The global Internet underwent major transformation in 2025, according to a new report released by Cloudflare, offering one of the most detailed snapshots yet of how digital behavior, security, and infrastructure evolved over the past year. The findings are particularly relevant for the MarTech ecosystem, where data driven decision making, AI adoption, and digital resilience increasingly depend on broader Internet performance and security conditions. Cloudflare’s sixth annual Year in Review outlines the defining Internet trends 2025, drawing from traffic observed across its expansive global network.
Cloudflare Inc., listed on the NYSE under NET, reported that global Internet traffic grew 19 percent year over year, reflecting deeper reliance on digital services across business, commerce, entertainment, and communication. The company also observed accelerated deployment of advanced AI capabilities, reshaping how content is created, accessed, and consumed online. At the same time, the infrastructure underpinning the Internet saw notable security milestones, including the expansion of post quantum encryption, which now protects 52 percent of all human Internet traffic.
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However, this growth also coincided with heightened risk. Cloudflare recorded more than 25 record breaking distributed denial of service attacks in 2025, signaling a sharp escalation in cyber warfare tactics. The data shows that while Internet resilience has improved in some areas, threat actors are becoming more sophisticated and aggressive in scale.
“The Internet is not just changing, it is being fundamentally rewired. From AI, to more creative and sophisticated threat actors, every day is different,” said Matthew Prince, CEO and co founder of Cloudflare. “While we celebrated several Internet milestones this year, we also blocked attacks that redefined what scale means, and witnessed the traditional business model of online content creation face stark challenges.”
The report also highlights shifts in online popularity and infrastructure stability. Google and Meta maintained their positions as the two most used Internet services globally for the fourth consecutive year, while ChatGPT retained the top ranking within generative AI platforms. Automated traffic also increased significantly, with Google’s web crawling bot emerging as the single largest source of AI related Internet activity.
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Security trends revealed a notable change in attacker focus. For the first time, civil society and non profit organizations became the most targeted sector, likely due to the sensitive nature and perceived value of their data. Infrastructure disruptions were increasingly driven by government actions, which accounted for nearly half of all major Internet outages worldwide. In contrast, outages caused by cable cuts declined sharply, while power related disruptions increased.
Performance metrics showed Europe leading globally in Internet speed and quality. Several European countries exceeded average download speeds of 200 Mbps, with Spain ranking highest overall. These connectivity improvements have direct implications for digital marketing performance, customer experience, and real time data activation.
All findings are based on insights from Cloudflare Radar, a free platform powered by anonymized data from Cloudflare’s global network spanning more than 330 cities in over 120 countries. As organizations interpret Internet trends 2025, the report provides critical context for marketers, technologists, and business leaders navigating AI adoption, security planning, and digital growth strategies.
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