Interesting VPN Statistics: Facts on VPN Usage and Knowledge

Every once in a while, it is important to take a look around and see if there are any improvements in the tools you are using. That applies to software in your computer and smartphone and the work you are doing professionally. In the same way, it applies to virtual private networks (VPNs) as well.

Looking at updated statistics related to VPNs tells you how the ecosystem has developed since you started using it. For example, a small group of our users install the TuxlerVPN app on their devices and then don’t take another look at it except during subscription renewal. The software works as intended and they are content with it. 

But, as a company, it behooves us to tell you that you should seek out more. This can be done partly by regularly looking at VPN statistics. How many netizens use a VPN on their smartphone in the current year? Do they prefer free or paid VPNs? What about those using a browser extension?

That is the main aim of this article. We bring you a collection of the latest VPN statistics worth noting. These may or may not help you improve your VPN experience, but they will surely give you an outlook on the VPN industry. Here goes…

VPN Statistics Worth Noting

A list of notable VPN statistics reinforces the idea of having a VPN installed on your smart device.

50% of Full-Time Remote Works Use a VPN in the US (YouGov)

This is an important piece of statistics (reported by YouGov in August 2021) and caters to a report we published sometime back. The coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020 turned a lot of full-time office workers into full-time and part-time telecommuters and hybrid workers. Since a large number of professionals started working from home, so became critical a need to have a virtual private network. As early as March 2020, there was a rapid demand for VPNs around the world through which professionals connected to their workplace network and went about their work.

It’s been nearly a year since that report was published and we’re sure the number has either increased or plateaued but not heavily reduced. It goes to show how VPN continues to be an essential privacy tool, both at home and at work.

70% Of Adult Americans Are Not Sure What a VPN Does (Pew Research)

In 2017, Pew Research surveyed more than 1,000 adults in the United States regarding cybersecurity. A lot of surprising facts came up. Though the most surprising in our context was this: 70% or “a substantial majority of internet users are not sure what purpose a VPN serves”. However, the same survey showed that roughly 13% of the adults knew that they could minimize the risks of using insecure Wi-Fi through a VPN.

This was three years before the coronavirus pandemic struck so we can assume that the percentage (70%) may have reduced over the years as more and more people are being exposed to the utility of a VPN.

The point to be deduced from this statistic is that a lot more awareness about VPNs is required. If more people use VPNs, it can considerably reduce the number of privacy lapses and attacks that are reported all around, and not just in the United States.

DDoS Attacks Will Double By 2023 (Cisco)

In its annual internet report for 2018-2023, Cisco affirmed that the total number of DDoS attacks would double that reported in 2018. 

As we have seen on the TuxlerVPN blog, DDoS attacks can be mitigated through a VPN. Since a VPN effectively hides your IP address, hackers find it difficult to zero in on your web location, thereby thwarting their plans. While a VPN cannot stop advanced hacking attempts like malware and ransomware, it acts as a solid firewall between you and the antisocial elements of the web.

Half of VPN Users Globally Use VPN To Stream Content (Go-Globe)

In 2018, PCMag reported a Go-Globe finding that exactly half of all users using a VPN do so to unblock geo-blocked content on streaming sites. This is an interesting piece of statistics as it relates to something we already knew. A majority of TuxlerVPN users utilize our app or extension to bypass a geofence. It is one reason why TuxlerVPN is often regarded as the master unblocker.

It shows how the boundaries of the web have tightened over the years. Most types of websites have a geofence these days, and it highlights the sad, divisive state of the internet.

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