Data · Updated monthly

Where Is Tor Blocked? Tor Censorship Tracker

Which countries block Tor right now, how many people still get through, and what works in each place. We track 18 countries every month using the Tor Project's own user statistics and network tests from OONI, the open internet-censorship observatory. This is the October 2026 edition.

By the Tor Browser Guide editors · Updated

Quick answer

The short version (October 2026)

Tor is blocked outright, so you need a bridge, in Russia, China, Belarus, Turkmenistan, and Egypt. It's partly blocked in Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar, Azerbaijan, and on some networks in the UAE and Uganda. Venezuela, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Saudi Arabia block the Tor Project's website, but the Tor network itself is usually reachable there. Russia has the most people connecting through bridges: about 90,000 a day.

Tor censorship by country: October 2026

Daily users are the Tor Project's estimates for September 8 – October 7, 2026, with the change from the 30 days before. “What works” follows the Tor Project's advice for each country. How we build this table.

Tor censorship status, daily Tor users, what works, and the key recent event in 18 countries, October 2026.
Country Status Tor users a day What works Key recent event
Russia Blocked: bridge needed 113,00079% via bridges · about the same as last month Snowflake, WebTunnel; obfs4 except on most mobile networks (how) Telegram blocked since Mar 20, 2026, cutting off the bridge bots; mobile “whitelists” stop Tor completely
China Blocked: bridge needed 5,00050% via bridges · +20% vs last month WebTunnel, then Snowflake; meek (slow) Reports of WebTunnel bridges blocked by IP (Mar 2026)
Belarus Blocked: bridge needed 64080% via bridges · −12% vs last month obfs4, WebTunnel, Snowflake Direct connections “almost completely blocked” (Tor support, July 2026)
Turkmenistan Blocked: bridge neededno OONI data 1,10050% via bridges · −10% vs last month Snowflake; obfs4 on little-known hosts Snowflake became Connection Assist's first choice (June 2025)
Egypt Blocked: bridge needed 11,0005% via bridges · +2% vs last month obfs4 bridges you request, then Snowflake Tor relays blocked since October 2016; bridges work
Iran Partly blockedbridge recommended 94,00024% via bridges · +11% vs last month WebTunnel, Snowflake, obfs4; nothing during shutdowns Near-total internet shutdown, Feb 28 – May 26, 2026
Pakistan Partly blockedOONI data only 13,0007% via bridges · −10% vs last month Direct often works; bridges if not Most Tor directory servers unreachable in OONI tests since late 2025
Myanmar Partly blocked 2,4003% via bridges · −18% vs last month WebTunnel, obfs4, Snowflake Cybersecurity Law restricts VPN providers (Jan 2025)
Azerbaijan Partly blockedOONI data only 1,5009% via bridges · −18% vs last month Bridges OONI Tor test failures rose from 8% to 97% (Jun – Aug 2025)
United Arab Emirates Partly blocked 12,0004% via bridges · +5% vs last month Direct on du; bridges on Etisalat (e&) Tor fails on Etisalat but works on du in OONI tests
Uganda Partly blockedlow confidence 11,0001% via bridges · about the same as last month Direct on MTN; bridges on Airtel Internet shutdown around the January 2026 election
Venezuela Website blocked only 8,7001% via bridges · −8% vs last month Direct; get Tor Browser via GetTor torproject.org blocked on CANTV and Movistar (OONI)
Kazakhstan Website blocked only 16,0002% via bridges · +15% vs last month Direct; get Tor Browser via GetTor torproject.org is on the government's published blocklist (2025)
Uzbekistan Website blocked only 15,0001% via bridges · +23% vs last month Direct; get Tor Browser via GetTor torproject.org failed in all 26 OONI tests this month
Saudi Arabia Website blocked only 12,0003% via bridges · +3% vs last month Direct; get Tor Browser via GetTor Tor and major VPN websites blocked (Freedom House)
Turkey No known blocking 40,0002% via bridges · −17% vs last month Direct connection A 2016 order banned Tor and VPNs, but OONI sees no blocking now
Vietnam No known blockingwatch 19,0002% via bridges · −24% vs last month Direct connection Some Tor failures on the VNPT network since early 2026
Ethiopia No known blockingshutdown risk 2,9001% via bridges · about the same as last month Direct connection Snowflake-blocking rules for Ethiopia found in leaked censorship-vendor files (Oct 2025)

How many people need a bridge?

When a country blocks direct connections, people switch to bridges. So the share of Tor users who connect through a bridge is a good sign of how hard Tor is blocked. For comparison, in the United States it's about 4%.

  • Belarus80% through bridges · 510 people a day
  • Russia79% through bridges · 90,000 people a day
  • Turkmenistan50% through bridges · 560 people a day
  • China50% through bridges · 2,500 people a day
  • Iran24% through bridges · 22,000 people a day
  • Azerbaijan9% through bridges · 140 people a day
  • Pakistan7% through bridges · 1,000 people a day
  • Egypt5% through bridges · 570 people a day
  • United States (for comparison)4% through bridges
Share of each country's daily Tor users who connect through bridges, September 8 – October 7, 2026. Source: Tor Metrics.

Key changes in 2025–2026

  • Belarus moved to “blocked”

    Direct connections to Tor were gradually cut off, and by July 2026 the Tor Project's support team reported them “almost completely blocked.” People in Belarus now need bridges.

  • Russia blocked Telegram

    Since March 20, 2026, many Russian providers block Telegram, which also cuts off the Tor Project's Telegram bots for bridges and support. During mobile internet “whitelists,” Tor can't connect at all. What still works in Russia.

  • Iran's longest shutdown

    After a 2.5-week shutdown in January 2026, Iran's internet was almost completely cut from February 28 to May 26, 2026, following US and Israeli military strikes. No Tor method works during a full shutdown.

  • China tightened again

    In October 2025, the CDN77 routes that Snowflake uses to make first contact stopped working after reports from China and Russia. In March 2026, users reported WebTunnel bridges being blocked by IP address.

  • Azerbaijan started failing

    In OONI's Tor test, failures in Azerbaijan jumped from 8% in June 2025 to 97% by August 2025, and they're still at that level.

  • Watch list: Vietnam

    Tor works on most Vietnamese networks, but tests on the VNPT network started failing in early 2026. We'll keep watching.

Next update: November 2026. Spotted something we missed? Email contact@theonionguide.com.

If Tor is blocked where you are

  • Start with a bridge

    Click “Try a Bridge” in Tor Browser, or follow our guide to fixing Tor when it won't connect and setting up bridges.

  • Can't download Tor Browser?

    Use GetTor, the Tor Project's official delivery service. Our installation guide explains how.

  • On Android

    The Tor Project's free Tor VPN app can route blocked apps through Tor, with bridges.

  • Blocked doesn't mean illegal

    A block is a technical measure, not a law. Whether using Tor is legal is a separate question: see Tor laws by country.

How we build this tracker

  • User numbers are estimates

    Tor Metrics doesn't count people directly. It counts how many times Tor clients in each country download the network directory and divides by 10, its estimate for an average user's daily requests (an always-on client makes about 15). So the numbers are estimates, not head counts. Bridge users are counted separately from direct users. A tor update in January 2026 fixed an issue that inflated direct-user numbers in censored countries, so older figures may look higher.

  • Status comes from tests plus reports

    We look at OONI's Tor and website tests for September 10 – October 10, 2026, then check the Tor Project's support pages, forum reports, and anti-censorship notes. OONI itself warns that an unusual test result “does not necessarily” mean censorship, so we compare every country with places that don't censor: OONI's Tor test fails about 2% of the time in Germany and the UK and 8% in the US. A country is “blocked” only when tests fail far above that and the Tor Project or a long record confirms it. Rows marked “OONI data only” have no Tor Project report yet.

  • Known gaps

    OONI tests are run by volunteers, so some countries have few measurements, and Turkmenistan has none. In Egypt, Tor Metrics has shown a rise in “direct” users since 2021 that the Tor Project calls unexplained, even though direct connections there are blocked.

Frequently asked questions

Which countries block Tor in 2026?

As of October 2026, Tor is blocked outright, so you need a bridge, in Russia, China, Belarus, Turkmenistan, and Egypt. It's partly blocked in Iran, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Azerbaijan, and on some networks in the UAE and Uganda. Venezuela, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Saudi Arabia block the Tor Project's website, but the Tor network itself is usually reachable there.

Is Tor blocked in Russia?

Yes. Russian providers have blocked direct connections since December 2021, so about 79% of Russia's roughly 113,000 daily Tor users connect through bridges. Snowflake and WebTunnel work best; obfs4 is blocked on most mobile networks, and during mobile internet “whitelists” nothing gets through.

Is Tor blocked in Iran?

Partly, and it changes fast. Iran's internet was almost completely shut down from February 28 to May 26, 2026, and no Tor method works during a full shutdown. Outside shutdowns, about 94,000 people a day connect from Iran, and WebTunnel and Snowflake bridges are the recommended options.

Is Tor blocked in China?

Yes. Direct connections fail in about 97% of OONI's Tor tests in China. The Tor Project recommends WebTunnel bridges first, then Snowflake, then meek, which is slow. Only about 5,000 people a day connect from China.

If Tor is blocked in a country, is it illegal to use?

Not necessarily. A block is a technical measure, not a law, and in many countries that block Tor, using it isn't specifically illegal. But the rules differ from country to country, so check Tor laws by country. This isn't legal advice.

Sources

We base this guide on official Tor Project documentation and independent sources. Links checked October 11, 2026.