Between 2015 and 2022, Estonia had the highest density of “right to be forgotten” or “right to erasure” requests issued to Google and Microsoft Bing, among other European countries, with almost 59 appeals per 10 thousand inhabitants. Registering the highest number of requests during the analyzed period, France ranked second regarding request density, with 46.2 requests per 10 thousand inhabitants.
Density of right to be forgotten (RTBF) submitted to online search platforms in European countries from 2015 to 2022
(in requests per 10,000 population)
Characteristic
Requests per 10,000 population
Estonia
58.7
France
46.2
Sweden
37.4
Liechtenstein
36.5
Netherlands
35.9
Norway
34.2
Iceland
30.6
Switzerland
29.6
Croatia
28.7
Finland
28.3
Belgium
25.6
Luxembourg
25.2
Germany
24
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Requests per 10,000 population58.758.746.246.237.437.436.536.535.935.934.234.230.630.629.629.628.728.728.328.325.625.625.225.2242423.823.823.723.723.423.423.323.321.921.921.521.521.121.120.920.919.419.417.317.317.117.19.89.89.49.48.98.98.78.78.48.47.47.46.86.86.46.4EstoniaFranceSwedenLiechtensteinNetherlandsNorwayIcelandSwitzerlandCroatiaFinlandBelgiumLuxembourgGermanyDenmarkLatviaAustriaLithuaniaSpainMaltaIrelandU.K.CyprusSloveniaItalyCzechiaGreecePolandPortugalRomaniaSlovakiaHungaryBulgaria
05101520253035404550556065
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Additionally, 2 requests were submitted from Cyprus, considered as Western Asia by the source.
According to the source:
"The ”right to be forgotten” was first established in 2014 and redefined as the “right to erasure” with the GDPR adoption in 2018. Therefore, the right applies to countries covered by GDPR (the EU and the EEA) and some other European countries that have adopted similar laws, like the UK and Switzerland."
"We analyzed 32 countries that submitted “right to be forgotten” requests to Google and Microsoft Bing between 2015 and 2021. Countries that had submitted requests for one company but not the other were excluded from the analysis due to discrepancies in the countries reported by the two companies. For example, while Russia’s data protection law defines a right similar to GDPR’s “right to erasure,” only Microsoft reports on Russian requests. Excluding the countries present in one data set but not the other left us with a list of EU and EEA countries and the UK and Switzerland, which have also enforced regulations analogous to GDPR."
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SurfShark. (March 25, 2024). Density of right to be forgotten (RTBF) submitted to online search platforms in European countries from 2015 to 2022 (in requests per 10,000 population) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 20, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1373753/right-to-be-forgotten-density-of-requests-europe-by-country/
SurfShark. "Density of right to be forgotten (RTBF) submitted to online search platforms in European countries from 2015 to 2022 (in requests per 10,000 population)." Chart. March 25, 2024. Statista. Accessed February 20, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1373753/right-to-be-forgotten-density-of-requests-europe-by-country/
SurfShark. (2024). Density of right to be forgotten (RTBF) submitted to online search platforms in European countries from 2015 to 2022 (in requests per 10,000 population). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 20, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1373753/right-to-be-forgotten-density-of-requests-europe-by-country/
SurfShark. "Density of Right to Be Forgotten (Rtbf) Submitted to Online Search Platforms in European Countries from 2015 to 2022 (in Requests per 10,000 Population)." Statista, Statista Inc., 25 Mar 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1373753/right-to-be-forgotten-density-of-requests-europe-by-country/
SurfShark, Density of right to be forgotten (RTBF) submitted to online search platforms in European countries from 2015 to 2022 (in requests per 10,000 population) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1373753/right-to-be-forgotten-density-of-requests-europe-by-country/ (last visited February 20, 2025)
Density of right to be forgotten (RTBF) submitted to online search platforms in European countries from 2015 to 2022 (in requests per 10,000 population) [Graph], SurfShark, March 25, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1373753/right-to-be-forgotten-density-of-requests-europe-by-country/
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