ncerns about privacy spans from individuals concerned about their personal data to businesses trying to protect consumer data, which is why we have dug up several online data and internet privacy statistics for 2025 to help you.
It’s sometimes hard to understand the nuances of privacy, but you need to have some knowledge to help protect your personal information when you’re online.
This article will address internet privacy statistics from the global and some national statistics.
We will also discuss the most common types of privacy issues, and how companies can play a role in protecting you online.
It’s wise to be concerned about data privacy. Once you read these disconcerting data privacy statistics, you will understand why.
Key Internet Privacy Statistics 2025
- In 2019, nearly 50% of American internet users reported feeling concerned about digital privacy.
- Online privacy statistics show that the country most concerned with online privacy is Nigeria.
- In the first two quarters of 2020, people paid their bills, shopped online, and collected their benefits online.
- 47% of consumers claim they trust social media and online services to protect their data.
- Online privacy statistics reveal that 79% of Americans aren’t confident that companies will admit to misusing their data.
- 81% of American consumers don’t trust online shopping ads seen on their mobile phones.
- In the first half of 2020, Google got almost 40,000 requests for user data from law enforcement.
- According to U.S.invasion of privacy statistics, more than 164.68 million private records were breached in Q1 of 2020.
- Facebook is the company that knows the most about you, according to 2021 privacy statistics.
- 41% of global internet users are now disclosing less of their personal data online.
Global Online Data & Internet Privacy Statistics 2024
We’ll start with our findings about privacy statistics about the global community. This section will address data privacy concerns at the global level.
This information will show you that privacy concerns are not constrained to just a few countries.
It’s really a global issue that should be taken seriously, as it is in many nations.
1. Out of 194 Countries, 137 of Them Have Special Legislation and Laws Regarding Data Privacy.
It says a lot when 137 out of 194 countries have implemented legislation for the protection of privacy and data around the world.
This represents 71% of the world’s countries that have addressed the issue of data privacy.
Another 9% of countries have legislation in draft mode. In contrast, 15% of countries have not implemented any legislation and another 5% have no data regarding data privacy at all.
(UNCTAD)
2. In 2019, Nearly 50% of American Internet Users Reported Feeling Concerned About Digital Privacy.
There are more than 313 million American internet users. Over the past 20 years, instances of internet penetration have soared, leaving America’s digital footprints spreading across cyberspace.
Americans are aware that some level of privacy loss is inevitable, but roughly half of Americans said they were concerned about their privacy.
That figure is higher than in 2018. Another 40% of Americans say that they are concerned that their online data is being misused.
(Statista 1)
3. In 2021, Iceland Had 96 Index Points on The Freedom House Index.
Every country is assigned a numerical “score” rating from 100 (most free) to 0 (least free).
Regarding internet freedom across the globe, Iceland ranked number one in 2021, with 96 index points.
Estonia (94) has the second-most internet freedom in the world after Iceland.
In contrast to Iceland, China had 10 index points, and ranked at the very bottom of the scale. The United States managed to achieve a score of 75, as did Australia.
(Statista 2)
4. Privacy Statistics from 2019 Revealed that In India, 60% of Internet Users Were Familiar with Its Country’s Data Protection and Privacy Rules.
The second country on this list was Germany, at 59%. How did the United States stand up in this ranking?
It came in at number 19, at 33% of its population being aware of the nation’s privacy and data protection rules.
The only countries ranking lower than the U.S. were Australia (31%), Canada (26%), and Japan (16%).
After India and Germany, Egypt (57%), and Great Britain (57%) ranked at the top.
(Statista 3)
5. Online Privacy Statistics Show that The Country Most Concerned with Online Privacy Is Nigeria.
This data comes from 2019, and shows the share of internet users across the globe who are concerned about their online privacy.
After Nigeria, Egypt came in second, at 76%.
You might expect the U.S. to be high on the list, but in 2019, they came in 20th on the list, at 47% of its internet users being concerned about online privacy.
Germany (26th) was at the bottom of the list, at 26%.
(Statista 4)
6. In 2020, The Main Reason Internet Users in Japan Feel Insecure Is Due to The Leaking of Personal Data or Browser History.
A survey conducted in 2021 revealed data about Japan’s internet users’ insecurities about using the internet.
The results showed that 90.1% of Japan’s internet users felt insecure about their personal data or browser history being leaked.
Other reasons for feeling insecure that were significant included computer virus infection (62.7%), fraud or fake billing (54.1%), and spam (46%).
Internet addiction (2%), and communication issues with others (12%) were at the bottom of the reasons they feel insecure using the internet.
(Statista 5)
7. 45% of Global Internet Users Have Learned that Deleting Unwanted Emails Alone Is a Practical Security Measure.
After several years of spam, fraud, and malicious emails being spread around through email, people are finally catching on that deleting them without opening them prevents the spread of viruses and malware that can infect numerous emails across the world.
While this is great news, there are still 55% of the world’s internet users who click on spam or malicious email links or attachments, which is not so great news.
Because over half of the planet’s internet users are still unaware of how harmful these emails can be, the global community is still vulnerable to them.
(Norton)
8. In 2021, 71% of Global Internet Users Took at Least One Step to Protect Their Personal Data and Online Activities.
During the last two months (November to December) in 2021, 71% of the world’s internet users took action to protect their personal information and online actions.
The top actions taken included parental controls (33%), stricter device privacy settings (29%), disabled third-party browser cookies (26%), and turned on multi-factor authentication (6%).
In contrast, 29% of the global internet-using community did nothing.
(Statista 6)
9. A Global Survey in 2020 Showed that Roughly Half of The World’s Workers Were Working from Home, Increasing the Need for Online Security and Privacy.
From the worldwide survey, 45% of survey respondents worked from home.
Another survey revealed that 47% of businesses would be agreeable for workers to work remotely full-time.
Furthermore, 82% of businesses said they were agreeable to allowing some remote work along with on-site work.
These privacy statistics alone show why we all need to take more steps to protect ourselves online.
(Buffer,Gartner)
10. The First Two Quarters of 2020 People Paid Their Bills, Shopped Online, and Collected Their Benefits Online.
During the pandemic lockdowns in the first half of 2020, people were shifting their methods of paying bills, collecting benefits, and shopping to online.
A large uptake in e-commerce occurred as a result.
Also, 75% of people were using online sites and apps to book hotels, flights, and other travel and tourism accommodations.
All this shopping and reserving things online brought out the cybercriminals during this time.
(FBI Internet Crime Report 2020, 2020 Interpol Cybercrime Report)
United States Online Data & Internet Privacy Statistics 2025
After reading the global online privacy statistics, we will move on to statistics related specifically to the United States.
11. 47% of Consumers Claim They Trust Social Media and Online Services to Protect Their Data.
In the U.S., roughly 82% of the population has a social media account.
Of the 82% of social media users, only 47% say they trust online services and social media to protect their privacy and their data.
Of the 47%, 9% said they don’t trust social media very much at all.
Due to the mistrust of online services and social media, 41% of users create different passwords for each site.
(Deloitte, Statista 7)
12. 9% of Internet Users Claim that Privacy Is a Myth.
In a recent study in the U.S., survey participants were asked to explain online privacy.
Of these respondents, 14% said that online privacy is affiliated with control and the power to be selective about what aspects of their lives are seen by others.
Another 13% perceived it as something that prevents access to your personal information to others.
Of all these answers, 9% said online privacy is nothing but a myth.
(Web Tribunal)
13. 8 in 10 American Adults Claim They Get Asked to Agree to A Privacy Policy at Least Once a Month.
Another 25% claim that this happens almost daily. Of Americans who get the privacy agreement, 32% say they see one around once per week.
Only 22% of people read the company’s privacy policy before agreeing to its conditions. Only 9% always read it, while 13% read it often.
Another 38% maintain that sometimes they read privacy policies. However, a surprising 36% say they never read the company’s privacy policy before agreeing to it.
(Pew Research)
14. Online Privacy Statistics Reveal that 79% of Americans Aren’t Confident that Companies Will Admit to Misusing Their Data.
Personal data is something we as humans cherish. However, we must share it to gain access to online services, including access to social media platforms.
Banking, shopping, streaming, social, and all sorts of sites require at least some of your personal data to use them.
When Americans were asked if they thought that companies would publicly admit to consumer data misuse and be accountable for that misuse, 46% said they were not too confident.
Furthermore, 32% said they weren’t confident at all.
(Pew Research)
15. A Vast Majority of Americans Believe What They Say and Do Online Is Tracked by Organizations.
This is a major issue in America, especially if it’s true. Sadly, it could be true because of modern technology. It can happen anywhere.
When it comes to online privacy statistics, most Americans (72% all, 19% some) believe they are tracked by companies.
Additionally, 47% of Americans believe the government is tracking Americans all or most of the time.
Only 30% think they are tracking Americans some of the time, and 22% think they are tracking people very little to none of the time.
(Pew Research 2)
16. 77% of American Adults Have Heard About how Companies Use Their Data to Target Them for Advertising Purposes.
Companies do build user data profiles for demographic purposes so they can find a target audience who is most likely to buy what they offer.
At least 77% of American adults know about this concept.
Of those, 75% think that companies are mostly using this data to better understand their customers.
They aren’t wrong about that, but more than 60% of Americans don’t believe it’s possible to live your daily life without government agencies and corporations collecting your data and tracking you.
(Pew Research 2)
17. 81% of American Consumers Don’t Trust the Online Shopping Ads Seen on Their Mobile Phones.
According to privacy statistics, 81% of Americans who use mobile phones, don’t trust the shopping ads they see.
Since mobile ads cannot be skipped, people don’t appreciate that element. While an ad blocker can prevent them, it may also deny you access to mobile games.
Alternatively, you can buy the game or apps you have on your phone to reduce or eliminate mobile shopping ads.
Also, bloggers and influencers are some of the least trusted resources for shopping recommendations.
Also, Alexa and other tech-centric resources don’t get a lot of trust from consumers.
(CSA Study)
18. 47% of Baby Boomers Using Mobile Phones Showed Concerns About Their Online Data Privacy in 2019.
Privacy statistics from 2019 data maintained that Baby Boomers showed the most concerns about mobile phone/device privacy, at 47%.
Gen-Z (28%) and Millennials (29%) who are very concerned about mobile data privacy are almost tied for third place.
Gen-Xers said they were 35% very concerned about mobile data privacy, making them the second-most very concerned demographic.
In contrast, only 2% of Baby Boomers, 6% of Gen-Xers, 9% of Millennials, and 9% of Gen-Zers said they were not concerned at all.
(Statista 8)
19. 2020 Online Privacy Statistics Revealed that 34% of American Internet Users Felt Uncomfortable During the Pandemic with The Sharing of Their Location by Tech Companies.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, tracking those who had contracted the illness became a thing.
This happened when the government decided to intercede and have an app created to track peoples’ location data.
Out of American internet and digital users, 34% felt uncomfortable with these practices and tech companies sharing their location data with government entities.
In contrast, only 12% said they were comfortable with tracking.
(Safe At Last)
20. In the First Half of 2020, Google Got Almost 40,000 Requests for User Data from Law Enforcement.
Of the 40,000 requests for user data, over 15,500 were subpoenas, as recorded in their annual transparency report.
Of those subpoenas, Google delivered “some data” in 83% of instances.
During this same period, Facebook got over 60,000 user data requests, of which they produced 88%.
Likewise, Twitter received fewer than 3,000 user data requests and delivered at a 59% compliance rate.
(Los Angeles Times)
General Online Data & Internet Privacy Statistics 2025
In this section, we will share some interesting internet privacy statistics that will make you think.
Generally, all these privacy statistics we gathered and shared should make you think, but this section will include some extraordinary data. Let’s look at the numbers.
21. According to U.S.Invasion of Privacy Statistics, More than 164.68 Million Private Records Were Breached in Q1 of 2020.
It’s no wonder so many people are concerned with online privacy nowadays. More than ever, it seems people need more privacy protection.
While this is also a global issue, this specific figure is staggering.
The data shows that more than 164.68 million private records were breached in the first quarter of 2020 in the United States.
During this same period, the number of online data breaches amounted to 540 instances.
(CNBC)
22. 4 out Of Every 10 Americans Said They Would Give up Sex for A Year if They Could Have Better Online Security and Privacy Protection.
These numbers represent 40% of the American population who use the internet.
Another 41% said they would rather forego their favorite food for a full month than to go through the reset password process for all their password-protected accounts.
Password resets are a common process that is recommended as a preventative measure for getting hacked.
Moreover, the study revealed that 43% of Millennials would trade sex for better online safety measures.
Shockingly, 64% of internet users between 18 and 34 tend to be more trusting, sharing their passwords with others.
(NBC News)
23. Facebook Is the Company that Knows the Most About You, According to 2021 Privacy Statistics.
Out of all the data collected for privacy statistics, Facebook won over all the companies who know the most about you.
They collected 79.49% of their users’ personal data. Instagram is second with 69.3% of data collected.
Most of the social media giants are on the list including TikTok, Twitter, Clubhouse, YouTube, and WhatsApp.
Other companies that have collected at least 20% of customer data include DoorDash, Zoom, CVS Pharmacy, Walmart, PayPal, Google Maps, Amazon, and Spotify.
Not only do they collect your data; some of them also sell it.
(Invisibly)
Seven in ten smartphone apps are known to share your data with third party service providers. This is one of the ways companies earn money.
They can share your habits, preferences, and other types of personally identifiable information (PII).
Who are they reporting to? Smartphone apps report your personal data to companies like Facebook Graph API, Google Analytics, or Crashlytics.
So, now you know how they “read your mind” when you get such targeted ads.
(The Conversation)
25. 70% of People Using the Internet Think Their Personal Information Is Now Less Secure than In the Past.
In a 2019 survey, American adults were asked, “Is your personal data less secure, more secure, or about the same as it was 5 years ago?”
Out of the survey respondents, 70% said they think their personal data is less secure now than it was 5 years ago.
Moreover, only 6% answered that they believe their data is more secure.
All this data tracking and sharing has created the “Big Data” ideal, which is defined by the massive amounts of data sets companies can now collect, store, share, and analyze.
It’s important to know that these big data companies are appealing targets for hackers.
(Pew Research 3)
26. Data Breaches Involving Remote Work Are $1.07 Million More Costly than On-Site Data Breaches.
Privacy statistics show that data breaches in work-at-home settings cost $1.07 million more than breaches where working remotely wasn’t involved.
Another issue that has arisen from remote work is that it takes 10% longer to isolate and identify data breaches in remote working conditions.
This occurred mostly in organizations where more than half of their workforce worked at home.
(IBM)
27. 41% of Global Internet Users Are Now Disclosing Less of Their Personal Data Online.
People are starting to get wise to their privacy protection by sharing less of their personal data online.
Another 45% of internet users stopped opening emails from unknown senders. This is good since it hinders the spread of malware.
Other privacy and security measures people over the world are taking to protect their privacy include avoiding certain websites, using antivirus programs, changing passwords often, and self-censoring what they say online.
(Statista 9)
28. 40% of Respondents to An Online Privacy Survey Believe that AI Can Be Helpful.
Since artificial intelligence is being so widely used nowadays, a survey asked internet users how they felt about that.
A majority (72%) of the survey respondents said that companies that use AI should do so ethically and responsibly.
More than have of them (56%) said they were concerned about the way businesses are using AI these days.
Here are some areas where people said they would trust a company less if they used AI.
- Mental Health Counseling: 55%
- Job Interviews: 53%
- Sports Equipment Marketing: 48%
- Credit Worthiness: 4%
- Setting Prices: 46%
- Selecting Sales Representatives: 37%
(Cisco)
29. 53% of The Survey Respondents Said They Think that Local and National Governments Should Have a Major Role in Protecting Personal Data.
As mentioned before, 137 countries have privacy laws designed to protect their citizens. These laws are viewed in a positive way, yet the awareness factor is low.
More than half (53%) of respondents believe local or national governments should take the primary role in protecting data.
Another 21% believe that private companies should take the lead in protecting our personal data and privacy.
Finally, 17% said they want to have control over their own privacy as individuals to protect their data.
(Cisco)
30. 62.4% of Professionals Were Unsure if Their Business Was Under the Jurisdiction’s Privacy Regulations.
Roughly one-quarter of professionals don’t know which data regulations apply to them.
Another 62.4% weren’t sure if their company fell within the jurisdiction of regulations like the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (CDPA), California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), or General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Close to half of the survey respondents (44.7%) had to change their technology used for marketing to be in compliance with the data regulations that applied to them.
It’s important to know your data privacy laws.
(Business2Community)
FAQs
What Can You Do to Get Internet Privacy?
It’s not difficult to get internet privacy to give yourself some peace of mind. It’s really just a matter of taking some steps to ensure your data security.
One way to do that is to think before you click on a suspicious link or unreliable link. Enhance your awareness by doing more research and learning the steps beyond what has been revealed in this article.
Can Privacy Be Guaranteed Online?
Just like anything you do in your daily life, being online will come with some potential risks. Most of these risks can be mitigated.
Things you can do to protect yourself and your privacy include the following:
• Don’t skimp on getting the best antivirus software.
• Regularly update your online accounts and passwords.
• Limit how much personal information you share online.
• Check websites and email links and attachments before you click.
Is Internet Privacy that Important?
Yes. If you want to enjoy your online time and have some peace of mind in doing so, your privacy is crucial. It’s important to your safety, and the safety of your family.
The simple act of not clicking on suspicious links in your emails or online is a good start. Also, getting a reputable antivirus program is a solid measure.
Be sure to change your privacy settings on social media and other accounts to prevent hacking.
Conclusion
After reading this resource, you should have learned how important your internet privacy is and how much data is collected from you online.
You should now also better understand what companies collect, and how they use it.
However, there is a difference between companies that use it for marketing purposes and those who may misuse it for nefarious purposes.
Now that you know more about internet privacy, what steps will you take to protect yourself or your business?
Hopefully you feel more informed and knowledgeable about online data and internet privacy statistics in 2025 than you did before you read this article.
