VPN statistics: usage, markets, and trends

How much do VPNs cost?

The average cost of a VPN varies from company to company but averages around US$3.65 a month for discounted 1-3 year deals. The cheapest monthly VPN can cost as little as US$2.03 on a discounted deal. Monthly prices without discounts average about US$10.88.

How many people use a VPN?

It’s estimated that over 1.75 billion people use VPNs — that’s about one-third of all internet users worldwide and a fifth of the world’s population (as of May 2025)!

However, these numbers are approximate, as they only account for countries where VPN market penetration is above 10%. Market penetration measures how widely a service is used compared to the total estimated market. So, the total number of VPN users is likely higher.

How many people use free VPNs?

Around 50% of all VPN users use only free VPN services. However, free VPNs are rarely safe — they often lack online security and privacy protections and may even sell user data to maintain their services.

Biggest VPN markets in the world by country

The top 3 biggest markets by country are all in Asia: India, China, and Indonesia.

Why Asia? It likely comes down to two main factors:

• Large country populations;
• Widespread government censorship across parts of the region.

These two factors also suggest that VPNs are here to stay. With the global population continuing to grow and the increasing number of data leaks, internet shutdowns, and hacks happening yearly, online privacy will only get harder to protect. Considering this, it’s little surprise that the VPN market is projected to reach nearly $76 billion by 2027.

How the interest in VPNs has changed over the years

VPNs have a peculiar popularity pattern. If we look at global Google search volumes since 2010, interest in VPNs steadily grew every year, peaking in 2022. After that, the interest dropped slightly, but has continued on an upward trend since the start of 2024.

So, what happened? VPNs began as workplace tools, providing remote workers with secure access to shared business resources.

Between 2010 and 2012, public interest in VPNs was at its lowest. However, it started trending upward in 2013, as around that time, the first VPNs for personal use hit the market.

Interest grew even more in June 2013 when Edward Snowden shared NSA documents with the public, fueling privacy concerns.

The start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 gave VPN usage another boost, but it skyrocketed in 2022. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the protests in Iran, many more people were suddenly interested in secure communications.

Why do people use a VPN?

A VPN is primarily a privacy tool, but it serves many purposes. To better understand why people use VPNs, we turned to Google Trends. Based on that data, we identified the main reasons customers use VPNs:

We analyzed five common VPN use cases: work, security, gaming, travel, and privacy. Among these, people were most interested in VPNs for work, making up an average of 50% of global searches. This was followed by VPNs for security (23%), gaming (15%), travel (7%), and privacy (5%).

In the US, VPN interest is even more work-focused, with 59% of searches related to work, compared to the global average of 50%. Interest in security is slightly lower in the US (21% vs. 23% globally), while privacy accounts for a slightly higher share (6% vs. 5%). Gaming (8%) and travel (5%) also rank lower in the US, suggesting that Americans primarily use VPNs for professional and privacy-related needs rather than for entertainment or travel.

How do people use VPNs?

Of course, just because people are interested in VPNs for work doesn’t mean that’s their only use. Here’s how actual VPN usage breaks down:

5 out of 10 people use a VPN for personal reasons only, whether for privacy, security, or secure access to global content.

Meanwhile, 3 out of 10 people use a VPN for business, which may also suggest that some people only encounter VPNs at work. 

Finally, 21.7% — or less than 1 in 4 — said they use a VPN for both personal and professional purposes.

How frequently do people use VPNs?

While VPNs can technically stay on at all times, not every VPN user chooses to do so. That’s why data on VPN usage frequency offers some interesting insights:

Only 40% of users report using VPNs daily or nearly every day, meaning the remaining 60% of VPN users access these services less frequently.

How many cyberattacks happen each year in the US?

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact number of cyberattacks happening yearly, as not all are successful, and many go unreported. Still, here’s a look at how many people in the US were affected by cybercrime each year from 2015 to 2024:

Nearly a million people (859,532) fell victim to cybercrime in the US in 2024. That’s about 2,348 victims every day.

The number of cybercrime cases increased by 70% in 2020 (792K) compared to 2019 (467K). Since then, the numbers continued to grow by an average of 2% per year, peaking in 2023 (880K).

To reduce your risk of falling victim to cybercrime, it’s important to stay informed and take proactive steps. Check out our blog for expert advice on how to protect yourself online.

Are VPNs legal to use?

VPNs are legal in most countries around the world. That said, “legal” doesn’t always mean risk-free and straightforward.

Roughly 50% of all internet users — 2.6 billion people — live in countries where VPN use is restricted one way or another.

Here’s a list of countries restricting VPN use:

Why don’t people use a VPN?

Whether it’s for privacy, security, reducing the risks of cybercrime, or accessing censored parts of the internet, there are plenty of reasons to use a VPN. Yet, a large part of the population still doesn’t. Why is that? Here’s what the research shows:

As noted in the report, which allowed for multiple answers — 5 out of 10 respondents said they don’t use a VPN because they don’t need one. Other common reasons, such as price, unclear benefits, or difficulty setting it up, were each cited by about 20% of the audience.

More importantly for VPN providers, 8% of respondents reported they don’t trust the security of VPNs, and 9% questioned the privacy they offer. That’s why Surfshark carries out independent audits and covers educational topics, like whether VPNs can be tracked, to help build user trust.

What devices do people use VPNs on?

One interesting aspect of VPN usage is the device choice. While quality services like Surfshark are available on all major platforms, not everyone takes advantage of that flexibility. Here’s how VPN usage-by-platform breaks down:

Somewhat surprisingly, VPN use on smartphones and PCs/laptops seems equally widespread — 64% and 62% respectively. While smartphones aren’t the go-to devices for streaming or downloading files, it’s likely that privacy and the ability to bypass local firewalls are key reasons for their high usage. On the other hand, PCs and laptops support nearly all VPN use cases thanks to their power and versatility.

About 1 in 5 users install a VPN on their tablets. While tablets aren’t as portable as phones or as capable as laptops, many people still use them daily.

Other devices — like smart TVs, consoles, and similar devices — make up around 10% each. And while only 8% of users install a VPN on their router, that’s still 1 in 10 users taking on a more technical setup, suggesting a notable portion of VPN users are quite tech-savvy.

What do VPN statistics tell us?

From rising search interest to the global VPN market growing rapidly, VPN usage statistics show that personal privacy concerns are growing each year. People are losing trust in governments, corporations, and Big Tech companies to protect their data.

In many cases, these very entities — such as tech companies that collect user data, internet service providers that track online activity, or governments involved in surveillance — are the reason people turn to privacy tools like Surfshark VPN and Incogni.

The projected growth of the VPN market suggests these concerns aren’t going away anytime soon. As our lives become more digitized, cyberthreats continue to grow. The best defense? Use trusted cybersecurity tools and build smart browsing habits.

We provide both. Explore Surfshark One — our comprehensive security suite for all your devices. And don’t miss our blog, packed with tips to help you stay safe online.

FAQ

How effective are VPNs actually?

VPNs effectively keep your online activities private by encrypting your connection and hiding your IP address, and protect your data on public Wi-Fis. That said, they’re not magic — they won’t stop malware or phishing scams, and if you log into websites with your personal info, you can still be tracked there.

Can the US government track VPN?

When it comes to reputable VPNs, the US government can’t see what you’re doing through a VPN because your traffic is encrypted, and they have a no-logs policy. But if the VPN company keeps logs (records of your activity), those could be handed over if requested legally. So, if privacy matters to you, it’s smart to choose a VPN that doesn’t keep logs and has been independently audited to prove it.

Which country uses VPNs the most?

The country with the highest VPN usage is India, followed by China and Indonesia. These countries have large populations and often face internet restrictions, which drives people to use VPNs more frequently.

Are you 100% safe with a VPN?

Unfortunately, no. No single tool can guarantee total safety online. A VPN helps a lot by securing your connection and making it private. However, it can’t fully protect you from threats like viruses, scams, or unsafe websites. Consider a VPN a crucial part of cybersecurity solutions.