keeping company data out of prying eyes. Also complies with company security policies and protects sensitive documents and communications from being intercepted on public or home networks.

Note: VeePN is the VPN service not intended to be used for bypassing copyright regulations or other illegal behavior. For more details, please read the VeePN Terms of Service.

Beyond a doubt, these reasons did exist before the spike in VPN usage. That is why we need to discuss why VPN popularity has grown dramatically over the years. 

VPN use growth: the driving forces behind the surge 

VPN demand has gone through the roof in recent years, and it’s not just tech nerds or privacy advocates fueling the trend. From everyday Internet users to remote workers and Hulu binge-watchers, more people are turning to VPNs for reasons that go way further than bypassing geoblocks. So what’s behind this surge? 

Political events

It’s no accident that VPN downloads spike during times of political unrest. In countries with strict censorship, government surveillance or sudden Internet blackouts, VPNs become a lifeline. Citizens use them to access blocked news outlets, social media and even to communicate more securely. A great example: during protests in Turkey, VPN usage has gone up hundreds of percent overnight. For many it’s not just about access, it’s about digital freedom.

Big hacks and data breaches

Data breaches are sadly a regular occurrence. Global corporations, popular platforms, no one is immune. Every time news breaks that millions of email addresses, passwords or private data have been leaked, people start reevaluating their online safety. And rightly so. A VPN gives you peace of mind by encrypting your data and hiding your IP address, so even if you’re just browsing in a coffee shop, hackers can’t trace you.

Online tracking getting creepy

Let’s be real, online tracking has gotten weird. Ever searched for something once and then seen ads for it follow you around the Internet for days? That’s no coincidence. Companies are using advanced tracking tools to monitor your every click, scroll and purchase. VPNs stop that by concealing your identity and preventing tracking online. It’s a simple way to regain control over your digital footprint without becoming a full blown cybersecurity expert.

VeePN’s perspective on VPN usage 

All usage patterns we have discussed are easily traceable and explainable. However, we would like to share with you our own VPN statistics to prove that these tendencies aren’t a coincidence. We need to take a look at the most essential data we gathered about the use of VeePN by our customers: 

Regional use distribution 

Concerning top countries, where people prefer to use VeePN, the United States, Russia, and India are the leaders. But if we take into account only paid users, this distribution somewhat changes: the United States are still the leader, but the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands are one the second and third places respectively. 

You can see that regional distribution does differ from global trends. But we want to assure you that VeePN works wherever you go as we have 2,500 servers in 89 locations around the world, so you can always expect good Internet speeds without any bandwidth limitations. 

Demographic data 

As for demographic data available, the core audience of VeePN are people aged 18-24 years old, but we also have a huge segment of people between 25 and 34 years old. What is more important, VeePN is also popular with older age groups such as 34 – 45 and 45 – 60 years old who appear to get premium subscriptions as much as Gen Z users. 

VeePN users have different interests that naturally intersect with a need to use a secure VPN connection: 

• Technology
• Software/Business & Productivity Software
• Arts & Entertainment/TV & Video/Online Video
• Shopping
• Business Services/Payment Processing & Merchant Services

Reasons why people use VeePN 

As for reasons why our customers use VeePN, 63% of them use it for Internet privacy, while 54% for online security. Surprisingly, 39% of our customers also use VeePN for job-related purposes. 

Observable spikes in usage 

As we have already mentioned, the surge in importance of VPN is significantly influenced by global political instability and sporadic bans of social media, sites, and services in different countries. The majority of usage spikes we’ve recently observed align with this concerning tendency. For example, a significant growth in VeePN installs was detected after Turkey’s Instagram ban, or after notorious TikTok ban decision swings. 

But if you have a rule, you’ll necessarily have an exception from it. In case of VeePN sudden growth in new installs, it was a recent CrowdStrike incident. Even though VeePN couldn’t help users get access to relatable services as the outage happened on the providers’ side, it seems the incident was perceived as a risk factor increasing users’ vulnerability.

But what do users like VeePN especially for? Let’s overview the most popular VeePN features and benefits to answer this question.

Most popular VeePN features

VeePN  is an all-in-one security solution, which is why it can offer a wide range of features and benefits for users seeking anonymous browsing, sensitive information protection, and limitless entertainment. Here are six features and advantages our users find the most useful in VeePN: 

🛡️High connection speeds. Owing to the WireGuard® protocol, VeePN can provide high connection speeds and robust security at the same time. Protected network connection appears to be the main reason to get a paid subscription for 54% of our users. 

🛡️Strong encryption. VeePN offers a military-grade encryption protocol that ensures you won’t fall victim to identity theft after a security breach.

🛡️Convenient browser extension. We are proud to say that 94% of our customers start using VeePN with our browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. Simple and convenient design as well as a free version available let our users test the benefits of using VPN without any hassle. 

🛡️No Logs policy. A rigorous commitment to privacy policy is valued by 43% of VeePN users. But the remaining 57% also use VeePN assured that we don’t collect their sensitive information for any commercial purposes. 

🛡️Optimal location feature. When our users don’t need to connect to a specific VPN server, they can select an Optimal location, which means they’ll be connected to the nearest remote server to get high and secure connection speed. 

🛡️Advanced security features and tools. In addition to basic VPN features, our customers enjoy such security and privacy tools as antivirus software, Breach Alert, and Free Online SMS to ensure their 360-degree protection online. 

Download VeePN today and enjoy a 30-day money-back guarantee! 

Written by VeePN Research Lab VeePN Research Lab is dedicated to provide you latest posts about internet security and privacy.

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