Global VPN downloads hit an all-time high of 487 million in 2022 — and have been falling ever since. Downloads dropped to 404 million in 2023, partially recovered to 464 million in 2024, and fell again to 412.5 million in 2025, according to the latest iteration of the Cybernews VPN Adoption Report.
The report analyzed download data for the 50 most popular VPN apps from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store across 126 countries, compared against each country’s population to calculate adoption rates.
The Gulf states dominate the top 10
The countries where VPN adoption remains highest are overwhelmingly in the Persian Gulf. The UAE leads the world at 85.5%. The driving forces are state-level content restrictions and VoIP service blocks, as large expatriate populations need to communicate internationally.
Europe is showing consistent growth
Europe is the one region still showing consistent growth in 2025, while adoption rates in most other regions slowed down significantly. Three European countries sit in the global top 10 — the United Kingdom at #7, the Netherlands at #8, and France at #10. France saw the biggest climb of any G7 nation, rising 12 positions since the previous report. Seven of the global top 20 are now European, with the Nordics and Baltics also posting steady gains.
Adoption in G7 countries varies widely
Among G7 nations, the picture is uneven. The UK and France are both in the global top 10, while Italy and Japan remain far behind their peers.
The United States, despite producing the largest absolute download volumes, ranks only #21 — with downloads falling from 63.4 million in 2024 to 54.1 million in 2025.
Where VPN adoption is falling fastest
The steepest single-year declines were concentrated in countries with volatile political or regulatory environments. Myanmar dropped 19.4 percentage points in a single year, Nauru fell 17.1 pp, and Russia declined 12.3 pp.
The countries where almost no one uses a VPN
The lowest adoption rates are concentrated in Africa — 8 of the bottom 10 countries are African.
Full report here: https://cybernews.com/best-vpn/vpn-usage-by-country/
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This entry was posted on March 25, 2026 at 4:23 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Cybernews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Global VPN downloads fell in 2025, but adoption in some European and Gulf countries keeps climbing
Global VPN downloads hit an all-time high of 487 million in 2022 — and have been falling ever since. Downloads dropped to 404 million in 2023, partially recovered to 464 million in 2024, and fell again to 412.5 million in 2025, according to the latest iteration of the Cybernews VPN Adoption Report.
The report analyzed download data for the 50 most popular VPN apps from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store across 126 countries, compared against each country’s population to calculate adoption rates.
The Gulf states dominate the top 10
The countries where VPN adoption remains highest are overwhelmingly in the Persian Gulf. The UAE leads the world at 85.5%. The driving forces are state-level content restrictions and VoIP service blocks, as large expatriate populations need to communicate internationally.
Europe is showing consistent growth
Europe is the one region still showing consistent growth in 2025, while adoption rates in most other regions slowed down significantly. Three European countries sit in the global top 10 — the United Kingdom at #7, the Netherlands at #8, and France at #10. France saw the biggest climb of any G7 nation, rising 12 positions since the previous report. Seven of the global top 20 are now European, with the Nordics and Baltics also posting steady gains.
Adoption in G7 countries varies widely
Among G7 nations, the picture is uneven. The UK and France are both in the global top 10, while Italy and Japan remain far behind their peers.
The United States, despite producing the largest absolute download volumes, ranks only #21 — with downloads falling from 63.4 million in 2024 to 54.1 million in 2025.
Where VPN adoption is falling fastest
The steepest single-year declines were concentrated in countries with volatile political or regulatory environments. Myanmar dropped 19.4 percentage points in a single year, Nauru fell 17.1 pp, and Russia declined 12.3 pp.
The countries where almost no one uses a VPN
The lowest adoption rates are concentrated in Africa — 8 of the bottom 10 countries are African.
Full report here: https://cybernews.com/best-vpn/vpn-usage-by-country/
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This entry was posted on March 25, 2026 at 4:23 pm and is filed under Commentary with tags Cybernews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.