During the first quarter of 2026, data breaches exposed more than ***Ìýmillion records worldwide. Since the first quarter of 2020, the highest number of data records were exposed in the third quarter of 2024, at **** billion data sets.
Data breaches remain among theÌýbiggest 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, manufacturing experienced theÌýhighest number of data breaches from November 2023 to October 2024. It was followed by healthcare.
Data breach cost
Data breach incidents have various consequences, the most common impact being financial losses and business disruptions. As of 2025, the average data breach cost across businesses worldwide was ****Ìýmillion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, a leaked data record costÌý***ÌýU.S. dollars. The United States saw the highest average breach cost globally.
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SurfShark. (April 21, 2026). Number of user accounts exposed worldwide from 1st quarter 2020 to 1st quarter 2026 (in millions) [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved July 24, 2026, from /statistics/1307426/number-of-data-breaches-worldwide/
SurfShark. "Number of user accounts exposed worldwide from 1st quarter 2020 to 1st quarter 2026 (in millions)." Chart. April 21, 2026. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed July 24, 2026. /statistics/1307426/number-of-data-breaches-worldwide/
SurfShark. (2026). Number of user accounts exposed worldwide from 1st quarter 2020 to 1st quarter 2026 (in millions). ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 24, 2026. /statistics/1307426/number-of-data-breaches-worldwide/
SurfShark. "Number of User Accounts Exposed Worldwide from 1st Quarter 2020 to 1st Quarter 2026 (in Millions)." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 21 Apr 2026, /statistics/1307426/number-of-data-breaches-worldwide/
SurfShark, Number of user accounts exposed worldwide from 1st quarter 2020 to 1st quarter 2026 (in millions) ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/1307426/number-of-data-breaches-worldwide/ (last visited July 24, 2026)
Number of user accounts exposed worldwide from 1st quarter 2020 to 1st quarter 2026 (in millions) [Graph], SurfShark, April 21, 2026. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1307426/number-of-data-breaches-worldwide/
