GITNUXREPORT 2026

Alternative Data Industry Statistics

A booming alternative data market is driven by growing hedge fund adoption and investment.

Alexander Schmidt

Alexander Schmidt

Research Analyst specializing in technology and digital transformation trends.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

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Key Statistics

Statistic 1

78% of hedge funds used alt data in 2023, up from 70% in 2022.

Statistic 2

Buy-side alt data spend averaged $5.2M per firm in 2023.

Statistic 3

55% of asset managers integrate alt data into core processes.

Statistic 4

Retail investors' alt data usage grew 30% in 2023 via platforms.

Statistic 5

92% of quant funds rely on alt data for alpha generation.

Statistic 6

Alt data adoption in insurance sector up 40% since 2021.

Statistic 7

67% of European funds increased alt data teams in 2023.

Statistic 8

Corporate use of alt data for competitive intelligence at 48% adoption rate.

Statistic 9

Alt data in portfolio management used by 81% of top 100 hedge funds.

Statistic 10

Small-cap funds alt data usage doubled to 35% in 2023.

Statistic 11

73% of firms report improved alpha from alt data integration.

Statistic 12

Alt data platforms users grew 25% to 1,200 firms in 2023.

Statistic 13

64% of prop trading firms use alt data daily.

Statistic 14

Adoption rate in APAC funds reached 52% in 2023.

Statistic 15

41% of non-quant funds now experiment with alt data.

Statistic 16

Alt data training programs adopted by 29% of firms.

Statistic 17

85% retention rate for alt data subscriptions post-trial.

Statistic 18

Multi-asset class alt data use up 22% YoY.

Statistic 19

56% of funds use AI to process alt data.

Statistic 20

Alt data regulations like GDPR impacted 35% of providers in 2023.

Statistic 21

Data quality issues cited by 52% of users as top challenge.

Statistic 22

28% of alt data deals failed due to compliance in 2023.

Statistic 23

Cost of alt data datasets averaged $250K annually per firm.

Statistic 24

IP disputes in alt data rose 40% in 2023.

Statistic 25

61% of firms struggle with data integration.

Statistic 26

SEC scrutiny on alt data usage increased 25% in probes.

Statistic 27

Privacy lawsuits against alt data providers up 15%.

Statistic 28

44% report latency issues in real-time alt data.

Statistic 29

Vendor consolidation reduced options by 12% in 2023.

Statistic 30

ESG data compliance required by 70% of EU funds.

Statistic 31

Data lineage tracking adopted by only 33% of users.

Statistic 32

39% face scalability issues with big alt data volumes.

Statistic 33

CCPA regulations affected 22% of US providers.

Statistic 34

Bias in alt data models flagged by 27% of quants.

Statistic 35

51% cite high onboarding time as barrier.

Statistic 36

Cybersecurity breaches in alt data up 18%.

Statistic 37

36% of datasets rejected for poor signal-to-noise.

Statistic 38

Satellite imagery adopted by 39% of commodity traders.

Statistic 39

Credit/debit card transaction data used by 71% of consumer sector analysts.

Statistic 40

Web scraping data constitutes 25% of all alt data consumed.

Statistic 41

Geolocation data from mobile apps covers 1.2B devices globally.

Statistic 42

Email receipt data parsed from 50M+ consumers weekly.

Statistic 43

Shipping data from AIS tracks 180,000 vessels in real-time.

Statistic 44

App download and usage data from 200+ countries.

Statistic 45

Weather data integrated into 60% of alt data workflows.

Statistic 46

Social media sentiment data from 10B+ posts daily.

Statistic 47

Point of sale data from 1M+ US stores.

Statistic 48

Patent filing data updated daily from USPTO and EPO.

Statistic 49

Vehicle telematics data from 50M connected cars.

Statistic 50

Job posting data scraped from 50K+ sites.

Statistic 51

Electricity usage data from 100M+ meters.

Statistic 52

Flight tracking data for 100K daily flights.

Statistic 53

E-commerce reviews sentiment from 500M products.

Statistic 54

Supply chain IoT sensors data from 1B devices.

Statistic 55

Gaming app engagement data from 2B users.

Statistic 56

The global alternative data market size was valued at USD 11.65 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.4% from 2024 to 2030.

Statistic 57

Alternative data market in North America held over 40% revenue share in 2023 due to high adoption by hedge funds and asset managers.

Statistic 58

The alternative data industry is projected to reach USD 21.17 billion by 2028, expanding at a CAGR of 13.1% from 2021 levels.

Statistic 59

Satellite imagery data segment accounted for 28% of the alternative data market revenue in 2022.

Statistic 60

Email receipt data market within alternative data grew by 45% YoY in 2023 among buy-side firms.

Statistic 61

Alternative data spending by hedge funds reached $1.6 billion in 2022, up 20% from 2021.

Statistic 62

The Asia-Pacific alternative data market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 14.2% during 2023-2030.

Statistic 63

Geolocation data contributed 22% to total alternative data revenues in 2023.

Statistic 64

Buy-side firms' alternative data budgets increased by 25% on average in 2023.

Statistic 65

Alternative data market in Europe grew 18% YoY in 2023, driven by regulatory clarity.

Statistic 66

Transactional data segment is projected to hold 35% market share by 2027.

Statistic 67

Global alt data providers numbered over 700 in 2023, up from 500 in 2020.

Statistic 68

Alt data market CAGR forecasted at 11.5% from 2024-2032.

Statistic 69

Credit card spend data market valued at $2.3B in 2023.

Statistic 70

62% of investment firms plan to increase alt data spend in 2024.

Statistic 71

Alt data market in BFSI sector to grow at 13.8% CAGR to 2030.

Statistic 72

Web scraped data segment revenue hit $3.1B in 2023.

Statistic 73

Emerging markets alt data growth at 16% CAGR through 2028.

Statistic 74

Alt data for retail sector projected to reach $4.5B by 2027.

Statistic 75

45% YoY growth in alt data deals in Q4 2023.

Statistic 76

Eagle Alpha is the leading alt data marketplace with 500+ providers.

Statistic 77

Neudata (Quiver Quant) vetted 1,000+ datasets in 2023.

Statistic 78

YipitData serves 90% of top hedge funds with consumer data.

Statistic 79

Orbital Insight analyzes satellite data for 200+ clients.

Statistic 80

Second Measure tracks credit card data for retail analytics.

Statistic 81

SafeGraph provides POI and foot traffic data to 5,000+ firms.

Statistic 82

Thinknum scrapes web data for 10,000+ companies.

Statistic 83

RS Metrics uses satellite for supply chain monitoring.

Statistic 84

Numator (now NielsenIQ) offers POS and receipt data.

Statistic 85

Sensor Tower delivers mobile app intelligence.

Statistic 86

Advan researches broker research distribution data.

Statistic 87

Facteus provides transaction data for banks.

Statistic 88

DroneBase offers aerial imagery services.

Statistic 89

GeoQuant tracks geopolitical risk data.

Statistic 90

Matterport provides 3D satellite alternatives.

Statistic 91

Crunchbase offers startup funding data.

Statistic 92

Dataminr delivers real-time event detection.

Statistic 93

Exiger specializes in supply chain risk data.

Statistic 94

Foursquare provides location intelligence.

Statistic 95

IRI offers consumer packaged goods data.

Sources
Trusted by 500+ publications
Harvard Business ReviewThe GuardianFortune+497
Move over quarterly reports—hidden within the daily digital exhaust of satellite images, credit card swipes, and app downloads lies an $11.65 billion industry projected to double before 2030, transforming how investors see the world.

Key Takeaways

  • The global alternative data market size was valued at USD 11.65 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.4% from 2024 to 2030.
  • Alternative data market in North America held over 40% revenue share in 2023 due to high adoption by hedge funds and asset managers.
  • The alternative data industry is projected to reach USD 21.17 billion by 2028, expanding at a CAGR of 13.1% from 2021 levels.
  • 78% of hedge funds used alt data in 2023, up from 70% in 2022.
  • Buy-side alt data spend averaged $5.2M per firm in 2023.
  • 55% of asset managers integrate alt data into core processes.
  • Satellite imagery adopted by 39% of commodity traders.
  • Credit/debit card transaction data used by 71% of consumer sector analysts.
  • Web scraping data constitutes 25% of all alt data consumed.
  • Eagle Alpha is the leading alt data marketplace with 500+ providers.
  • Neudata (Quiver Quant) vetted 1,000+ datasets in 2023.
  • YipitData serves 90% of top hedge funds with consumer data.
  • Alt data regulations like GDPR impacted 35% of providers in 2023.
  • Data quality issues cited by 52% of users as top challenge.
  • 28% of alt data deals failed due to compliance in 2023.

A booming alternative data market is driven by growing hedge fund adoption and investment.

Adoption and Usage

  • 78% of hedge funds used alt data in 2023, up from 70% in 2022.
  • Buy-side alt data spend averaged $5.2M per firm in 2023.
  • 55% of asset managers integrate alt data into core processes.
  • Retail investors' alt data usage grew 30% in 2023 via platforms.
  • 92% of quant funds rely on alt data for alpha generation.
  • Alt data adoption in insurance sector up 40% since 2021.
  • 67% of European funds increased alt data teams in 2023.
  • Corporate use of alt data for competitive intelligence at 48% adoption rate.
  • Alt data in portfolio management used by 81% of top 100 hedge funds.
  • Small-cap funds alt data usage doubled to 35% in 2023.
  • 73% of firms report improved alpha from alt data integration.
  • Alt data platforms users grew 25% to 1,200 firms in 2023.
  • 64% of prop trading firms use alt data daily.
  • Adoption rate in APAC funds reached 52% in 2023.
  • 41% of non-quant funds now experiment with alt data.
  • Alt data training programs adopted by 29% of firms.
  • 85% retention rate for alt data subscriptions post-trial.
  • Multi-asset class alt data use up 22% YoY.
  • 56% of funds use AI to process alt data.

Adoption and Usage Interpretation

While hedge funds and asset managers are throwing millions at alternative data to chase an edge, it seems the entire financial world, from retail investors to insurance companies, has caught the fever, proving that in today's markets, if you're not snooping on satellite imagery or parsing social sentiment, you're basically investing with a blindfold on.

Challenges and Regulations

  • Alt data regulations like GDPR impacted 35% of providers in 2023.
  • Data quality issues cited by 52% of users as top challenge.
  • 28% of alt data deals failed due to compliance in 2023.
  • Cost of alt data datasets averaged $250K annually per firm.
  • IP disputes in alt data rose 40% in 2023.
  • 61% of firms struggle with data integration.
  • SEC scrutiny on alt data usage increased 25% in probes.
  • Privacy lawsuits against alt data providers up 15%.
  • 44% report latency issues in real-time alt data.
  • Vendor consolidation reduced options by 12% in 2023.
  • ESG data compliance required by 70% of EU funds.
  • Data lineage tracking adopted by only 33% of users.
  • 39% face scalability issues with big alt data volumes.
  • CCPA regulations affected 22% of US providers.
  • Bias in alt data models flagged by 27% of quants.
  • 51% cite high onboarding time as barrier.
  • Cybersecurity breaches in alt data up 18%.
  • 36% of datasets rejected for poor signal-to-noise.

Challenges and Regulations Interpretation

The alternative data industry, while promising a competitive edge, now resembles a high-stakes poker game where players are increasingly spending $250,000 just to get a seat, only to find that over half the cards are smudged, a third of the decks are missing, and the dealer is being sued for privacy violations while the regulators circle the table, waiting to call foul on a bad hand.

Data Types and Sources

  • Satellite imagery adopted by 39% of commodity traders.
  • Credit/debit card transaction data used by 71% of consumer sector analysts.
  • Web scraping data constitutes 25% of all alt data consumed.
  • Geolocation data from mobile apps covers 1.2B devices globally.
  • Email receipt data parsed from 50M+ consumers weekly.
  • Shipping data from AIS tracks 180,000 vessels in real-time.
  • App download and usage data from 200+ countries.
  • Weather data integrated into 60% of alt data workflows.
  • Social media sentiment data from 10B+ posts daily.
  • Point of sale data from 1M+ US stores.
  • Patent filing data updated daily from USPTO and EPO.
  • Vehicle telematics data from 50M connected cars.
  • Job posting data scraped from 50K+ sites.
  • Electricity usage data from 100M+ meters.
  • Flight tracking data for 100K daily flights.
  • E-commerce reviews sentiment from 500M products.
  • Supply chain IoT sensors data from 1B devices.
  • Gaming app engagement data from 2B users.

Data Types and Sources Interpretation

While privacy skeptics may fear a chipped dystopia, today's analysts are simply piecing together a shockingly intimate, real-time mosaic of global life—from the cargo ships humming across oceans and the weather shaping crops, to the precise moment your phone passes a store and your card buys the coffee, proving we're not being watched by one Big Brother, but relentlessly quantified by a few thousand intensely curious little siblings.

Market Size and Growth

  • The global alternative data market size was valued at USD 11.65 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 12.4% from 2024 to 2030.
  • Alternative data market in North America held over 40% revenue share in 2023 due to high adoption by hedge funds and asset managers.
  • The alternative data industry is projected to reach USD 21.17 billion by 2028, expanding at a CAGR of 13.1% from 2021 levels.
  • Satellite imagery data segment accounted for 28% of the alternative data market revenue in 2022.
  • Email receipt data market within alternative data grew by 45% YoY in 2023 among buy-side firms.
  • Alternative data spending by hedge funds reached $1.6 billion in 2022, up 20% from 2021.
  • The Asia-Pacific alternative data market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR of 14.2% during 2023-2030.
  • Geolocation data contributed 22% to total alternative data revenues in 2023.
  • Buy-side firms' alternative data budgets increased by 25% on average in 2023.
  • Alternative data market in Europe grew 18% YoY in 2023, driven by regulatory clarity.
  • Transactional data segment is projected to hold 35% market share by 2027.
  • Global alt data providers numbered over 700 in 2023, up from 500 in 2020.
  • Alt data market CAGR forecasted at 11.5% from 2024-2032.
  • Credit card spend data market valued at $2.3B in 2023.
  • 62% of investment firms plan to increase alt data spend in 2024.
  • Alt data market in BFSI sector to grow at 13.8% CAGR to 2030.
  • Web scraped data segment revenue hit $3.1B in 2023.
  • Emerging markets alt data growth at 16% CAGR through 2028.
  • Alt data for retail sector projected to reach $4.5B by 2027.
  • 45% YoY growth in alt data deals in Q4 2023.

Market Size and Growth Interpretation

Wall Street’s appetite for everything from your grocery receipts to satellite photos of parking lots has ballooned into an $11.7 billion obsession, growing so voraciously that even your inbox and your morning commute are now being monetized for an edge in the markets.

Providers and Vendors

  • Eagle Alpha is the leading alt data marketplace with 500+ providers.
  • Neudata (Quiver Quant) vetted 1,000+ datasets in 2023.
  • YipitData serves 90% of top hedge funds with consumer data.
  • Orbital Insight analyzes satellite data for 200+ clients.
  • Second Measure tracks credit card data for retail analytics.
  • SafeGraph provides POI and foot traffic data to 5,000+ firms.
  • Thinknum scrapes web data for 10,000+ companies.
  • RS Metrics uses satellite for supply chain monitoring.
  • Numator (now NielsenIQ) offers POS and receipt data.
  • Sensor Tower delivers mobile app intelligence.
  • Advan researches broker research distribution data.
  • Facteus provides transaction data for banks.
  • DroneBase offers aerial imagery services.
  • GeoQuant tracks geopolitical risk data.
  • Matterport provides 3D satellite alternatives.
  • Crunchbase offers startup funding data.
  • Dataminr delivers real-time event detection.
  • Exiger specializes in supply chain risk data.
  • Foursquare provides location intelligence.
  • IRI offers consumer packaged goods data.

Providers and Vendors Interpretation

The landscape of alternative data is no longer a niche market but a sprawling, competitive intelligence bazaar where firms peddle everything from the secrets in your shopping cart and the shadows of satellites to the pulse of geopolitical risk, all in a race to out-predict and outperform.

Sources & References

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