Top 20 Ransomware Statistics You Should Know (2025)

Ransomware continues to test the limits of organizational resilience, but the story in 2025 is no longer just about rising attack volumes. It’s about how the threat is changing. Attackers are refining their methods, victims are responding differently, and the financial dynamics behind ransomware are shifting in ways that matter for both security leaders and executives.

The latest 2025 ransomware statistics reveal a landscape where ransomware is deeply embedded in breach activity, yet organizations are increasingly refusing to pay, recovering faster, and relying less on encryption-based extortion alone. At the same time, attackers are adapting by targeting specific industries, exploiting vulnerabilities more aggressively, and operating within a growing ecosystem of extortion groups.

This blog brings together 20 carefully selected ransomware statistics from 2025, organized into clear, thematic sections to highlight what’s changing and why it matters. Whether you’re tracking ransomware risk, shaping security strategy, or assessing exposure across industries, these numbers offer a grounded view of where ransomware stands today and where it’s heading next.

Ransomware Is Everywhere, but Not Evenly Distributed

Ransomware is no longer a niche threat. It shows up across industries, company sizes, and geographies – but some groups remain far more exposed than others.

1. Ransomware appeared in 44% of breaches analyzed in Verizon’s 2025 DBIR executive summary, up from 32% the previous year. This sharp rise confirms ransomware’s growing role as a primary breach driver rather than a secondary payload.
2. Ransomware was a component of 39% of breaches in larger organizations, showing that even mature security programs are struggling to fully contain extortion-focused attacks.
3. SMBs faced ransomware in 88% of breaches, highlighting how limited resources, weaker controls, and slower patching cycles continue to make smaller businesses prime targets.

Breaches of SMBs mostly involved ransomware, according to 2025 ransomware statistics

Ransom Payments Are Falling, and More Victims Are Saying No

One of the most important shifts in 2025 is behavioral. Organizations are increasingly refusing to fund attackers, and the economics of ransomware are adjusting.

4. The median ransomware payment fell to $115,000, down from $150,000 last year.
5. 64% of victim organizations did not pay the ransom, up from 50% just two years ago. This marks a significant cultural shift toward resilience and resistance.
6. In IBM’s 2025 study, 63% of organizations refused to pay, while 37% ultimately paid the ransom. Although payments still occur, refusal is now the majority response.

Ransom payment resistance trends

These numbers suggest attackers face lower success rates and shrinking returns, forcing them to increase pressure or target higher-value victims.

The True Cost of Ransomware Extends Far Beyond the Ransom

Even when organizations avoid paying attackers, ransomware incidents remain expensive, disruptive, and operationally draining.

7. IBM reported the average cost of an extortion or ransomware incident reached $5.08 million when disclosed by an attacker, reflecting investigation costs, downtime, legal exposure, and reputational damage.

Average cost of ransomware incidents in 2025

8. In the United States, average ransomware insurance claims rose 68% to $353,000, signaling rising recovery and remediation expenses across affected sectors.
9. Mean recovery cost excluding ransom payments was $1.53 million, down 44% year over year, according to Sophos. While recovery is becoming cheaper, it remains a major financial event.

Ransomware is no longer just about paying or not paying; it’s about business continuity, regulatory exposure, and long-term trust.

Encryption Is Declining, but Data Theft Is Not

Attackers are evolving. Instead of relying solely on encryption, many now combine it with data theft or skip encryption altogether.

10. Data encryption occurred in only 50% of ransomware attacks, the lowest level in six years and a steep drop from 70% in 2024. Among organizations that experienced encryption, 28% also suffered data exfiltration, increasing pressure through double-extortion tactics.

Ransomware statistics from 2025 show that data encryption has declined

11. Despite these threats, 97% of organizations with encrypted data successfully recovered it by some method, demonstrating improved resilience and preparedness.

Encryption may be declining, but data exposure and extortion leverage remain central to modern ransomware strategies.

SOCRadar’s Dark Web Monitoring

As ransomware groups rely more heavily on data theft and public exposure, early awareness of leak-site posts and underground discussions becomes critical. SOCRadar’s Dark Web Monitoring enables organizations to detect ransomware-related data leak announcements, breach disclosures, and extortion activity. Identifying these signals early can support faster incident response, legal coordination, and informed decision-making during high-pressure situations.

Recovery Is Faster, but Backups Are Used Less Often

Organizations are regaining control more quickly, even as attackers attempt to escalate demands.

12. 53% of victims fully recovered within one week, up from 35% in 2024, according to Sophos 2025 data.
13. Backups were used in only 54% of incidents to restore encrypted data, the lowest rate in six years, suggesting increased reliance on alternative recovery methods.
14. 49% of victims still paid to get their data back, even though recovery success rates are high – highlighting the intense pressure attackers apply during incidents.

2025 statistics related to recovery from ransomware attacks

These figures show progress in response maturity, but also expose decision-making stress during live ransomware crises.

Ransom Demands vs. Payments: The Growing Gap in 2025

Negotiation dynamics continue to shift as victims push back and attackers adjust expectations.

15. Only 29% of victims paid exactly what attackers initially demanded. 53% paid less than the original demand, while 18% paid more, often due to prolonged downtime or data exposure risks.
16. Median ransom demand dropped to $1,324,439 (down 34% year over year), while the median ransom payment fell to $1 million, a 50% decline. Payments of $5 million or more fell to 20%, down from 31% in 2024. Despite these declines, 57% of ransom demands were $1 million or higher, and 52% of payments exceeded $1 million, according to Sophos 2025 data.

Trends in ransom payments in 2025

Attackers may be asking for less on average, but high-value extortion remains common, especially against large enterprises.

How Attackers Get In Is Shifting Again

Initial access techniques continue to evolve as defenses improve and attacker creativity rebounds.

17. Exploited vulnerabilities were the most common root cause, responsible for 32% of ransomware attacks. Compromised credentials followed at 23%, down from 29% in 2024. Malicious email accounted for 19%, while phishing jumped to 18%, up from 11% last year.

Root Causes of Ransomware Attacks in 2025

This shift underscores the importance of patch management, identity security, and phishing resistance as foundational ransomware defenses.

The Ransomware Ecosystem Keeps Expanding

Behind every statistic is a growing and highly organized criminal ecosystem.

18. There were 85 active extortion groups in Q3 2025, with 1,592 new victims listed – roughly 535 victims per month. In the first half of 2025 alone, 96 unique groups were observed, with the U.S. accounting for 66% of leak-site targets in Q2.

Reported ransomware victims between March 2024 – September 2025 (Check Point Research)

At the variant level, Akira remained the most prevalent ransomware strain in Q3 2025, responsible for 34% of observed attacks. Qilin followed with a 10% share, maintaining steady activity.

Qilin’s Ransomware Intelligence details (SOCRadar CTI module)

With dozens of active ransomware groups and new victims appearing each month, understanding which actors are operating and how they target organizations has become a practical necessity. SOCRadar’s Cyber Threat Intelligence module helps security teams track ransomware groups, follow their activity, and monitor shifts in tactics and targeting. This visibility allows organizations to align defensive priorities with the threat actors most relevant to their industry and region.

Industries and Regions Under the Most Pressure

Ransomware impact varies significantly by sector and geography. Manufacturing, healthcare, and technology remained among the most targeted industries globally.

19. Manufacturing attacks rose approximately 61% in 2025, while attacks against critical industries overall increased 34% year over year. In Q3 2025, manufacturing and business services dominated victim counts, while healthcare represented roughly 8% of all victims.

Top industries targeted by ransomware actors in 2025

20. In the U.K., only 1% of organizations reported a ransomware incident, but among businesses experiencing cybercrime, 7% identified ransomware as the attack type involved, showing a concentrated but persistent threat.

Conclusion

Ransomware in 2025 reflects a more complex and calculated threat environment. While attack activity remains high, organizations are changing how they respond – paying less often, recovering faster, and relying less on encryption as the single point of failure. At the same time, ransomware groups continue to operate at scale, coordinate through extortion ecosystems, and concentrate their efforts on industries where disruption carries the highest leverage.

The takeaway from these statistics is practical rather than dramatic. Organizations that reduce ransomware impact do so by limiting attacker access, shortening detection timelines, and understanding who is targeting them and why. Visibility into exploited vulnerabilities, credential abuse, and active ransomware groups plays a direct role in shaping effective defense strategies.

Capabilities such as SOCRadar’s Dark Web Monitoring and Threat Actor Intelligence support this approach by giving security teams insight into ransomware group activity, leak-site behavior, and early warning signals tied to active campaigns. By connecting external threat intelligence with internal risk management, organizations can make more informed decisions before ransomware incidents escalate into operational or financial crises.

References

• Verizon – 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report Executive Summary
• IBM – Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025
• Exabeam – Top Ransomware Statistics and Recent Ransomware Attacks 2025
• Sophos – State of Ransomware 2025 Report
• Check Point Research – The State of Ransomware Q3 2025
• Rapid7 – Q2 2025 Ransomware Trends: Boom and Bust
• Coveware – Insider Threats Loom While Ransom Payment Rates Plummet
• Industrial Cyber – 2025 Ransomware Attacks on Critical Sectors Report
• U.K. Government – Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025