Ransomware now accounts for 48% of all data breaches globally, the highest share on record, according to the Verizon 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report. Our research team tracked over 3,200 confirmed incidents across North American businesses to produce the year-by-year data compiled below.
Key Takeaways
- Ransomware payment rates peaked at 85% in 2021 and fell to a record low of 28–31% in 2025, marking the longest sustained decline on record
- Encryption-only attacks dropped from 45% of all incidents in 2022 to just 8% in 2025 as multi-layered extortion became the standard
- Qilin's market share surged 225%, from 4% in 2024 to 13% in 2025, making it the most active threat group of the year
- Government agencies face the highest attack rate at 68% yet post the lowest payment rate at 34%, the widest resistance gap of any tracked industry
- U.S. organizations recover from attacks 68% of the time, trailing Germany's 79% rate, the highest recovery success of any country tracked
Ransomware Attack Volume and Payment Trends (2020-2025)
Ransomware attack volume increased by 58% in 2025 while payment rates dropped to a record low of 28%-31%, per the Verizon 2026 DBIR and Chainalysis. The data below tracks this evolving financial landscape from 2020 through 2025.
| Year | Attack Volume | Avg. Ransom Demand | Mean Payment | Payment Rate | Total Economic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 304 million attempts | $312,000 | $78,000 | 76% | $20 billion |
| 2021 | 623 million attempts | $570,000 | $140,000 | 85% | $57 billion |
| 2022 | 493 million attempts | $812,000 | $200,000 | 68% | $42 billion |
| 2023 | 4,000 daily attacks | $1.85 million | $400,000 | 59% | $75 billion |
| 2024 | 4,400 daily attacks | $2.73 million | $2.0 million | 49% | $91 billion |
| 2025 | 8,159+ confirmed victims | $1.32 million | $1.0 million | 28–31% | $80B+ |
Key insights:
- Claimed ransomware victims surged 58% in 2025, reaching 8,159 organizations listed on public leak sites, the most active year on record.
- Payment rates fell to a record low of 28% to 31%, down from 49% in 2024, as mean ransom demands dropped from $2.73 million to $1.32 million, reflecting stronger organizational resistance across the ecosystem.
Top Ransomware Families by Market Share and Activity
IBM's X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2026 identified 109 active ransomware groups in 2025, a 49% year-over-year increase, as law enforcement disruptions splintered major operations. The data below tracks how market share shifted across the most significant threat actors.
| Group | 2024 Market Share | 2025 Market Share | Change | Avg. Dwell Time | Payment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qilin | 4% | 13% | +225% | 10 days | 79% |
| Cl0p | 5% | 11% | +120% | 7 days | 64% |
| Akira | 11% | 10% | -9% | 16 days | 85% |
| INC Ransom | 4% | 8% | +100% | 14 days | 82% |
| Play/Playcrypt | 6% | 7% | +17% | 19 days | 87% |
| RansomHub | 8% | 3% | -63% | 14 days | 82% |
| LockBit | 8% | 2% | -75% | 22 days | 44% |
| DragonForce | 2% | 5% | +150% | 11 days | 76% |
| Fog | 11% | 4% | -64% | 12 days | 72% |
| Independent/Emerging | 41% | 37% | -10% | 28 days | 58% |
Key insights:
- With 109 active groups and no single actor exceeding 13% market share, the 2025 ecosystem reached its most fragmented state, compared with LockBit's 34% dominance in 2023.
- Qilin became the most prolific group after RansomHub's April 2025 suspension, while Cl0p's Oracle zero-day campaigns simultaneously impacted hundreds of organizations.
Industry Impact Analysis and Cost Breakdown
Manufacturing became the most targeted sector in 2025, accounting for 28.9% of all victims on public leak sites, while healthcare continues to carry the highest ransom demands at $7.0 million on average. The table below breaks down attack rates and total financial impact across major industries.
| Industry | % Hit by Ransomware | % Who Paid | Avg. Ransom Demand | Recovery Cost | Total Avg. Impact | Backup Compromise Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 67% | 53% | $7.0 million | $2.57 million | $10.93 million | 66% |
| Manufacturing | 65% | 62% | $1.2 million | $4.1 million | $8.7 million | 58% |
| Education (K-12) | 63% | 55% | $6.6 million | $3.76 million | $14.2 million | 71% |
| Financial Services | 65% | 51% | $2.0 million | $3.9 million | $5.9 million | 49% |
| Government | 68% | 34% | $2.3 million | $2.83 million | $9.4 million | 72% |
| Retail | 58% | 47% | $2.73 million | $2.1 million | $4.8 million | 52% |
| Legal/Professional | 55% | 44% | $890,000 | $1.8 million | $3.2 million | 43% |
Key insights:
- The education sector has the highest total incident costs, averaging $14.2 million, driven by limited recovery options and K-12 median ransom demands of $6.6 million.
- Healthcare's average ransom demand reached $7.0 million in 2025, while a 66% backup compromise rate forces victims to make payment decisions based on patient safety rather than financial calculations.
Extortion Method Evolution and Success Rates
Double extortion now appears in 87.6% of all ransomware claims per Travelers Insurance, establishing multi-layered tactics as the clear standard across the threat ecosystem. Our analysis below tracks how these methods have evolved since 2022.
| Method | 2022 Usage | 2025 Usage | Success Rate | Premium vs. Encryption Only | Risk Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Encryption Only | 45% | 8% | 28% | Baseline | Low |
| Double Extortion | 48% | 87.6% | 56% | +340% | High |
| Triple Extortion | 7% | 32% | 78% | +420% | Very High |
| Data Theft Only | 12% | 25% | 41% | +180% | Medium |
| Supply Chain Attack | 3% | 8% | 92% | +680% | Extreme |
| Living-off-the-Land | 23% | 47% | 64% | +290% | High |
Key insights:
- Double extortion now appears in 87.6% of all ransomware claims, generating payment premiums 340% higher than encryption-only approaches and marking its full maturation as the dominant attack model.
- Supply chain attacks achieve the highest success rate, at 92%, though only 8% of incidents use them due to greater execution complexity and heightened law enforcement attention.
Global Ransomware Impact and Recovery Analysis
The United States leads all countries in ransomware exposure, accounting for 36.2% of global victim claims per Bitsight's 2025–2026 tracking. The global distribution data below reveals how regional cybersecurity investment directly correlates with recovery outcomes.
| Region | % of Global Attacks | Avg. Ransom Demand | Recovery Success Rate | Prevention Investment | Annual Economic Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 36.2% | $2.8 million | 68% | High | $18.2 billion |
| Canada | 5.5% | $1.9 million | 72% | High | $3.1 billion |
| United Kingdom | 4.3% | $2.1 million | 74% | Very High | $4.8 billion |
| Germany | 2.8% | $1.6 million | 79% | High | $5.2 billion |
| Australia | 2.1% | $2.3 million | 71% | Medium | $2.1 billion |
| France | 2.2% | $1.8 million | 76% | High | $3.7 billion |
| Asia-Pacific | 11.0% | $1.4 million | 58% | Variable | $12.8 billion |
| Other Regions | 35.9% | $1.1 million | 52% | Low | $2.4 billion |
Key insights:
- The United States accounts for 36.2% of global ransomware victims, reflecting the scale and interconnectedness of its business infrastructure.
- European countries achieve recovery success rates ranging from 74% to 79%, reflecting coordinated cybersecurity frameworks and mandatory breach reporting requirements.
Securing Your Organization Against Tomorrow's Threats
The ransomware landscape of 2026 presents unprecedented challenges requiring proactive defense strategies and comprehensive incident response planning. Organizations must move beyond reactive approaches to build resilient infrastructure capable of withstanding sophisticated, multi-vector attacks.
Contact Total Assure today for a PDF copy of this report, to assess your current security posture, and develop a tailored defense strategy that protects your business from evolving ransomware threats. Our enterprise-grade security solutions provide the unrelenting protection your organization needs to operate confidently in an increasingly dangerous digital environment.
Further Reading
- Cyber Attack Statistics by Year: 2020–2025
- Average Cost of a Ransomware Attack in 2025
- How Often Do Ransomware Attacks Occur in 2026
- Manufacturing Cyber Attack Statistics 2026
- Average Ransomware Recovery Time 2025
Sources
Verizon 2026 Data Breach Investigations Report
- Chainalysis 2026 Crypto Crime Report: Ransomware
- IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2026
- Sophos State of Ransomware 2025
- Bitsight 2025–2026 Ransomware Statistics and Deep Web Threat Trends
- ORDR Healthcare Cybersecurity Statistics 2026 Report
- VikingCloud 46 Ransomware Statistics and Trends Report 2026
