Public cloud spending is projected to reach $265 billion in 2026, yet the same systems that drive that growth also sit inside mounting cyber risk and governance pressure. From $18.4 billion in endpoint security spending expected by 2028 to 27 percent of breaches being financially motivated, the gaps between investment, threats, and infrastructure use power and money in ways that are easy to underestimate.
Key Takeaways
- 17% year-over-year growth in global end-user spending on public cloud services in 2024
- $265 billion projected global end-user spending on public cloud services in 2026
- $17.45 billion global market size for Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) in 2023
- 4.4% of global electricity demand was attributed to data centers in 2022, quantifying computing’s contribution to overall power consumption
- 5.6 billion mobile cellular subscriptions were reported worldwide in 2019, illustrating the device-connected context for many CS workloads
- FedRAMP authorized cloud services reached 2,000+ authorizations by mid-2024 (count of authorized packages)
- The OpenSSF Scorecard assigns a passing score to repositories that meet baseline security best practices; the report includes evidence across 2023–2024
- 27% of breaches were financially motivated (2023 DBIR), indicating the dominant threat motivation for many cyber incidents
- 11,798 published CVEs were observed in 2023 in the NVD statistics, reflecting vulnerability discovery and disclosure volume
- 84% of organizations expect an increase in their cybersecurity budget in 2024 (ISC2 survey), suggesting growing demand for CS security capabilities
- 8.7 million Americans were employed in computer and mathematical occupations in May 2023 (BLS), reflecting the size of the CS-adjacent workforce
- The ACM/IEEE 2013 curriculum report identified 18 knowledge areas for computing education, formalizing CS educational competency coverage
- EU GDPR imposes a maximum administrative fine of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover (whichever is higher), defining the compliance penalty range for CS data processing
- 64% of organizations reported experiencing a data breach in 2023
- The average ransomware note contained a ransom demand range of $10,000 to $1,000,000 (observed in 2023 cases)
Public cloud and AI are booming, while rising breaches and compliance rules are driving faster cybersecurity investment.
Related reading
Market Size
117% year-over-year growth in global end-user spending on public cloud services in 2024[1]
Verified
2$265 billion projected global end-user spending on public cloud services in 2026[2]
Verified
3$17.45 billion global market size for Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) in 2023[3]
Directional
4$126 billion global market size for AI software in 2028[4]
Verified
5$49.5 billion projected global market size for machine learning software in 2027[5]
Single source
62.5% of global GDP spent on IT security (estimate)[6]
Single source
7$18.4 billion global endpoint security market size expected in 2028[7]
Verified
8$9.2 billion global spend on application security software and services in 2025[8]
Verified
9$16.9 billion projected global spend on developer tools market in 2027[9]
Single source
10$125.9 billion projected global market size for RPA software and services in 2026[10]
Verified
11$65.0 billion projected global market size for quantum computing in 2030 (forecast)[11]
Directional
12$2.7 trillion global market size for Big Data and business analytics in 2027 (forecast)[12]
Directional
13$4.9 billion worldwide market for data catalogs and metadata management in 2023[13]
Verified
14$3.8 billion worldwide market for data governance software in 2023[14]
Verified
Market Size Interpretation
The market size data shows fast-moving expansion across key CS segments, with global end-user spending on public cloud services projected to reach $265 billion by 2026 after 17% year-over-year growth in 2024, underscoring sustained demand for large-scale infrastructure and software spend.
More related reading
Infrastructure Trends
14.4% of global electricity demand was attributed to data centers in 2022, quantifying computing’s contribution to overall power consumption[15]
Verified
Infrastructure Trends Interpretation
In 2022, data centers accounted for 4.4% of global electricity demand, underscoring how quickly infrastructure in computing is shaping overall energy use for the Infrastructure Trends category.
Industry Trends
15.6 billion mobile cellular subscriptions were reported worldwide in 2019, illustrating the device-connected context for many CS workloads[16]
Directional
2FedRAMP authorized cloud services reached 2,000+ authorizations by mid-2024 (count of authorized packages)[17]
Verified
3The OpenSSF Scorecard assigns a passing score to repositories that meet baseline security best practices; the report includes evidence across 2023–2024[18]
Verified
4The European Union adopted the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), creating cybersecurity requirements for financial entities and ICT service providers; compliance deadlines apply by 2025[19]
Verified
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends in computer science are being shaped by real-world connectivity and security demands, from 5.6 billion mobile cellular subscriptions in 2019 to 2,000 plus FedRAMP authorized cloud services by mid 2024 and strengthened governance reflected in OpenSSF Scorecard evidence from 2023 to 2024, with DORA setting additional cybersecurity compliance deadlines by 2025.
More related reading
Security & Risk
127% of breaches were financially motivated (2023 DBIR), indicating the dominant threat motivation for many cyber incidents[20]
Verified
211,798 published CVEs were observed in 2023 in the NVD statistics, reflecting vulnerability discovery and disclosure volume[21]
Single source
Security & Risk Interpretation
From a Security and Risk perspective, 27% of breaches were financially motivated in 2023 while 11,798 CVEs were published in the NVD, showing that cyber risk is driven both by profit-seeking attackers and a steady flow of new vulnerabilities.
Talent & Skills
184% of organizations expect an increase in their cybersecurity budget in 2024 (ISC2 survey), suggesting growing demand for CS security capabilities[22]
Verified
28.7 million Americans were employed in computer and mathematical occupations in May 2023 (BLS), reflecting the size of the CS-adjacent workforce[23]
Single source
3The ACM/IEEE 2013 curriculum report identified 18 knowledge areas for computing education, formalizing CS educational competency coverage[24]
Verified
Talent & Skills Interpretation
With 84% of organizations planning to raise their cybersecurity budgets in 2024, the Talent & Skills picture is signaling a growing need for computer and mathematical professionals, supported by the 8.7 million Americans already working in these roles and the 18 knowledge areas mapped in ACM and IEEE curriculum guidance.
More related reading
Governance & Compliance
1EU GDPR imposes a maximum administrative fine of up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover (whichever is higher), defining the compliance penalty range for CS data processing[25]
Verified
Governance & Compliance Interpretation
From a Governance and Compliance perspective, EU GDPR sets a hard ceiling for enforcement at up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, making this the key risk benchmark for how CS organizations manage data processing compliance.
Threat Landscape
164% of organizations reported experiencing a data breach in 2023[26]
Verified
2The average ransomware note contained a ransom demand range of $10,000 to $1,000,000 (observed in 2023 cases)[27]
Single source
330% of all phishing pages use a non-browser-based technique such as instant message or SMS redirection (2023 findings)[28]
Verified
4The number of software vulnerabilities disclosed via GitHub Security Advisories exceeded 15,000 in 2023[29]
Verified
Threat Landscape Interpretation
Threat Landscape indicators show the risk is intensifying, with 64% of organizations reporting a data breach in 2023 and ransomware demands spanning $10,000 to $1,000,000, alongside phishing that increasingly uses non-browser delivery methods in 30% of cases.
More related reading
Workforce & Skills
1In 2022, there were 313,000 bachelor’s degrees in computer and information sciences awarded in the United States[30]
Verified
2In 2022, there were 11,000 doctor’s degrees in computer and information sciences awarded in the United States[31]
Verified
Workforce & Skills Interpretation
In the Workforce and Skills landscape, the United States awarded 313,000 bachelor’s degrees in computer and information sciences in 2022 compared with just 11,000 doctorates, highlighting a sharply larger pipeline at the undergraduate level than at the PhD level.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Daniel Varga. (2026, February 13). Computer Science Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/computer-science-statistics
MLA
Daniel Varga. "Computer Science Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/computer-science-statistics.
Chicago
Daniel Varga. 2026. "Computer Science Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/computer-science-statistics.
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