Here's why VPN interest has surged 7,000% in 2025

VPN demand is surging right now, with 2025 looking like it will be the year of virtual private networks. New research has shown that VPN search volume has increased significantly in the last few months, coming off the back of policies like the UK's Online Safety Act, which requires users to confirm their access to access adult content.

Research firm Statista has compiled data from Top10VPN, and illustrated that new laws and social media bans in the UK, US, Nepal, and beyond have contributed to a 7000% increase in VPNs this year. This will be good news for the best VPNs, of course, but a lack of experience and familiarity with these tools can lead newcomers to shady VPN apps.

Here's are the countries that have seen the biggest spikes in interest, along with any pertinent events that may have driven that surge.

• Nepal (social media bans amid civil unrest): +2,892%
• United Kingdom (online age verification requirement): +1,987%
• United States (social media bans): +827%
• Iran (internet restrictions due to protests): +707%
• France (online age verification requirement): +570%
• Turkey (social media bans): +188%
• India (Pakistan content ban): +72%

For context, the United States' increase is largely due to the temporary ban on TikTok in January 2025, which has since been reversed. Nonetheless, with various states (such as Texas) introducing (or considering) mandatory ID verification for anyone trying to access adult content, interest is likely to continue to grow.

VPNs have long been employed to help people avoid censorship and communicate with the outside world from regions in conflict. We're seeing it right now with the Nepalese civil uprising, where social media has been banned to prevent the sharing of events happening in the country. Iran's increasing interest in VPNs comes from similar social upheaval.

If all this has you wanting to get your own VPN, we recommend our partner, NordVPN. It's been one of the biggest names in the online privacy world for some time, offering fast and discreet internet access through servers around the world.

If you're already using a VPN, whether that's Proton VPN, SurfShark, Cyberghost, ExpressVPN, or NordVPN, go ahead and read our guides on using a Minecraft VPN or a Warzone VPN for an idea of how they can enhance your experience.