Data breaches are a worldwide issue, but the implications may be particularly severe in African countries. As the continent rapidly digitizes, the risks of data breaches increase, raising serious concerns about economic stability, national security, and personal privacy. Data breaches can be costly to resolve and may grow out of hand, however, where data breaches constitute very few problems, digitization can reach its fullest potential.
One of the biggest risks facing African countries is the financial fallout from data breaches. Companies across several sectors, such as financial institutions and e-commerce websites, are increasingly relying on digital platforms for transaction processing and data security.
A data breach could cause these organizations to lose a lot of money, make customers less confident, and damage the companies’ reputations.
Data breaches also pose a serious threat to national security. Sensitive information regarding citizens, military operations, and national infrastructure is usually found in government databases. Serious repercussions can arise from unauthorized access to such data, such as espionage, sabotage, and other forms of cyber warfare.
While some countries on the continent constantly face very severe risks of data breaches, some have done well in containing the problem.
With that said here are the African countries with the lowest amount of data breaches in 2024, courtesy of data from the Netherland-based virtual private network (VPN) firm Surf Shark.
Top 10 African countries with the least data breaches in 2024
| Rank | Country | Breached accounts | Breach per 100 people | Global rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
Western Sahara |
35712 |
6 |
243rd |
|
2. |
Guinea-Bissau |
49259 |
2 |
239th |
|
3. |
Chad |
98018 |
1 |
228th |
|
4. |
Burundi |
113238 |
1 |
224th |
|
5. |
Eritrea |
114191 |
3 |
223rd |
|
6. |
Eswatini |
166266 |
14 |
212th |
|
7. |
Comoros |
174777 |
21 |
211th |
|
8. |
Lesotho |
183857 |
8 |
209th |
|
9. |
Mauritania |
209990 |
4 |
203rd |
|
10. |
Congo |
210039 |
3 |
202nd |
