Antivirus Statistics 2025: Revealing Growth & Usage

September 27, 2025

Cybersecurity continues to be a pressing issue, with antivirus software at the forefront of digital protection. The landscape of antivirus solutions has transformed significantly, evolving from basic virus scanning to sophisticated real-time threat detection, comprehensive endpoint protection, and seamless integration with artificial intelligence. In critical sectors such as banking and healthcare, antivirus software is now an integral component of broader security frameworks designed to safeguard sensitive data and prevent breaches.

Editor’s Choice

The global antivirus software market is projected to reach approximately .23 billion by 2025.
It is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 6.9% through 2029.
By 2025, 84% of users are expected to have antivirus software installed on their computers.
Approximately 68% of users will have antivirus protection on their smartphones.
In recent testing (Feb–Mar 2025), antivirus products were evaluated against 212 test cases.
Globally, 560,000 new malware variants are detected each day.
In June 2025 evaluations, both Microsoft Defender and Norton achieved perfect protection scores of 100% across protection, performance, and usability metrics.

Recent Developments

Microsoft is undertaking a redesign of Windows to relocate antivirus and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) applications out of the kernel, thereby minimizing the risk of system-wide failures or exploits.
A problematic update from CrowdStrike in 2024 rendered 8.5 million Windows machines inoperative, prompting Microsoft to expedite architectural changes.
In 2024, the U.S. government prohibited the sale of Kaspersky antivirus software within its borders due to national security concerns.
Gen Digital, the parent company of Avast, anticipates revenue between .70 billion and .80 billion for 2026, driven by robust demand for cybersecurity solutions.
The integration of AI into malware and attack frameworks is compelling antivirus vendors to adopt machine learning-driven threat detection models.
Research indicates that combining adversarial malware generators can enhance evasion rates by 15.9% against leading antivirus tools.
A new threat has emerged in the form of SVG phishing campaigns, with over 523 SVG files linked to malware, of which 44 went undetected by any antivirus at the time of testing.

Trends in Antivirus Software Costs and Coverage

32.1% of antivirus plans are priced between and , marking it as the most prevalent price range.
Another 32.1% fall within the to bracket, indicating a strong presence of mid-tier pricing.
Only 3.6% of antivirus options are offered for free, underscoring a shift towards paid protection.
17.9% of antivirus software is priced between and , while 7.1% exceed .
93% of antivirus products provide a 30+ day money-back guarantee.
79% include defenses against ransomware and phishing attacks.
61% come equipped with a built-in firewall for enhanced security.
The average maximum coverage per antivirus subscription extends to 24 devices.

General Antivirus Statistics

84% of desktop and laptop users report having antivirus software installed.
68% of smartphone users utilize antivirus protection.
60% of tablet users also employ antivirus solutions.
Approximately 16% of users perceive antivirus software as ineffective.
In 2024, around 121 million Americans utilized third-party antivirus software.
Seventeen million U.S. adults expressed intentions to adopt antivirus software within the next six months (2024).
During real-world protection testing (Feb–Mar 2025), antivirus products faced 212 threat scenarios.
Daily, 560,000 new malware variants are discovered globally.
It is estimated that there are over 1 billion malware programs worldwide.

Demographics

Americans aged 65 and older are twice as likely to invest in antivirus software compared to those under 45.
Seventeen percent of U.S. adults utilize antivirus software on mobile devices.
More than half of Americans depend on built-in antivirus solutions (or none) rather than third-party options.
Approximately 90% of antivirus subscribers cite general security as a primary motivation for their choice.
Over 60% of users indicate privacy as a significant factor in their antivirus usage.
Among those affected by malware in the past year, 8.9% used free antivirus, while 7.4% opted for paid solutions.
In consumer antivirus tests, some products report zero false positives, while others exhibit numerous inaccuracies.

By Device

90% of Windows users have antivirus software installed, compared to about 78% of Mac users.
84% of desktop or laptop users report having antivirus protection.
68% of smartphone users have some form of antivirus installed.
60% of tablet owners utilize antivirus software on their devices.

Antivirus Market Financial Insights

The global antivirus software market is valued at approximately .23 billion in 2025.
It is projected to grow to .52 billion by 2029.
Some forecasts estimate the broader antivirus and secure software market at .72 billion in 2025.
The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of around 6% from 2026 to 2035.
DataIntelo anticipates growth from .93 billion in 2023 to approximately .35 billion by 2032.
Gen Digital projects 2026 revenue between .70 billion and .80 billion.
North America commands a significant share of the antivirus market, holding approximately 48.3%.
The enterprise antivirus services market is monitored separately, although many forecasts remain proprietary.

Detection and Effectiveness Rates

In antivirus tests for Android devices (July 2025), various security apps demonstrated high detection rates with minimal false positives.
In independent real-world protection tests (Feb–Mar 2025 via AV-Comparatives), antivirus products faced 212 threat cases.
In select lab evaluations, Microsoft Defender and Norton achieved perfect scores of 100% across protection, performance, and usability.
Detection effectiveness in malware tests often surpasses 99% for leading antivirus products.
False positive rates vary considerably: some antivirus solutions generate zero false alarms, while others produce dozens monthly.
In certain comparative assessments, an antivirus solution captured over 99.95% of threats while flagging less than 0.01% of benign files.
Across platforms, detection rates tend to decline slightly on mobile and IoT devices compared to desktops, attributed to obfuscation and novel attack vectors.
Some adversarial malware techniques can enhance evasion success by approximately 15.9% against top antivirus solutions.
In cross-platform recall tests (Windows, macOS, and mobile), combined antivirus suites maintain detection rates exceeding 99.5% in most laboratory results.

Antivirus Market Share for Windows

Symantec leads the Windows antivirus market with a share of 13.81%.
AVAST Software a.s. captures 11.93%, reflecting strong user adoption.
ESET follows closely with a market share of 11.03%.
Cylance Inc. accounts for 8.73%, indicating its growing presence.
Webroot Inc. holds 8.28% of the market.
McAfee Inc. maintains a share of 7.8%, having fallen behind competitors.
Malwarebytes Corporation has a market share of 6.49%.
Bitdefender rounds out the list with a share of 6%.

Malware and Ransomware Trends

On a daily basis, approximately 560,000 new malware variants are identified globally.
There are over 1 billion malware samples documented across various databases and archives.
Ransomware attacks targeting Windows constitute around 93% of all enterprise ransomware incidents.
Supply chain attacks are rapidly increasing; it is expected that 45% of organizations will have experienced one by 2025, a staggering 300% rise since 2021.
Malware that evades antivirus detection increasingly employs fileless techniques, memory-resident code, and steganography.
The average ransom demanded in 2024-2025 varies widely, with many incidents falling between ,000 and 0,000.
Mobile malware, particularly banking trojans and spyware, is surging in regions with high mobile device adoption.
Multi-stage malware (dropper plus payload) is becoming more prevalent, necessitating antivirus solutions to detect both stages to thwart attacks.
Malware families are evolving rapidly, and many antivirus vendors receive new threat samples within minutes of their discovery via cloud-sharing networks.

Mobile Antivirus Statistics

In 2024, 17% of U.S. adults reported using antivirus software on their mobile phones.
In the same survey, the split between free and paid antivirus usage showed approximately 27% using free solutions and 73% opting for paid third-party antivirus.
In AV-Comparatives’ Mobile Security Review 2025, both built-in and third-party applications were assessed for malware protection, battery consumption, and usability.
Top-ranking mobile antivirus apps often include features such as anti-phishing, web filters, SMS scanning, and app privacy protections.
In July 2025, 14 Android security applications were evaluated for their default settings protection.
Detection rates varied, with some mobile antivirus solutions capturing over 99% of known malware in tests, while others struggled with zero-day threats.
False positives in mobile antivirus evaluations are generally lower than those in desktop antivirus tests, though misclassification of legitimate apps still occurs.
Users frequently disable antivirus features due to complaints about battery drain or performance slowdowns.
Some mobile antivirus suites bundle additional services such as VPN, safe browsing, or identity protection to enhance perceived value.

Antivirus Feature Adoption

Among users of commercial antivirus software, 74% reported encountering malware or a virus within the past year.
75% of users believe their antivirus software effectively keeps them safe.
Identity theft prevention is cited by approximately 24% of users as a primary motivator for using antivirus software.
About 40% of individuals without antivirus software express willingness to install it.

Free vs Paid Antivirus Programs

Among third-party antivirus users, approximately 27% rely on free products, while 73% choose paid versions.
Free antivirus solutions typically offer basic features such as signature scanning and a fundamental firewall but lack advanced modules like behavioral protection and sandboxing.
Users of paid antivirus software are more likely to benefit from support, frequent updates, and cloud-based detection layers.
Free antivirus adoption is more prevalent in price-sensitive markets or among casual users.
Paid antivirus suites often report higher retention rates, frequently exceeding 60%, due to bundled offerings (VPN, password manager, backup).
Some vendors employ “freemium” models, providing core protection for free while charging for additional features.
In enterprise trials, many users transition from free to paid solutions after the initial evaluation period.
Free antivirus programs tend to lag slightly in detecting newly emerging threats compared to paid options, due to delayed updates or limited cloud access.
Typically, paid antivirus licenses range from to per year for home users, depending on the number of devices covered.
As free antivirus solutions sometimes monetize through data collection, users must consider privacy trade-offs when choosing between free and paid options.

Enterprise Antivirus Adoption Trends

The enterprise antivirus and endpoint protection market is poised for significant growth in the coming years.
One estimate values enterprise antivirus services revenue at approximately .0 billion in 2024, with projections reaching .0 billion by 2033.
Many organizations are adopting zero-trust frameworks, integrating endpoint protection (antivirus) as a critical control measure. The zero-trust market itself is projected to be valued at .37 billion in 2025.
By 2025, around 45% of organizations are expected to have been affected by a software supply chain attack, further driving enterprise antivirus adoption.
Enterprises increasingly favor antivirus solutions that incorporate built-in EDR, XDR, or SIEM integration, rather than standalone antivirus products.
Cloud-native endpoint protection is gaining traction, allowing centralized policy management and instant updates across distributed locations.
Some antivirus vendors now license based on “endpoint instances” (agent plus microservice) rather than by physical device count.
Large enterprises often negotiate multi-year contracts to secure pricing and support.
In sectors such as finance, healthcare, and critical infrastructure, antivirus adoption is nearly universal due to compliance requirements (e.g., HIPAA, PCI DSS).
Some large organizations are considering developing their own detection tools (threat hunting, internal machine learning) while still relying on commercial antivirus for foundational protection.

Regional Antivirus Statistics

In China, it is estimated that nearly 47% of PCs are infected at any given time, indicating widespread vulnerabilities.
Iran leads in mobile malware infections, with approximately 30.3% of smartphones compromised.
In Q1 2025, Kaspersky products blocked over 629 million online attacks globally.
During the same period, Kaspersky’s Web Anti-Virus module detected more than 88 million unique malicious URLs.
North America is projected to hold approximately 48.3% of the global antivirus market share.
Europe’s market is bolstered by regulations (GDPR, NIS2), resulting in solid growth in antivirus adoption.
The Asia Pacific region is experiencing rapid growth due to digitalization, IoT expansion, and heightened cyber awareness.
Latin America, along with the Middle East and Africa, is gradually increasing its antivirus uptake, driven by rising awareness and lower per-device pricing.

IoT and New Threat Trends

In Q1 2025, IoT devices became increasingly targeted, with significant rises in attacks against embedded and networked devices.
Unpatched firmware is responsible for approximately 60% of IoT breaches.
Attacks on medical IoT devices surged by 123% year-over-year in recent statistics.
Botnets formed from compromised IoT devices account for around 35% of all DDoS attacks.
Many IoT devices are shipped with default passwords, with over 20% remaining unchanged by users.
The average cost of an IoT security failure incident is approximately 0,000.
On average, each IoT breach results in about 6.5 hours of downtime.
Attackers are increasingly exploiting the expansion of IPv6, as its adoption grows, making device discovery via IPv6 an emerging attack vector.
New malware is utilizing side-channel and sensor manipulation techniques to evade traditional antivirus models on IoT devices.

Antivirus Subscription and Pricing Data

Typical antivirus subscriptions range from to 0 per year, depending on device coverage and features.
Entry-level antivirus solutions with standard features are often priced under .
Premium antivirus suites, which include additional modules (VPN, identity protection), can exceed 0 per year.
Many vendors offer multi-device bundles (3, 5, 10 devices) to enhance value for users.
Renewal prices frequently increase by 20–50% compared to initial pricing.
Some antivirus services adopt tiered or modular pricing structures (core plus add-ons).
Freemium models commonly upsell to paid tiers after trial periods.
In developed markets, the uptake of paid antivirus solutions is higher; in price-sensitive regions, users tend to prefer free or lighter editions.
Bundling with other security tools (e.g., VPN, firewall) often helps vendors justify higher-tier pricing.

Recommendations and Insights

Home users should prioritize antivirus products that offer real-time detection, lightweight performance, and regular updates.
Mobile users are advised to select solutions that provide anti-phishing, app scanning, SMS scanning, and minimal battery impact.
Enterprises should opt for antivirus solutions that integrate with EDR, SIEM, and zero-trust frameworks.
In price-sensitive regions, consider offering modular upgrade paths rather than comprehensive bundles.
For environments rich in IoT devices, segment devices and apply lightweight agent or network-based antivirus protections.
Incorporate fallback and rollback mechanisms to recover from false alarms or update failures.
Monitor renewal processes closely, as vendors often increase pricing after the first year.
For product teams, assess feature adoption (usage rates, retention, drop-off) to refine upgrade priorities.
Educate users on the importance of firmware and software patching, as unpatched systems remain significant attack vectors.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the market size of the global antivirus software industry in 2025? It is projected to reach approximately .72 billion.
What is the expected CAGR for the antivirus software market between 2026 and 2035? Approximately 6.0% annually.
How many Americans currently use third-party antivirus software? Around 121 million U.S. adults.
What percentage of users believe antivirus protection is effective? 75% of respondents report that it keeps them safe.
What CAGR is projected for the business (enterprise) antivirus market from 2025 to 2032? Forecasted at around 10.1% CAGR.

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