Virtual Private Networks – also known as VPNs – allow you to connect anonymously online. They keep your data safe and allow users to bypass things like censorship and geo-blocking. Given all of the benefits of using VPNs, it’s no wonder that they are becoming more popular. People in countries with oppressive internet restrictions (such as China) use them to access social media and news sites and avoid government tracking. People also use them to access Netflix, BBC iPlayer, and YouTube content otherwise unavailable in their region. Let’s take a look at VPN usage and trends around the world in 2019.
How Popular Are VPNs?
Once considered the realm of techies and nerds, VPNs are becoming more and more popular with the average internet user. Nowadays, 25% of all internet users report that they have used a VPN in the past month. VPNs are primarily used on desktop computers (17 of that 25% are on computers) followed by tablets and then mobiles. Just under half of all VPN users on mobile devices use their VPNs on a daily basis (42%) with the number dropping to just over a third for computers (35%).
Where are VPNs being Used?
VPNs are used around the world, but according to BestVPN.ie, the top ten markets for VPNs – in order – are Indonesia (38%), India (38%), Turkey (32%), China (31%), Malaysia (29%), Saudi Arabia (29%), Brazil (26%), Vietnam (25%), United Arab Emirates (25%), and the Philippines (25%).
As you can see, the majority of VPN users are from countries with restrictive internet policies. Countries such as China and Egypt are infamous for censoring the internet. A VPN allows people from these countries to access all of the content they want without worrying about censorship or being caught by the government.
Why Do People Use VPNs?
There are many different reasons that people turn to VPN services. While bypassing censorship is a common reason, it’s not the main one. The main reason that people use VPNs (50% of users) is being able to access better entertainment content. This includes things like being able to watch the American library of Netflix (which is much bigger than the rest of the world) or being able to watch BBC iPlayer content from outside of the UK.
The other most popular reasons for using a VPN are; being able to access social networks and/or news services (34%); keep online activity anonymous (31%), access websites and services blocked at work (30%), accessing restricted torrent websites (27%), communicating with friends and family abroad (25%), hiding web browsing activity from the government (18%), and gaining access to Tor browsers and services (17%).
The different reasons for using VPNs vary depending on regions and country. In Europe being able to access content and keeping browsing anonymous are equally motivating factors. In the Asian Pacific however, 55% of users are motivated by access to better content while 29% are motivated by private browsing. The trend is similar in most other places, with the exception of North America. There, 29% of users are motivated by better content access while 37% of users are motivated by private browsing. Given that North America is where most of the best content is, that statistic isn’t so surprising!
Aren’t VPNs for Pirates?
One reason that people are against the use of VPNs is that they argue they are only used by content pirates to download and access content illegally. It’s true that some people who use VPNs do so for illegal purposes, but these days VPNs are used by more and more people who use them for completely legitimate reasons.
The fact is that the people who use VPNs are massive consumers of online television and other online content. VPN users are 40% more likely to watch subscription services over TV. These are subscription services that they pay for and otherwise wouldn’t have purchased legally without the access that a VPN offers.
Over three quarters of all people who use a VPN (77%) continue to legally purchase digital content each month. The fact that pirates use VPNs is hardly a valid reason to argue against their use. They have plenty of legitimate uses and are enjoyed by people all around the world who rely on them for safety and security.
Who Uses VPNs?
The majority of people who use VPNs are men, with 62% of VPN users being male (compared to the 38% of female users). While more older people are using VPNs, they remain the domain of the young people. 38% of VPN users are aged between 16 and 24, while 33% are between 25 and 34. VPN use declines with age, with only 4% of VPN users being over 55 years of age. There are several reasons for this, including lack of technical knowledge, but the good news is that VPNs are super simple to use. Don’t let your lack of technical knowledge think you wouldn’t be able to use one.
In terms of financial backgrounds, the majority of VPN users are in the mid-50% income range. 23% of users are in the bottom 25%, 45% are in the mid 50%, 24% are in the top 25%, and 8% of those surveyed elected to not discuss their financial situation. VPN services can be expensive, so those in the bottom 25% may feel they are priced out of being able to use them.
Final Thoughts
VPN services are becoming more popular and accessible by the day. These days, there’s a lot of choice on the market and anyone who is interested in a VPN is sure to be able to find one that suits their needs. Different people have different reasons for using them, but we can all be thankful these handy tools exist in the first place.
