Report: Over 152,000 Nigerian Accounts Breached in First Half of 2025

Despite a significant 73% drop in data breaches in Q2 2025 compared to Q1 (31,800 vs. 120,000), Nigeria still recorded over 152,000 compromised accounts in the first half of the year, according to new findings from cybersecurity firm Surfshark.

Globally, the number of leaked accounts surged by 34%, rising from 70 million in Q1 to 94 million in Q2.

The United States (42.5M), France (11.4M), and India (1.7M) topped the list of most-affected countries during the second quarter.

Why it Matters

Commenting on the findings, Sarunas Sereika, product manager at Surfshark, warned of the growing risks posed by personal data exposure:

“In today’s digital age, we constantly share personal information, from names and addresses for deliveries to phone numbers for appointments. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that companies are keeping this data secure. In the wrong hands, it can fuel identity theft, targeted scams, or be sold on the dark web.”

Nigeria’s Data Breach Landscape

Surfshark’s long-term analysis places Nigeria third in Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of total compromised accounts, with 23.3 million user records breached since 2004. Among these:

3 million were unique email addresses
13 million were accompanied by leaked passwords
56% of breached users are at risk of account takeovers and identity-related crimes
Statistically, 1 in 10 Nigerians has been affected by a data breach

Nigeria’s Breach Trend in Q2 2025

The decline in breached accounts in Q2 is a positive development, but the overall volume remains high. Experts say the drop may reflect short-term gains in cybersecurity or underreporting, not a permanent solution.