Updated November 2026
Healthcare cybersecurity statistics for 2026
The numbers that matter for healthcare practices: what breaches cost, how attacks happen, what OCR enforces and how AI is changing the risk. Every statistic links to its source, and we update this page as new reports are released.
01 / COST
What a healthcare breach costs
$7.42M
Average cost of a healthcare data breach, the highest of any industry.
14 years
Healthcare has been the costliest industry for breaches 14 years in a row.
279 days
Average time to identify and contain a healthcare breach, the longest of any industry.
$3.9M
Average cost of a healthcare organization's most significant cyberattack.
$1.02M
Average ransomware recovery cost for healthcare providers worldwide, not counting ransom.
$10.22M
Average cost of a data breach in the US across all industries, a record high.
02 / VOLUME
How many breaches, how many patients
742
Breaches of 500 or more records reported to OCR in 2024.
242.9M
Individuals affected by large healthcare breaches in 2024.
192.7M
People affected by the Change Healthcare attack, the largest healthcare breach ever reported.
1 billion+
Individuals affected by large healthcare breaches reported since 2009.
74,299
Reports of smaller breaches (under 500 people each) filed with OCR in 2024.
1,542
Confirmed healthcare data breaches in Verizon's 2025 dataset.
03 / ATTACKS
How attacks happen
81%
Share of large healthcare breaches in 2024 caused by hacking and IT incidents.
93%
Healthcare organizations hit by at least one cyberattack in the past year, averaging 43 attacks.
72%
Organizations hit by common attacks that said patient care was disrupted.
44%
Healthcare organizations that experienced a supply chain attack.
33%
Ransomware attacks on providers worldwide that started with an exploited vulnerability, the top cause.
04 / ENFORCEMENT
What OCR enforces
21
HIPAA cases OCR resolved with financial penalties in 2025, totaling about $8.3 million.
14
Enforcement actions under OCR's Risk Analysis Initiative by mid-2026.
$1.165M
Combined penalties from four ransomware settlements OCR announced in April 2026.
23,517
Patients exposed in a 2025 ransomware attack on a two-location dental group.
05 / AI
AI and shadow AI
63%
Breached organizations with no AI governance policy, or one still in development.
17%
Hospital and health system staff who admit using unauthorized AI tools at work.
60%
Healthcare organizations that struggle to protect sensitive data used by AI.
Can staff use ChatGPT with patient data?
Our answer, and how to set a safe AI policy.
Read the answer →FAQ
Quick answers
What is the average cost of a healthcare data breach?
$7.42 million, according to IBM's 2025 Cost of a Data Breach report, the highest of any industry for the 14th year in a row.
How many healthcare breaches are reported each year?
OCR received 742 reports of breaches affecting 500 or more people in 2024, affecting about 242.9 million individuals, plus 74,299 reports of smaller breaches.
What causes most healthcare breaches?
Hacking and IT incidents caused 81% of large healthcare breaches reported to OCR in 2024. Phishing, exploited vulnerabilities and vendor compromises are the most common entry points.
Figures are from the reports linked on each statistic. Survey-based figures reflect each report's sample. You are welcome to cite this page with a link to cytek.com.
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