Torrenting and online piracy are hot topics right now, with a lot of conflicting information flying around. At its core, torrenting relies on peers rather than centralized servers, which is why it’s often seen as a more democratic way to download large files. Despite this, it remains strongly associated with piracy and essentially hurts artists, creators, publishers, and the entire media industry. In fact, torrenting statistics reveal that 24% of the global bandwidth is used to illegally download copyrighted materials which not only results in lost revenue but also jobs. To help you make better decisions about torrenting, we’ve compiled a list of the most impactful and surprising statistics. Check them out!
Torrenting Statistics 101
- The first popular torrent site was The Pirate Bay.
- BitTorrent protocols account for 40% of the entire internet traffic.
- Torrent downloads saw an increase of 33% during COVID-19.
- With 31% torrenting is the most common method of illegally downloading ebooks.
- Torrents currently account for a little under 7% of music piracy worldwide.
- 30% of Millennials used torrents to watch movies or TV shows illegally.
Facts & Statistics on Torrenting
1. Torrenting started in April 2001.
The story began with a person named Bram Cohen at the University of Buffalo. Cohen was tired of how slow it was to download large files, so he came up with a new way to do it. His protocol, BitTorrent, allowed people to share small bits of a file with each other until the entire file was downloaded. In reality, when it comes to torrenting vs downloading and how each works, the former uses multiple servers (seeders) to download a file while the latter relies on a single server.
2. “Fanimatrix” is the oldest active torrent file.
What started out as a way to download files faster created a solution or, rather, a legitimate way for filmmakers to distribute their work. In fact, the first torrent file to ever be widely distributed was a fan-made Matrix movie called “Fanimatrix”. What’s more, torrenting statistics reveal that 70,000 people downloaded this file in the first week alone. The film is still available to download via BitTorrent and is considered the oldest active torrent file.
3. The first popular torrent site was The Pirate Bay.
The Pirate Bay is a Swedish website that enables users to search for and download files. It was launched in 2003 by Piratbyrån (“Bureau of Piracy”), a Swedish anti-copyright group, in an attempt to express their rebellion against the then-current state of file sharing. The site quickly became one of the most popular torrent sites, and despite many attempts to shut it down, it’s still fully operational and receives over 9 million visitors per day.
4. The number of BitTorrent installations has surpassed two billion.
BitTorrent was created almost 20 years ago with a vision to decentralize file transfer. Today, it’s not just a leader in P2P protocols and owner of µTorrent but also celebrates an incredible number of two billion installations across Windows, Mac, and Android devices worldwide. Statistics on torrenting further reveal that BitTorrent has over 90 million active users driving 22% of upstream and 3% of downstream traffic across the world.
5. BitTorrent protocols account for 40% of the entire internet traffic.
According to torrenting statistics by BitTorrent Inc., the company’s clients and protocols are responsible for around 40% of all internet traffic. This is an incredible number that only seems to be growing as more and more people turn to torrenting to download their favorite content. What’s more, in 2018, BitTorrent ventured into a strategic partnership with TRON creating the world’s largest decentralized ecosystem.
6. YTS.mx is currently the most popular torrenting site.
Formerly known as just YTS or YIFY group, this torrenting site was shut down a while ago and forced to hand over user data. However, it quickly resurfaced under a new domain, YTS.mx. The site is now the most popular torrenting site and is followed by The Pirate Bay and 1337x, which continue to provide users with a great selection of fresh torrents.
7. Torrent downloads saw an increase of 33% during COVID-19.
In March 2020, when the pandemic started, internet traffic and usage in general increased significantly as people were suddenly forced to stay indoors. This is also reflected in the statistics on torrenting, which show a 33% increase in daily downloads during that time. For comparison, before COVID, torrent downloads amounted to around 12 million a day, a number that spiked in just one month to over 16 million. Peer count also noted a jump reaching 26 million during the daily peak.
Torrenting vs Pirating by the Numbers
8. 24% of the global internet is used for online piracy.
And although this doesn’t directly concern statistics on torrenting, considering the fact that torrenting is one of the most popular ways to pirate content, it’s safe to say that a good chunk of this number is made up of people who engage in illegal downloading. What’s more, data says that 59% of people know that such activities are deemed illegal but continue to do it anyway.
9. Torrents currently account for a little under 7% of music piracy worldwide.
And while everyone thinks services like Spotify and YouTube have helped fight music piracy, reality shows it’s pretty much alive as music torrenting statistics reveal that 6.7% of pirated music has been downloaded via torrents. The more interesting finding, however, is that when it comes to torrenting vs streaming, the former wins. 33.6% of global music piracy is a result of unlicensed streaming, while 31.2% is made up of stream-ripping sites indicating that, despite popular opinion that streaming would kill off piracy, in a way, it made it worse.
10. At 31%, torrenting is the most common method of illegally downloading ebooks.
A little over one-third of readers worldwide prefer to download ebooks for free from public sites such as The Pirate Bay. At the same time, another 31% have no problem paying a fee to acquire them from public, open cyberlocker sites. However, the interesting part is that 30% of readers share their ebooks via email or flash drive with their friends making them indirectly responsible for copyright infringement.
11. TV shows are the most pirated content.
As per the latest statistics on torrenting, at 49.4%, TV shows are the most pirated content on the web. 9.1% of Game of Thrones alone was illegally distributed via torrent downloads. Movies come second with 17.1%, followed by music with 16% and books with 11.2%. The least targeted item for copyright infringement is software which accounts for only 6.2% of illegal downloads.
Torrenting in the USA and Other Countries
12. 30% of Millennials used torrents to watch movies or TV shows illegally.
Even though there are no recent statistics on torrenting in the US by age group, in 2017—back when illegal file sharing was “trendy”—Millennials were leading the pack as 30% had admitted to torrenting files illegally. The main reason for doing so, according to 55% of them, was that it’s free of charge, while another 35% said they didn’t have the patience to wait for the movie to be available on streaming platforms. What’s more, over 93% felt no guilt or remorse for their actions.
13. Torrenting makes up 20% of film piracy in the US.
Statistics on torrenting in the US indicate that two out of ten pirated movies are downloaded via torrents. This might not seem like a lot, but when taking into account how many movies are actually released each year, it’s a pretty significant number. What’s more, between 230,000 and 560,000 jobs are lost due to digital video piracy per year. The percentage of torrented TV shows is lower and amounts to 5%.
14. A little over 10% of BitTorrent traffic comes from the US.
With file sharing and hosting being the number one reason for traffic share, the US (10.09%) and India (8.92%) are leaders as countries that send the most traffic to BitTorrent. Russia ranks third with 6.24% of traffic sent, while Brazil and the UK follow.
15. The largest illegal BitTorrent downloading case in United States history involved over 23,000 people.
In 2011, the US Copyright Group was allowed to subpoena internet service providers to give the names of 23,322 IP address holders who had allegedly infringed Silvester Stalone’s movie “The Expendables”. This, according to US cease and desist torrenting statistics, would become known as the biggest copyright infringement case involving BitTorrent downloads. During the same period, the US Copyright Group was on a rampage targeting more than 140,000 BitTorrent users for violating the copyrights of various movies.
Torrenting in Summation
Many believed that the rise of online streaming services would eventually “kill” illegal torrenting. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case, as the latest torrenting statistics, especially reports dated from the time of the pandemic, prove illegal torrenting is still going strong.
Torrenting FAQs
What is torrenting, and how does it work?
Torrenting is a type of file sharing that allows users to share large files by breaking them down into small pieces. In order to torrent files, users need to have a BitTorrent client installed on their computer. With torrenting, users don’t download files to a central server. Instead, they download them from other devices connected to the same network.
Will torrenting get you in trouble?
Torrenting itself is not illegal, but the content downloaded and shared might make it illegal. For instance, if you’re downloading a pirated movie or song, under the laws of some countries, you are committing a crime. And so, copyright infringement in the US is considered a civil offense and could result in $200 to $150,000 for each work infringed, while in the UK, it’s a serious criminal offense and might get you up to 10 years in prison plus an unlimited fine.
What are the chances of getting caught torrenting?
The chances of getting caught torrenting depend on a number of factors, including the country you live in, the service you’re using, and the amount of traffic you generate. In general, however, the chances of getting caught are relatively low, and if you do get caught, you’d probably end up with a warning from your ISP.
Is torrenting safe with a VPN?
Many ISPs and network managers, especially in countries like the US and Russia, block BitTorrent traffic. In these cases, torrenting without a VPN means you won’t be able to access torrent files. By using a VPN for torrenting, however, you will encrypt your traffic and mask your IP address, thus making it impossible for your ISP or anyone else to see what you’re doing online.
Are torrented games safe?
No, torrented games can be dangerous. Cracked games often have harmful viruses, and it is also illegal to download them. If you get caught downloading from a torrent site, you may face charges.
Is torrenting illegal in the USA?
It is a criminal offense to download and share copyrighted material in the United States. The governing laws concerning torrenting and P2P activity are: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which handles sites hosting illegal torrents, as well as uploaders of copyrighted contents.
Are torrented movies legal?
Using clients like BitTorrent is not illegal, as even Facebook uses it to distribute updates to its servers, and there are movies that can be legally downloaded to your computer. So as we’ve mentioned in our list of torrenting statistics and facts, torrenting unsanctioned files is illegal so before you venture into downloading movies, make sure your file of choice is not pirated.
Sources: University of Waterloo, Torrent Freak, Britannica, Business Wire, BitTorrent Inc., Torrent Freak, Torrent Freak, Go-Globe, MUSO, Statista, Statista, Torrent Freak, Global Innovation Policy Center, Similarweb, Wired, ProPrivacy
