Listen: Safer Internet Day

The latest study by cybersecurity company Surfshark shows the UK as the 6th most affected country in the world when it comes to data leaks – with 8.2 million breached accounts in 2025. Approximately 16 British user accounts were breached every single minute last year.

Previously, the UK were ranked 9th, indicating the situation is getting worse. In fact, the average Brit has now had their information stolen via data breaches 6 times since Surfshark began analysis in 2004 – a total of 392 million accounts. This high number of breaches indicates a need for improved measures to enhance internet safety and better protect the population.

Globally, a total of 425.7 million accounts were compromised in 2025, with the US ranking first, accounting for 34% of all breaches that year. France is in second place, followed by India in third, with Germany and Russia completing the top five.

Aston spoke to Dr Luis Costa, research lead at Surfshark.