IBM's 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report puts the average cost of a data breach for South African organisations at US$2.37 million, down from US$2.78 million in 2024.

CORRECTED · 20 OCTOBER 2026

Corrected 20 October 2026: updated from the 2023 edition (R49.45 million) to the 2025 edition. Now taken from IBM's own report, which gives country figures in US dollars; the rand figure reported in the press (R44.1 million) is not in the report.

Where it comes from

Source: IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025 (Ponemon Institute)
Date: 2025
Method: Benchmark study of 600 breached organisations worldwide (about 4% in South Africa), breaches from March 2024 to February 2025; country figures in US dollars
Region: South Africa
Beat: Cybersecurity

WHAT YOU COPY

IBM's 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report puts the average cost of a data breach for South African organisations at US$2.37 million, down from US$2.78 million in 2024. (Source: IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025 (Ponemon Institute), 2025). Via SourceDesk: sourcedesk.co.za/e/gw6ypb

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