42%About 4 in 10of UK micro businesses (1 to 9 staff) identified a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months, against 69% of large firms
42% of UK micro businesses (1 to 9 staff) identified a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months, against 69% of large firms (Aug to Dec 2025 fieldwork, UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Cyber Security Breaches Survey)
Official dataChecked at source, 23 Oct 2026SmallUKCyber security · Small business
UK businesses that found a breach or attack, by size
Group
Found a breach or attack
Micro (1 to 9)
42%
Small (10 to 49)
46%
Medium (50 to 249)
65%
Large (250+)
69%
All businesses
43%
Source: UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Cyber Security Breaches SurveyLast 12 months. Smaller firms may detect fewer attacks, the survey says.digitaltreed.com/statistics
In plain words
What this number really says
42% of UK micro businesses (1 to 9 staff) identified a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months, against 69% of large firms (Aug to Dec 2025 fieldwork).
42%
the latest figure (Aug to Dec 2025 fieldwork)
Small
company size covered
Official data
type of source
Why you can trust it. UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Cyber Security Breaches Survey: official data, government statistics office or regulator. 2,112 UK businesses and 1,085 charities, random-probability phone survey, fieldwork August to December 2025.
UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Cyber Security Breaches Survey
Source type
Official data: Government statistics office or regulator
What it measures
42% of UK micro businesses (1 to 9 staff) identified a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months, against 69% of large firms
Data period
Aug to Dec 2025 fieldwork (ends 31 Dec 2025)
Published by the source
30 Apr 2026
Who is counted
2,112 UK businesses and 1,085 charities, random-probability phone survey, fieldwork August to December 2025.
In the source's words
medium (65%) and large (69%) businesses were more likely to have experienced a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months compared to micro (42%) and small (46%) businesses.
Checked at source
23 Oct 2026: Read on gov.uk, Cyber security breaches survey 2025/2026 statistical release. Size bands are the survey's own (micro 1-9 employees). Base 1,154 micro businesses. New stat.
Reuse
Open Government Licence v3.0. Official Statistics; UK size bands micro 1-9, small 10-49, medium 50-249, large 250+ employees.
Next expected update
30 Apr 2027 (UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), yearly, spring)
No changes recorded yet. First checked at the source on 23 Oct 2026.
Cite this number
APA
UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). (2026). 42% of UK micro businesses (1 to 9 staff) identified a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months, against 69% of large firms. Via digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/cybersecurity/uk-micro-businesses-with-breach-or-attack
MLA
"42% of UK micro businesses (1 to 9 staff) identified a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months, against 69% of large firms." UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Cyber Security Breaches Survey, Aug to Dec 2025 fieldwork. digitaltreed, https://digitaltreed.com/statistics/cybersecurity/uk-micro-businesses-with-breach-or-attack.
HTML link
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FAQ
Questions about this number
What is the latest figure for small business (UK)?
42% of UK micro businesses (1 to 9 staff) identified a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months, against 69% of large firms, for Aug to Dec 2025 fieldwork, according to UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), Cyber Security Breaches Survey. We checked it at the source on 23 Oct 2026.
Related
More Cyber security statistics
Official dataAll sizesUK
43%
of UK businesses identified a cyber breach or attack in the last 12 months, about 612,000 firms
Sample: 2,112 UK businesses and 1,085 charities, random-probability phone survey, fieldwork August to December 2025.
