44 VPN Software Statistics You Can’t Ignore: 2024 Data Analysis & Market Share

Network security is of utmost importance in an age where internet technology and potential cyberattacks evolve each day. Thanks to new work arrangements, such as remote work and “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policies, businesses drive the growth of VPN software. As a result of increased use, experts expect the VPN marketplace to reach a value of $107.5 billion by 2027 (Carter, 2021).

In this article, we list down the most important VPN software statistics for 2022. Keeping abreast of these statistics can help businesses understand the intricacies of using VPN services. The data can also help business owners and their teams make more informed decisions on their future VPN use.

Global VPN Market Statistics

The global market for VPN services continues to grow each year. More businesses are turning to VPN solutions to keep their networks safe from unauthorized access. Through these platforms, remote employees get access to files and applications. As a result, the VPN marketplace grows in size as well.

Below are some important VPN software statistics on the global VPN market:

• From $25.4 billion in 2019, the worldwide VPN market is expected to reach $76 billion by 2027 (Allied Market Research, 2021).
• This growth also amounts to a CAGR of 15%, from 2020 to 2027 (Allied Market Research, 2021).
• Experts expect VPN use to grow by 16% in the Asia Pacific region, the highest among all regions in the world. This is 2% higher than the growth of usage for the global population (Vigderman & Turner, 2021).
• The VPN marketplace is also projected to be worth $108 billion by 2027 (Carter, 2021).
• Furthermore, Cisco leads the competition in the global VPN software market, cornering a 55% share of the market (Datanyze, 2021). This share accounts for Cisco AnyConnect and Cisco VPN.
• Among VPN software, Private Internet Access has the highest server count, with more than 32,600 servers (Kochovski, 2021).
• Meanwhile, ExpressVPN has the widest server reach across the globe. The company has 3,000 servers spread over 94 countries (Kochovski, 2021).

Current VPN Usage Statistics

VPN usage statistics today show how the use of the software has grown in recent years, not just among businesses but individuals as well. More adult internet users have become aware of how VPNs work. The increased use may also be driven by individuals looking for ways to increase network security and access region-locked content. Statistics also indicate that the frequency of VPN use often depends on the device (mobile or desktop).

• From 72% according to VPN usage statistics 2020, 85% of adult Internet users now know how VPNs work (Security.org, 2021).
• However, despite the increased awareness, only 41% of adult internet users said they use a VPN (Security.org, 2021). This represents an 8% decrease, based on figures from VPN statistics 2020.
• In general, 41% of users reported using VPN software at least once a week (Top10VPN, 2021).
• 55% of VPN users depend on the software for general security, while 54% do so for general privacy (Security.org, 2021).
• A small percentage of users—3%—find VPNs useful in maintaining privacy for activities related to whistleblowing and activism (Security.org, 2021).
• 47% of consumers use VPNs on a semi-regular basis during personal travels. Meanwhile, 36% of VPN users utilize these services during international business travel (Carter, 2021).
• 41% of VPN users use a free service (Security.org, 2021).
• 57% of male VPN users use the software for personal use, compared to 43% of women ((Vigderman & Turner, 2021).
• 60% of VPN users have university degrees or postgraduate degrees (Security.org, 2021).

Business Use of VPN Software Statistics

As previously mentioned, VPN software has remained crucial for many businesses today, just as important as communications software. Through VPN, employees are able to safely access corporate networks and maintain privacy.

Moreover, advanced VPN software also comes with the ability to track usage statistics, including active sessions, disconnections, and failed logins. Fortinet VPN, for instance, provides Fortinet VPN statistics monitoring to help businesses forecast capacity needs and track detailed usage.

• 93% of businesses also rely on VPN services (Cybersecurity Insiders, 2021).
• 41% of businesses that use VPNs have more than 3 VPN gateways (Cybersecurity Insiders, 2021).
• Similar to VPN market growth, the Asia Pacific region showed the highest growth in remote access use in 2020. The use of VPN and remote desktop protocol technology in the region grew by 68% during the period (Duo, 2020).
• 60% of employees also use VPN to access applications remotely (Thales, 2021).

Mobile vs. Desktop VPN Users Statistics

Statistics on mobile and desktop users of VPN indicate some interesting trends. For instance, mobile VPN users tend to use the software more often. Mobile VPN users also used the software to access locked content, such as TV shows, movies, and games, and browse anonymously.

• 61% of mobile VPN users rely on the technology at least once a week. The figure slightly drops to 59% for desktop VPN users (Vigderman & Turner, 2021).
• Moreover, 52% of mobile VPN users use iOS devices, while 37% are on Android devices. (Vigderman & Turner, 2021).

The Impact of COVID-19 on VPN Use Statistics

Like with collaboration software, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the way businesses use statistics. As remote work policies became more common, businesses leaned on VPN services to ensure that employees could have uninterrupted access to networks, applications, and files.

With VPN software, many employees remained productive even when working from home. The statistics below provide an accurate picture of how the pandemic has impacted VPN use all over the world.

• VPN use saw a 124% increase during the two-week period of March 8 to March 22, 2020 (Vigderman & Turner, 2021).
• 53% of companies increased their VPN capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic (Cybersecurity Insiders, 2021).
• Furthermore, 67% of mobile users acquired a VPN for more secure work communications during the pandemic (Mlitz, 2021).
• In the midst of the pandemic, 93% of companies also prioritized increased remote access and enabling VPN capacity (Wipro, 2020).
• In companies’ post-pandemic priorities, however, fewer companies (56%) place importance on improving remote access and increasing VPN use (Wipro, 2020).
• Additionally, during the COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020, the use of VPN saw a 34% increase in data usage (Clifford, 2020).

Current Events and VPN Usage Statistics

Interestingly, current events also influenced the usage of VPN in recent years. Below are details of specific periods when VPN usage surged.

• Consumers interested in VPNs rose by 74% when former US President Trump announced a ban on the social media platform TikTok (Shead, 2020).
• The announcement of the postponing of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics also resulted in a 78% increase in consumer interest in VPN. Experts have concluded that this spike ensued as people realized the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and rushed to secure their home networks for work use (Spadafora, 2020).
• Likewise, consumers’ interest in VPN grew by 55% in face of the possibility of former US president Trump withdrawing the 2020 travel ban on citizens from certain Middle Eastern countries to the US (Vigderman & Turner, 2021).

Most Popular VPN Software

1. NordVPN. A robust VPN software for business and individual users. It uses military-grade encryption and a no-logging policy as its online protection protocol. Our NordVPN review will help you know more about this popular VPN solution.
2. ZenMate. It offers high-speed, anonymous, and affordable internet access from any location and is available in numerous languages. This ZenMate review also offers an informative discussion about its features and functionalities.
3. ExpressVPN. Another secure, fast, and user-friendly VPN for all major platforms and any device. With over 145 server locations located in almost a hundred countries worldwide. For more details, read our ExpressVPN review.
4. Perimeter 81. A robust VPN service that streamlines secured remote access for field staff. Our Perimeter 81 review also walks you through its offerings and pricing plans.
5. Hide.me. Fast and reliable, system-agnostic VPN. Aside from its paid plans, it also offers a zero-logging, ad-free free version. For more details, read our Hide.me review.

VPN and Cybersecurity Statistics

Many companies consider VPN software a crucial addition to their tech stacks. The software has become indispensable in recent years, especially in a world where cybercrime can inflict damage worth $11 million per minute.

To help protect businesses against cybercrime, VPN platforms have also evolved to provide more functionalities. Watchguard VPN, for instance, provides a Watchguard VPN Statistics page. This page lets users can track data on IPSec connections and active VPN tunnels.

Below are some important statistics on cybersecurity and how VPN services are used against cyberattacks.

• 41% of Internet users in the US worry about their personal data when using digital services (Kunst, 2021).
• Moreover, 75% of companies are most concerned about social engineered cyberattacks. In such cybercrimes, Internet users are manipulated into divulging confidential information (Cybersecurity Insiders, 2021).
• As of the third quarter of 2021, businesses and organizations also experienced an average downtime of 22 days after ransomware attacks (Coveware, 2021).
• In 2020, 1,001 data breaches in the US exposed 156 million records (Notified, 2020).
• As a result of businesses’ efforts to fight cybercrime, cybersecurity accounted for 23% of the IT spend of US companies in 2021 (Hiscox, 2021).
• VPN software also ranks as the ninth most used cybersecurity product (42%) among US businesses in 2021 (CompTIA, 2021).
• 44% of US companies have established a VPN as a cybersecurity measure since the COVID-19 pandemic (SecureAge, 2021).
• Interestingly, 94% of companies also know that cybercriminals often target VPNs to gain unauthorized access to networks (Cybersecurity Insiders, 2021).

VPN Challenges Statistics

While most VPN software offer advanced features to improve cybersecurity, there remain some challenges when using such platforms. Many challenges with using VPN software stem from the difficulties of controlling and tracking remote access. VPN users also complain of slow network speeds. Below are more details on the challenges of using VPN software:

• For most businesses (24%), the biggest challenge to remote access solutions involves a lack of visibility into real-time user activity (Cybersecurity Insiders, 2021).
• Similarly, businesses remain concerned about how VPNs can reduce IT’s ability to secure networks and environments (Cybersecurity Insiders, 2021).
• Access control and device security have also become more difficult for companies, especially for 45% of organizations that have implemented BYOD policies (Cybersecurity Insiders, 2021).
• Two of three free VPN users complain about technical issues on their network (Security.org, 2021).
• Likewise, the majority (56%) of free VPN users report slow network speeds (Security.org, 2021).

The good news is that many VPN platforms make it easier for businesses to access usage statistics. Checkpoint users, for instance, can run a one-time script to view a summary of Checkpoint VPN statistics.

What Lies in the Future of VPN

Amid growing concerns about VPN vulnerabilities indicated by the current VPN software statistics, many businesses now consider alternatives that can provide more secure remote access. For instance, many organizations now look into zero trust architecture and zero-trust network access. These network security models use identity-based authentication to provide user access without disclosing network location (Gittlen, 2020).

According to the 2021 VPN Risk Report by Cybersecurity Insiders, 72% of organizations surveyed have started transitioning into a zero trust model. While it isn’t likely for VPN software to suddenly fall out of favor, cybersecurity experts stress the need for VPN to be more flexible in accommodating remote access and cloud technology.

If you’re interested in learning more about evolving cybersecurity technology, read our article on cybersecurity trends for 2022 and beyond.

References:

1. Allied Market Research. (2021). Virtual private network (VPN) market trends & industry analysis – 2027. Allied Market Research
2. Carter, R. (2021, December 5). The ultimate list of VPN statistics for 2022. Findstack
3. Clifford, T. (2020, March 19). Web traffic spiked 20% in one week amid coronavirus shutdown, Verizon CEO says. CNBC
4. CompTIA. (2021). 2021 state of cybersecurity. CompTIA
5. Coveware. (2021, October 21). Ransomware attackers down shift to ‘mid-game’ hunting in Q3. Coveware
6. Cybersecurity Insiders. (2021). 2021 VPN risk report. Cybersecurity Insiders
7. Duo. (2020). The 2020 Duo trusted access report. Duo
8. Gittlen, S. (2020, November 20). What is zero trust? Ultimate guide to the network security model. SearchSecurity
9. Hiscox. (2021). Hiscox cyber readiness report 2021. Hiscox
10. Kochovski, A. (2021, November 21). The top 25 VPN statistics, facts & trends for 2022. Cloudwards
11. Kunst, A. (2021, August 23). Attitudes towards digital privacy in the United States 2020. Statista
12. Liu, S. (2021, August 18). Top global VPN market share by technology 2021. Statista
13. Mlitz, K. (2021, October 14). Tech acquired to secure work comms when WFH 2021. Statista
14. Notified. (2020). 2020 end-of-year data breach report. Notified
15. SecureAge. (2021). 2021 SecureAge COVID & cybersecurity study. SecureAge
16. Security.org. (2021, November 8). VPN consumer usage, adoption, and shopping study: 2021. Security.org
17. Shead, S. (2020, September 21). VPN interest surges in the U.S. as TikTok and WeChat users panic about access to Chinese apps. CNBC
18. Spadafora, A. (2021, February 9). VPN usage saw major spike last year – here’s why. TechRadar
19. Thales. (2021). 2021 Thales data threat report. Thales
20. Top10VPN. (2020). Global VPN usage report 2020. Top10VPN
21. Vigderman, A., & Turner, G. (2021, November 8). VPN consumer usage, adoption, and shopping study: 2021. Security.org
22. Wipro. (2020). State of cybersecurity report 2020. Wipro

By Louie Andre

B2B & SaaS market analyst and senior writer for FinancesOnline. He is most interested in project management solutions, believing all businesses are a work in progress. From pitch deck to exit strategy, he is no stranger to project business hiccups and essentials. He has been involved in a few internet startups including a digital route planner for a triple A affiliate. His advice to vendors and users alike? "Think of benefits, not features."