The amount of global VPN downloads was at 487 million in 2022. But since then, the number hasn’t gotten so high. If anything, the Cybernews VPN Adoption Report says downloads actually went down to 404.2 million in 2023, came up to 464.0 million in 2024, then went down again to 412.5 million last year. The research team analysed the 50 most popular VPN apps on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store in 126 countries.
Usage seems to have grown since 2020 as downloads were 284.6 million in 2020 and 295.7 million in 2021, before the 2022 peak. Even with the recent slowdown, usage in 2025 is far higher than it was 5 years ago.
With adoption rates the global average was 6.95% in 2020 and reached 12.04% in 2025. The report calculates a compound annual growth rate of 11.61%. Cybernews says that 106 out of 126 countries either stayed at a similar level or went down in 2025, even though country level downloads moved up and down through the year.
The States is a testament to how uneven the market can be. Adoption peaked at 19.75% in 2022, 18.36% in 2024 and 16.20% last year. Downloads went from 63.4 million in 2024 to 54.1 million in 2025. The first half of 2025 brought 5 million more downloads than the same period in 2024, but the year ended 9 million lower overall.
Why Does The Gulf Lead The Rankings?
The UAE takes the number 1 spot, with 85.50% adoption in 2025 and a 71.04% average from 2020 to 2025. Qatar is next at 58.47%, and Oman at 54.06%. Out of the top 10 countries, more than a third are in the Arabian peninsula.
Cybernews says this is because of state level internet regulation. Authorities block categories such as gambling, adult content and politically sensitive material. Reports also describe monitoring of online communications. In this setting, VPNs act as a technical workaround.
Restrictions on voice over internet protocol services also shape demand. Services such as WhatsApp, Skype and FaceTime are blocked in parts of the Gulf. For large expatriate populations who need to contact family abroad, VPNs reopen those channels. They also allow access to streaming libraries and other geo restricted services.
The legal position differs across the region. In the UAE, the law allows penalties including fines or prison if a VPN is used to commit an act considered illegal under national law. Oman and Saudi Arabia apply comparable rules. Corporate use is often permitted, personal use can fall into a grey area.
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What Is Happening In Europe And The UK?
Europe is the place that actually continued to grow last year. In fact, 7 of the top 20 countries are European. The UK ranks 7th with 27.48% adoption. Downloads reached 16.6 million in 2024 and 18.3 million last year.
France ranks 10th at 20.71% and has gone up 12 places in the table. Downloads increased from 11.1 million in 2024 to 13.1 million last year. Germany records 17.93%, Canada 16.68%. Italy and Japan trail at 6.60% and 4.08%.
Cybernews says European growth has to do with privacy debates and data retention laws. In the UK, the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 says ISPs are to retain browsing data and outline rules for government access. Also, the report predicts that adoption in the UK will increase due to the Online Safety Act, which makes private internet use more difficult to achieve.
In France’s case, expansive surveillance and data retention powers have clashed with EU privacy safeguards. The report says that monitoring tools and provider obligations to retain technical data have normalised VPN use among businesses and technically aware users. Individuals also turn to VPNs to shield browsing data and avoid age verification systems.
Where Is Adoption Going Down Fastest?
The largest single year declines last year appear in politically volatile settings. Myanmar went from 29.19% in 2024 to 9.83%, which is a drop of 19.36%. Nauru went from 50.14% to 33.01%. Russia went from 23.06% to 10.78%.
Africa dominates the bottom of the table with 8 of the 10 lowest ranked countries being African. Malawi records 0.11%, Congo 0.26%, Angola 0.31%, Zambia 0.45%. China ranks last at 0.02%, though Cybernews explains that this is partly due to research limits, as Google Play is blocked and Apple App Store access is restricted.
The dataset uses Google Play and Apple App Store downloads. It excludes desktop software, direct website downloads and smaller providers. One person may download an app more than once, which won’t necessarily give accurate adoption estimates. Geographic data depends on app store region settings, which may not match a user’s physical location.
Global VPN growth hasn’t been so great since its 2022 peak, but Europe and the Gulf continue to grow. As for everywhere else, usage has levelled off or gone down.
