Global data breach identity theft causes 2016

Published by
Ani Petrosyan,
Jan 9, 2024
The statistic presents the leading causes of data breaches worldwide in 2016, sorted by share of identities exposed. In the most recently reported period, theft of data accounted for 91.6 percent of data breaches that resulted in stolen identities.

Leading causes of data breaches worldwide in 2016, by share of identities exposed

CharacteristicShare of data breaches
Theft of data 91.6%
Phishing, spoofing, or social engineering 6.4%
Accidental data loss 1%
IT errors leading to data loss 0.9%
Network disruption of DDoS* 0.1%
Improper use of data* 0.1%
Loss of theft of device* 0.1%
Unclassified or other cause* 0.1%
Extortion, blackmail, or disruption* 0.1%
Identity theft or fraud 0%
Showing entries 1 to 10 (10 entries in total)
Created with Highcharts 7.2.2Share of data breaches91.6%91.6%6.4%6.4%1%1%0.9%0.9%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%0%0%Theft of dataPhishing, spoofing,or socialengineeringAccidental datalossIT errors leading todata lossNetwork disruptionof DDoS*Improper use ofdata*Loss of theft ofdevice*Unclassified orother cause*Extortion,blackmail, ordisruption*Identity theft orfraud
0%20%40%60%80%100%120%

© Statista 2025
Download
Show detailed source information?
Register for free
Already a member?
Log in
Source

Use Ask Statista Research Service

Release date

April 2017

Region

Worldwide

Survey time period

2016

Supplementary notes

*Less than 1 percent

Citation formats
Access all statistics starting from $2,388 USD yearly *

* For commercial use only

Basic Account

For single users
$0 USD
Always free
Register now
Access limited to Free Statistics. Premium Statistics are not included.
  • Free Statistics
Based on your interests

Starter Account

For single users
$199 USD
per month, billed annually 1
Buy now
  • Free Statistics
  • Premium Statistics

Professional Account

For teams of up to 5 people
$1,299 USD
per month, billed annually 1
Buy now
  • Free + Premium Statistics
  • Reports
  • Market Insights

1 All prices do not include sales tax. The account requires an annual contract and will renew after one year to the regular list price.

Compare accounts
Leading companies trust Statista:
paypal google adobe pg samsung telekom
Statista has been my savior on several occasions. The site is easy to maneuver and the data is in a format that can go right into a report or presentation.
Marlene Greenfield

Marlene Greenfield
Vice President, Hearst Magazines

Statistics on " Data breaches worldwide "

Other statistics that may interest you Data breaches worldwide

Data breaches

8

Data breach density

6

Cost of a data breach

7

Common types of compromised data

4

Impacted industries

4

Awareness and protection

8

Data privacy regulations and compliance

8

Fines and penalties

8

Further related statistics

4

Discover Statista

Need help with using Statista for your research? Tutorials and first steps

Further Content: You might find this interesting as well

Statistics

Topics

Data breaches worldwide
Do you have any questions about our business solutions?

We provide you with detailed information about our Professional Account.

Access all statistics starting from $2,388 USD yearly *

* For commercial use only

Basic Account

For single users
$0 USD
Always free
Register now
Access limited to Free Statistics. Premium Statistics are not included.
  • Free Statistics
Based on your interests

Starter Account

For single users
$199 USD
per month, billed annually 1
Buy now
  • Free Statistics
  • Premium Statistics

Professional Account

For teams of up to 5 people
$1,299 USD
per month, billed annually 1
Buy now
  • Free + Premium Statistics
  • Reports
  • Market Insights

1 All prices do not include sales tax. The account requires an annual contract and will renew after one year to the regular list price.

Compare accounts
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.