Nigeria Records Over 119,000 Data Breaches in Q1 2025, Despite Global Decline

Nigeria Records Over 119,000 Data Breaches in Q1 2025, Despite Global Decline — Surfshark Report

LAGOS, Nigeria — Nigeria experienced over 119,000 data breaches in the first quarter of 2025, according to a new global cybersecurity report by Surfshark, placing the country 34th globally for the number of compromised user accounts.

While the figure may seem alarming, it actually represents a sharp 85% decline from the last quarter of 2024, aligning with a global year-on-year drop of 93%, as leaked accounts worldwide fell from 973.7 million in Q1 2024 to 68.3 million in Q1 2025.

Nigeria’s Data Breach Landscape: Key Insights

Despite the decline in Q1, Nigeria remains one of the most data breach-prone countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Long-Term Exposure (Since 2004):

23.2 million Nigerian user accounts compromised
7.3 million unique email addresses exposed
13 million passwords leaked
56% of victims at risk of identity theft, blackmail, or unauthorized account access

"Statistically, 10 in every 100 Nigerians have been affected by data breaches. In Q1 2025 alone, one Nigerian account was leaked every minute."

Global Overview: Top 5 Most Breached Countries in Q1 2025

Country	Leaked Accounts
United States	16.9 million
Russia	4.4 million
India	4.2 million
Germany	3.9 million
Spain	2.4 million

Countries with the highest breach density (number of breaches per 1,000 residents) were:

South Sudan – 61
Spain – 51
United States – 49
Germany – 46
Slovenia – 45

Other nations in the top 10 include Israel, United Kingdom, France, Russia, and Norway.

Expert Warning: Don’t Get Too Comfortable

Despite the decline in breach numbers, cybersecurity experts are urging both individuals and organizations to remain vigilant.

“Although the number of vulnerable accounts in all major regions decreased, people should remain vigilant,” said Luís Costa, Research Lead at Surfshark.

“Cyberthreats are constantly evolving, and attackers are adapting their tactics. Strong security practices, frequent password updates, and enabling two-factor authentication remain essential.”

Methodology: How the Data Was Collected

Based on 29,000+ publicly available databases
Each unique breached email address counted as one compromised user account
Breaches often included additional sensitive data:
- Passwords
- Phone numbers
- IP addresses
- Postal codes
All data was anonymized before analysis
Countries with populations under 1 million were excluded from the study

What Nigerians Should Do

As the digital threat landscape continues to evolve, experts recommend the following for individual protection:

✅ Use strong, unique passwords for each account
✅ Change passwords regularly
✅ Enable two-factor authentication (2FA)
✅ Avoid clicking on suspicious links
✅ Monitor financial and social accounts for unusual activity

Conclusion

While Nigeria’s data breach figures saw a notable improvement in Q1 2025, the country’s long-standing vulnerability to cyberattacks serves as a reminder that proactive cybersecurity practices are essential. With one account still breached every minute, users, businesses, and regulators must remain alert to prevent future breaches and protect sensitive data.