International. According to data based on Atlas VPN's VPN adoption rate, virtual private network (VPN) downloads reached 277 million in 2020 worldwide.
A virtual private network hides the user's real IP address and encrypts their browsing traffic. In turn, these changes prevent meddling third parties, such as hackers, ISPs (Internet service providers), or even the government, from tracking the user's online activities.
Interestingly, the top 4 VPN users are arab countries, which, to be exact, are the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. Here, on average, VPNs penetrate 44.75% of the market. In other words, 4 out of 10 citizens of these countries downloaded a Virtual Private Network application in 2020.
The data reveals the fact that the VPN adoption rate correlates with how strict internet censorship and other online restrictions are in that country. Most of these countries prohibit any content that is against the values of Islam or criticizes the government.
Great Britain is also on the top 10 list at number 9. Britons installed VPN apps at least 8.19 million times, representing a penetration of 12.07%. Finally, the United States closes the list of the top 10 with an adoption rate of 11.52% and 38.12 million downloads last year.
Impact of COVID-19 on VPN Use
Strict internet restrictions aren't the only driving force behind the high VPN adoption rate last year.
Starting in February 2020, people started staying at home due to the closure of offices, public places, and the cancellation of public gatherings brought on by the pandemic. People began to use the Internet more often, and many of them chose to watch TV shows and movies.
But certain streaming services, such as Netflix, BBC and Amazon Prime, apply geo-restrictions to watch the content. However, a VPN provides a way around those blocks.
In addition, in many companies, most employees started working from home. In turn, to protect company data from hackers, employers required their workers to use VPNs.
Rachel Welch, Chief Operating Officer of Atlas VPN, shares her insights on how the VPN market changed in 2020:
"The year 2020 will be remembered as a year when VPNs became commonplace, as millions of people moved to remote work amid the coronavirus pandemic. Among other things, to access a company's network, most people have to use VPNs to protect their data and those of their employers."
