In 2024, the number of data compromises in the United States stood at 3,158 cases. Meanwhile, over 1.35 billion individuals were affected in the same year by data compromises, including data breaches, leakage, and exposure. While these are three different events, they have one thing in common. As a result of all three incidents, the sensitive data is accessed by an unauthorized threat actor. Industries most vulnerable to data breaches Some industry sectors usually see more significant cases of private data violations than others. This is determined by the type and volume of the personal information organizations of these sectors store. In 2024 the financial services, healthcare, and professional services were the three industry sectors that recorded most data breaches. Overall, the number of healthcare data breaches in some industry sectors in the United States has gradually increased within the past few years. However, some sectors saw decrease. Largest data exposures worldwide In 2020, an adult streaming website, CAM4, experienced a leakage of nearly 11 billion records. This, by far, is the most extensive reported data leakage. This case, though, is unique because cyber security researchers found the vulnerability before the cyber criminals. The second-largest data breach is the Yahoo data breach, dating back to 2013. The company first reported about one billion exposed records, then later, in 2017, came up with an updated number of leaked records, which was three billion. In March 2018, the third biggest data breach happened, involving India’s national identification database Aadhaar. As a result of this incident, over 1.1 billion records were exposed.

During the second quarter of 2025, data breaches exposed more than ** million records worldwide. Since the first quarter of 2020, the highest number of data records were exposed in the third quarter of ****, more than *** billion data sets. Data breaches remain among the biggest concerns of company leaders worldwide. The most common causes of sensitive information loss were operating system vulnerabilities on endpoint devices. Which industries see the most data breaches? Meanwhile, certain conditions make some industry sectors more prone to data breaches than others. According to the latest observations, the public administration experienced the highest number of data breaches between 2021 and 2022. The industry saw *** reported data breach incidents with confirmed data loss. The second were financial institutions, with *** data breach cases, followed by healthcare providers. Data breach cost Data breach incidents have various consequences, the most common impact being financial losses and business disruptions. As of 2023, the average data breach cost across businesses worldwide was **** million U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, a leaked data record cost about *** U.S. dollars. The United States saw the highest average breach cost globally, at **** million U.S. dollars.

It started with a strange email. The kind you usually ignore. But for one midsize healthcare firm in Ohio, clicking that link changed everything. Within hours, sensitive patient records were encrypted, and hackers demanded payment in cryptocurrency. By the time IT figured out the breach, over 1.4 million records were...

As of 2025, the mean number of days to identify the data breaches was *** days, six days faster than in the previous year. The mean time companies needed to contain the breaches in the measured year was ** days. In comparison, in 2021, it took organizations *** days to identify and ** days to address the data breaches.

Introduction

Data Breaches Statistics: In recent years, data breaches have emerged as a major threat to both businesses and individuals. As the digital world grows, the frequency, scale, and impact of these breaches have surged, resulting in significant financial, reputational, and legal repercussions for organizations. The number of data breaches hit record highs, compromising millions of sensitive records.

This increase can be attributed to several factors, including rising cybercrime, inadequate data security practices, and the growing sophistication of hacking techniques. Data from cybersecurity experts reveal a notable rise in breaches within the healthcare, financial, and retail industries.

As the fallout from these breaches intensifies, it has become increasingly important for both businesses and consumers to understand the trends and scope of these incidents. This introduction will explore the latest statistics and developments, offering insights into the evolving landscape of data breaches and their wide-reaching effects.

As of June 2025, the most significant data breach incident in the United States was the Yahoo data breach that dates back to 2013-2016. Impacting over three billion online users, this incident still remains one of the most significant data breaches worldwide. The second-biggest case was the January 2021 data breach at Microsoft, involving about 30 thousand companies in the United States and around 60 thousand companies around the world.

Pay attention to the following cybersecurity statistics to learn how to protect yourself from attacks.

The largest reported data leakage as of January 2025 was the Cam4 data breach in March 2020, which exposed more than 10 billion data records. The second-largest data breach in history so far, the Yahoo data breach, occurred in 2013. The company initially reported about one billion exposed data records, but after an investigation, the company updated the number, revealing that three billion accounts were affected. The National Public Data Breach was announced in August 2024. The incident became public when personally identifiable information of individuals became available for sale on the dark web. Overall, the security professionals estimate the leakage of nearly three billion personal records. The next significant data leakage was the March 2018 security breach of India's national ID database, Aadhaar, with over 1.1 billion records exposed. This included biometric information such as identification numbers and fingerprint scans, which could be used to open bank accounts and receive financial aid, among other government services.

Cybercrime - the dark side of digitalization As the world continues its journey into the digital age, corporations and governments across the globe have been increasing their reliance on technology to collect, analyze and store personal data. This, in turn, has led to a rise in the number of cyber crimes, ranging from minor breaches to global-scale attacks impacting billions of users – such as in the case of Yahoo. Within the U.S. alone, 1802 cases of data compromise were reported in 2022. This was a marked increase from the 447 cases reported a decade prior. The high price of data protection As of 2022, the average cost of a single data breach across all industries worldwide stood at around 4.35 million U.S. dollars. This was found to be most costly in the healthcare sector, with each leak reported to have cost the affected party a hefty 10.1 million U.S. dollars. The financial segment followed closely behind. Here, each breach resulted in a loss of approximately 6 million U.S. dollars - 1.5 million more than the global average.

Washington law requires entities impacted by a data breach to notify the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) when more than 500 Washingtonians personal information was compromised as a result of the breach. This dataset breaks out the individual types of breached personal information that were identified in each notice our office received. This data is used to produce the AGO’s Annual Data Breach Report. For additional statistics relating to data breaches, also see the main dataset at: https://data.wa.gov/Consumer-Protection/Data-Breach-Notifications-Affecting-Washington-Res/sb4j-ca4h.

Between January and November 2023, California was the U.S. state with the highest number of reported data breach incidents targeting the government. In the measured period, the government agencies saw 16 cases of data breaches. Texas ranked second, with eight incidents. Overall, 137 cases of government data breaches were recorded in the United States.

Between January and September 2024, healthcare organizations in the United States saw 491 large-scale data breaches, resulting in the loss of over 500 records. This figure has increased significantly in the last decade. To date, the highest number of large-scale data breaches in the U.S. healthcare sector was recorded in 2023, with a reported 745 cases.

As of January 2025, the most significant data breach incident in the United Kingdom (UK) was the 2017-2018 Dixons Carphone breach. As a result of this incident, 14 million user records were affected, and 5.6 million payment card information was exposed. The Equifax data breach between 2011 and 2016 impacted over 15 million customers nationwide.

In the early hours of January 3, 2025, a mid-sized financial firm in Ohio discovered something chilling: over 1.2 terabytes of client data had been quietly siphoned off over the holidays. The attackers left no ransom demand, no calling card, just a system-wide silence and a massive void in customer...

Between March 2024 and February 2025, the highest average cost of a data breach, nearly 7.42 million U.S. dollars, was detected in the healthcare industry. The financial sector ranked second, with 5.56 million U.S. dollars on average per breach. The global average data breach cost in the measured period was 4.44 million U.S. dollars. Data breaches in the public sector cost relatively lower, an average of 2.86 million U.S. dollars during the measured period.

Introduction

Data Privacy Statistics: As the digital landscape continues to evolve, data privacy has become a paramount concern for individuals, organizations, and governments alike. The increase in cyber threats, coupled with the growing volume of personal and sensitive data being generated, has made safeguarding this information more critical than ever.

Data privacy statistics are essential for gaining a deeper understanding of current privacy practices, consumer perceptions, and the regulatory environment. These figures provide important insights into how businesses are addressing data protection challenges, the effectiveness of privacy regulations such as GDPR, and the public's view on data security.

With incidents of data breaches and privacy violations on the rise, organizations face mounting pressure to implement robust security measures. By examining the latest data privacy statistics, we can better evaluate the risks, the advancements being made in data protection, and the influence of emerging technologies like AI and big data on privacy standards.

Introduction

Cybercrime Statistics: Cybercrime statistics provide crucial insights into the escalating risks within the digital landscape, highlighting the frequency, scale, and financial consequences of cybercriminal activities. As digital interactions continue to grow, cybercrime has expanded across multiple sectors, including finance, healthcare, and government.

These statistics shed light on the various types of cyberattacks, such as phishing, ransomware, and data breaches, and the increasingly advanced techniques used by criminals, offering a deeper understanding of the security challenges faced by both businesses and individuals. Analyzing these statistics is essential for shaping effective cybersecurity strategies, guiding investments in protective technologies, and addressing the broader economic and societal effects of cybercrime.

As of January 2025, the most significant data privacy violation fine worldwide was for social media giant Meta. In May 2023, the Data Protection Commission (DPC) of Ireland decided to fine the company with 1.2 billion euros or 1.3 billion U.S. dollars. The Chinese vehicle-for rent company Didi Global ranked second. In July 2022, China's data privacy regulator fined the company 8.026 billion Chinese yuan, or 1.19 billion U.S. dollars. The 2021 Amazon fine issued by Luxembourg's data privacy regulation authorities was 877 million U.S. dollars and was the third-biggest data breach fine as of the measured month. The 2019 fine of 575 million U.S. dollars to Equifax followed. In this incident, because of unpatched vulnerabilities, nearly 150 million people were affected, which caused the American consumer credit reporting agency to pay at least 575 million U.S. dollars.