Ultimate Guide to Online Freedom
Countryvpns is the Ultimate guide for all those who want to circumvent geo-restrictions to unblock their favorite online services, do torrenting without being bothered by the surveillance agencies, and surf online, ensuring their privacy and security.
Here we will help you select the best VPN services that fit your needs and help you access your desired content while providing you online privacy and security. You just need to follow our expert opinion to regain your online freedom.
VPN usage across the globe
Do you know that 25% of internet users around the world are using VPN to access the web each month? Whether they aren’t satisfied with the range of content or online services their ISPs offer them access to or they want to bolster the online security or privacy, as a matter of fact, VPN usage is increasing at a high rate.
Below we have discussed the growth of the VPN market over time, why people use them, and the top markets regarding its usage.
VPN market growth over time
The number of VPN users is increasing over time, and so is the market value of it.
- The global business share of the VPN industry was $15.46 Billion in 2016.
- It increased to $18 Billion in 2017
- In 2018, its market value reached $20.60 Billion
- Next year in 2019, it exceeded $25 Billion, although it was predicted to be worth $23.60 by the end of the year.
- This year(2020), it is expected to reach $28 Billion.
- In 2021, there are chances that the market share of the VPN industry will go past $30 Billion.
- By the end of 2022, we are anticipating to see the VPN industry achieving a staggering $35 Billion industry worth globally.
VPN usage region-wise
When we look at the VPN usage region-wise, Asia Pacific seems to be the clear winner as the highest percentage of VPN users resides there whether you talk about all users or you just take into consideration people aged 16-34.
Percentage of all internet users
- 30% of all internet users are using a VPN while accessing the web in the Asia Pacific.
- Second comes in this list Latin America where 23% of all internet users are using VPNs.
- Then comes the Middle East and Africa, where the percentage of VPN users among all internet users is 19%.
- Finally, the percentage of VPN users among all online searchers in Europe and North America is 17% each.
Percentage of internet users aged 16-34
- Asia and Pacific – 35%
- Latn America – 25%
- Europe – 21%
- North America – 21%
- Middle East & Africa – 19%
Top 10 countries with respect to VPN usage
Talking about top 10 countries with respect to VPN usage, you won’t be surprised to know that Indonesia(41%) and Thailand(39%) are the top two among the countries where the percentage of VPN usage is the highest amongst all as they belong to the Asia Pacific, so it’s quite logical for a country from this region to be number one in the list.
Have a look at the complete list below:
- Indonesia – 55%
- India – 43%
- UAE – 38%
- Thailand – 38%
- Malaysia – 38%
- Saudi Arabia – 37%
- Philippines – 37%
- Turkey – 36%
- South Africa – 36%
- Singapore – 33%
VPN usage by age
If you look at the statistics, you will get to know that most of the VPN users aged between 16-24 as the young generation uses the internet most.
- 35% of the VPN users aged between 16-24 years.
- 33% aged between 25-34 years.
- People aged between 35-44 use the internet quite less as compared to the younger ones. They account for only 19% of the total VPN users.
- Then comes a huge drop. Only 9% of the VPN users aged between 45-54.
- 4% fall under the age bracket of 55-64
VPN usage by gender
When it comes to the gender of the people who use VPNs, 62% of all the VPN users are male, whereas 38% are female.
VPN usage frequency with respect to devices
The break down of the VPN usage frequency with respect to devices is as follows:
- Daily – Desktop 35% and Mobile 42%
- 4-5 times a week – Desktop 15% and Mobile 13%
- 2-3 times a week – Desktop 14% and Mobile 11%
- Once a week – Desktop 10% and Mobile 9%
- 2-3 times a month – Desktop 7% and Mobile 6%
- Once a month – Desktop 6% and Mobile 4%
Top reasons for VPN usage
Top reasons for VPN usage are as follow:
- To access restricted entertainment content – 50%
- To access social networks and news services – 34%
- To Keep anonymity while browsing – 31%
- To access sites/services at work – 30%
- To access restricted sites – 27%
- To hide web browsing from the government – 18
- To access Tor browser – 17%
Reasons for VPN usage region-wise
When we talk about the reasons for VPN usage region-wise, following statistics come up:
- 55% of people use VPN in the Asia Pacific to access better entertainment content, whereas 29% use it to browse anonymously.
- In Europe, 38% of people use a VPN to access better entertainment content, and 37% use it to keep their browsing anonymous.
- Percentages of people in North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa who are using VPNs for accessing better entertainment content are 29%, 47%, and 43%, respectively.
- Similarly, percentages for these regions for keeping one anonymous while surfing online are 37%, 32%, and 36%, respectively.
Accessing better entertainment content | Keeping anonymity while browsing | Accessing restricted download/torrent websites |
---|---|---|
Argentina | Canada | Russia |
Australia | France | |
Belgium | Germany | |
Brazil | Japan | |
China | South Africa | |
Egypt | Spain | |
Hong Kong | Sweden | |
India | United States | |
Indonesia | ||
Ireland | ||
Italy | ||
Malaysia | ||
Mexico | ||
Netherlands | ||
Newzealand | ||
Philippines | ||
Poland | ||
Portugal | ||
Saudi Arabia | ||
Singapore | ||
South Korea | ||
Taiwan | ||
Thailand | ||
Turkey | ||
United Arab Emirates | ||
United Kingdom | ||
Vietnam |
We have analyzed the VPN usage statistics in detail, now we need to talk about the most important reason for VPN usage that everyone should be aware of, and that is cybersecurity.
Cybersecurity breach Statistics
In January 2020, 1.5 billion record breaches have been reported, which is something everyone should be worried about, whether it’s an individual or an organization. Cyber-goons are targeting from individuals to large organizations using all possible means.
To make you understand how devastating a cyber breach for a large organization can be, we have compiled some data in the form of charts so you can have a look at it and realize how much financial loss it can inflict on an organization.
Below, stats are taken from IBM security’s cost of data breach report 2019.
Cost of a data breach highlights
Cost of a data breach by country or region
Cost per record by country or region
The average number of records per breach by country or region
You must have known by now how critical cybersecurity is and what cost an organization has to pay if its cybersecurity is compromised.
List of Countries with respect to their level of commitment towards the cybersecurity
Below are the lists of the countries which have high, medium, and low levels of commitment towards cybersecurity.
High level of Commitment Towards Cyber Security | ||
---|---|---|
UK | Georgia | Switzerland |
USA | Finland | Ireland |
France | Turkey | Israel |
Lithuania | Denmark | Kazakhstan |
Estonia | Germany | Indonesia |
Singapore | Egypt | Portugal |
Spain | Croatia | Monaco |
Malaysia | Italy | Kenya |
Canada | Russian Federation | Latvia |
Norway | China | Slovakia |
Australia | Austria | Bulgaria |
Luxembourg | Poland | India |
Netherlands | Belgium | Slovenia |
Saudi Arabia | Hungary | Rwanda |
Japan | Sweden | Vietnam |
Mauritius | United Arab Emirates | Uruguay |
Republic of Korea | The Republic of North Macedonia | |
Oman | Thailand | |
Qatar | New Zealand |
Medium level of Commitment Towards Cyber Security | ||
---|---|---|
Uzbekistan | Belarus | Botswana |
Moldova | Brazil | Ghana |
Ukraine | Czech Republic | Zambia |
Azerbaijan | Romania | Cameroon |
South Africa | Colombia | Dominican Republic |
Cyprus | Jordan | Morocco |
Nigeria | Liechtenstein | Jamaica |
Philippines | Tunisia | Pakistan |
Serbia | Greece | Argentina |
Tanzania | Bangladesh | Peru |
Iran | Armenia | Burkina Faso |
Montenegro | Benin | Panama |
Albania | Cuba | Samoa |
Mexico | Malta | Ecuador |
Brunei Darussalam | Chile | Venezuela |
Uganda | Srilanka | |
Paraguay | Mongolia | |
Kuwait | Côte d’Ivoire | |
Bahrain | Iceland |
Low level of Commitment Towards Cyber Security | ||
---|---|---|
Gabon | Liberia | Sierra Leona |
State of Palestine | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Eswatini |
Senegal | Madagascar | Guyana |
Sudan | Lao | Papua New Guinea |
The Gambia | Fiji | Nicaragua |
Ethiopia | Guinea | Belize |
Malawi | Trinidad and Tobago | Namibia |
Tajikistan | Zimbabwe | El Salvador |
Iraq | Lebanon | Turkmenistan |
Algeria | Afghanistan | Andorra |
Nepal | Barbados | Suriname |
Seychelles | Myanmar | Mauritania |
Kyrgyzstan | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Nauru |
Guatemala | Congo | Chad |
Antigua and Barbuda | Cambodia | Vanuatu |
The Syrian Arab Republic | Mozambique | Angola |
Costa Rica | Bahamas | Saint Lucia |
Tonga | Grenada | Mali |
Libya | Bolivia | Timor-Leste |
San Marino | Marshall Islands | Somalia |
South Sudan | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Sao Tome and Principe |
Djibouti | Solomon Islands | Tuvalu |
Guinea-Bissau | Cabo Verde | Lesotho |
Haiti | Honduras | Micronesia |
The central African Republic | Equatorial Guinea | Kiribati |
Vatican | Eritrea | Democratic People’s Republic of Korea |
Dominica | Yemen | Comoros |
List of Countries which have partially or completely banned VPNs
Country | Reason |
---|---|
China | To put their citizen’s online activities under stringent scrutiny |
Iran | To put their citizen’s online activities under stringent scrutiny |
Iraq | To undermine the activities of ISIS |
UAE | To increase the telecommunication companies revenue |
Turkey | To limit the use of social media |
Oman | To stop people from circumventing the ban on specific kind of content |
Syria | To deal with 2011’s uprising |
Egypt | To deal with the Egyptian revolution of 2011 |
Belarus | To restrict the use of banned services in the country |
Russia | To stop people from accessing websites which are blocked in Russia |
Best countries to connect with using a VPN
Below we have discussed 5 best countries that you should connect to using a VPN as they have the finest laws to protect the online privacy of its citizens.
Country | Data Privacy Legislation | The extent of Online Censorship | Online Freedom according to Freedomhouse.org | 5/9/14 Eyes Alliance Member |
---|---|---|---|---|
Switzerland | Stringent – FDPA | Low | 96/100(free) | No |
Romania | Stringent -GDPR | Low | 83/100(free) | No |
Iceland | Stringent -GDPR | Low | 94/100(free) | No |
Malaysia | Stringent-PDPA | Medium | 52/100(Partly free) | No |
Spain | Stringent -GDPR | Low | 92/100(free) | No |
Top 10 Countries with Least Internet Freedom?
Counties | Restricted Websites |
---|---|
China | Tinder, Reddit, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flickr, Line, SoundCloud, and Periscope |
UAE | Facebook, Facetime, Skype, Discord, Zoom, WhatsApp, and Line |
Saudi Arabia | Wikipedia, Google Translate, Skype and Snapchat |
Iran | YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram and Instagram |
Russia | Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Open Russia, and LinkedIn |
India | Reddit, Telegram, Rawpoint.biz, Sterlingbioscience |
Bangladesh | Facebook, WhatsApp, Viber and TikTok |
North Korea | Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube |
Turkey | Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube |
United Kingdom | Disqus, RadioTimes, TorrentFreak |
FAQs
Why do you need a VPN?
You need a VPN to spoof your online locations. By doing so, ISPs, online hackers, and other unwanted personnel are unable to trace your online browsing activities. Here is the list of different objectives you can achieve by using a VPN:
- Bypass geo-limitations imposed on various streaming services like Netflix and Hulu
- Secure your online whereabouts while using public Wi-Fi networks
- Protect your logging information when downloading your desired torrents
How does a VPN work?
A VPN works by routing your device’s online traffic with the help of a secure tunnel. Thus, no one can interfere with your internet connection because when you use a VPN service, it redirects your web traffic through your selected VPN server.
Is using a VPN legal in all the countries of the world?
It is legal and safe to use a VPN in most of the countries in the world as long as you are using it for all the right reasons. You should not use a VPN for illegal purposes like hacking, cybercrimes, and cyberbullying.
Certain countries in the world have banned VPN services partially or completely. The list of those countries has been given below:
- Belarus
- China
- Russia
- Turkey
- Uganda
- UAE
- Oman
- Iraq
- Iran
- Venezuela
Which country has the best privacy laws?
There are only a handful of countries in the world that have strong privacy laws for their citizens. Here is the list that consists of:
- Switzerland
- Seychelles
- Romania
- The British Virgin Islands
- Panama
How can I change my country/location with a VPN?
You can change your location with a VPN after following these simple steps:
- Download and install a VPN service
- Sign-in to the app through your credentials
- Connect to a VPN server of your desired country
- Once your VPN service connects, your device’s IP address will be changed
- It will look as if you reside in that particular country
You must visit IP leaks sites like IPleak.org or IPleak.net to see if your local IP address has been masked with VPN’s IP address or not.
Is it safe to use a VPN server located in my own country?
It is safe to use a VPN server even if it is located in your own country since it will help you secure your online whereabouts. However, you will not be able to access foreign geo-blocked content.
How does Google know my location even with a VPN, no matter which country I am residing in?
Google relies on automated bot systems, also known as VPN-detection bots, to discover if a person is using a VPN’s IP address or surfing the internet through a home connection.
Easy Steps to use a VPN?
You can use a VPN by following these simple steps:
- Subscribe and download a VPN service on your preferred device
- Sign-in after installing the VPN app
- Choose your desired server from the servers’ list
- Start surfing the web anonymously
Does a VPN work on mobile data?
A VPN works on mobile data since the mobile data is passed through your mobile service’ server before it reaches the VPN server eventually.
Can you be tracked if you use a VPN?
A VPN encrypts your whole internet traffic; therefore, a person who tries to access your network traffic from the same network cannot trace your online activities. However, your VPN service should not leak your actual IP address; otherwise, you can be easily tracked online.
Which VPN is best for streaming?
ExpressVPN is the best VPN for streaming as the service offers an excellent MediaStreamer feature that allows you to unblock geo-blocked content without encrypting your web traffic.
Does a VPN mask your country/location?
Yes, a VPN masks your actual locations/Country by hiding your IP, DNS, and webRTC information.
Can your internet service provider (ISP) see your history with a VPN?
When you use a VPN, your ISP cannot keep an eye on your online activities. If you do not connect to a VPN service before using the internet, your ISP can see anything you send over the web.
Can VPNs be hacked?
VPNs cannot be hacked because they use robust tunneling protocols alongside industry-standard military-grade 256-bit encryption. In case, hackers hack them; they can only access encrypted information.
What is the benefit of having a VPN in another country?
If you are residing in another country for studies or work, you can easily access channels and online services of your own country, which are blocked for the outside world as well as can access world-famous services like Netflix, Hulu, and BBC iplayer from the country you are dwelling in.
Which is the best country to connect to using a VPN as far as privacy is concerned?
When it comes to protecting your online privacy, Switzerland is the best country to connect to using a VPN because their privacy laws are the finest in the world. They don’t disclose personal data of their residents to anyone at any cost.
Which country VPN is the best to use in the USA?
After testing several VPNs on many different parameters like performance and speed, privacy and security, features and services, ease of use, and pricing, we found ExpressVPN to be the best VPN to use in the USA.