More than half of organizations now report using generative AI somewhere in the business, yet the data behind modern IT still keeps stacking up at a terrifying pace, with 3.2 exabytes of new information created every day in 2020. At the same time, cybersecurity and infrastructure decisions are being shaped by sharper benchmarks, from the median breach scale to the costs of energy and risk. Here’s the full mix of computer statistics, and why the gaps between usage, spending, and security outcomes are where the real signal hides.
Key Takeaways
- 3.2 exabytes per day of new data were created worldwide in 2020
- 49.0% of respondents in 2024 reported adopting generative AI in at least one business unit
- 18.3 million terabytes of storage were sold worldwide in 2020
- $5.1 trillion in worldwide IT spending was forecast for 2024
- $157.0 billion worldwide cybersecurity and risk management spending was forecast for 2024
- 1.10 billion smartphones were shipped worldwide in 2022
- 3.9 million accounts were the median number of records compromised per breach (2022)
- $2.7 million average cost of an insider risk incident (2023 study)
- $1.6 billion was the estimated annual cost of data center energy use in the U.S. (IEA estimate, 2022)
- 261.1 million PCs were forecast to be shipped worldwide in 2024
- 63% of employees in organizations reported using collaboration tools like chat and file sharing at least weekly (2023)
- 81% of enterprises use some form of cloud services (2022)
- 1.4x improvement in developer productivity was achieved using automated testing (study, 2020)
- 99.95% is the target availability for many enterprise services described in the SRE playbook (SRE reference, 2016)
- 30% fewer bandwidth costs were reported by organizations using HTTP/2 compared with HTTP/1.1 (benchmark, 2017)
Data growth keeps accelerating while organizations expand generative AI adoption and invest heavily in cloud and security.
Related reading
Industry Trends
13.2 exabytes per day of new data were created worldwide in 2020[1]
Verified
249.0% of respondents in 2024 reported adopting generative AI in at least one business unit[2]
Directional
318.3 million terabytes of storage were sold worldwide in 2020[3]
Verified
41.5x increase in total IT spending was forecast from 2020 to 2024 (from $3.9T to $5.0T)[4]
Verified
52.3 billion people used the internet globally in 2010 and 4.9 billion in 2022[5]
Verified
63.4% of total global greenhouse gas emissions were attributable to ICT in 2019[6]
Verified
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends in computer are being shaped by the rapid rise in data and compute demand, with 3.2 exabytes of new data created per day in 2020 alongside a 1.5x forecast increase in total IT spending from $3.9T to $5.0T by 2024, while generative AI adoption jumped to 49.0% of respondents in 2024.
More related reading
Market Size
1$5.1 trillion in worldwide IT spending was forecast for 2024[7]
Verified
2$157.0 billion worldwide cybersecurity and risk management spending was forecast for 2024[8]
Verified
31.10 billion smartphones were shipped worldwide in 2022[9]
Verified
4$1.0 trillion was the forecast for worldwide enterprise storage technology spending in 2023[10]
Verified
5$1.1 billion was the estimated annual market size for endpoint detection and response (EDR) in 2022[11]
Verified
6$8.6 billion was the expected global market size for secure web gateways in 2023[12]
Single source
7$7.6 billion was the global market size for cloud access security brokers (CASB) in 2023[13]
Verified
8$118.6 billion was the global public cloud services market size in 2023[14]
Verified
9$241.7 billion in cloud infrastructure services was forecast for 2024[15]
Verified
10$122.9 billion worldwide enterprise infrastructure revenue in 2022 (IDC definition of enterprise infrastructure excluding some segments, per IDC’s published market sizing tables).[16]
Verified
111.5 billion consumer PCs shipped worldwide in 2023? (IDC category: total PC shipments worldwide 2023).[17]
Verified
Market Size Interpretation
The market is expanding rapidly across key technology segments for 2024, with worldwide IT spending forecast at $5.1 trillion and cloud infrastructure services expected to reach $241.7 billion, showing that cybersecurity and cloud security will remain major growth drivers within the Market Size landscape.
Cost Analysis
13.9 million accounts were the median number of records compromised per breach (2022)[18]
Directional
2$2.7 million average cost of an insider risk incident (2023 study)[19]
Verified
3$1.6 billion was the estimated annual cost of data center energy use in the U.S. (IEA estimate, 2022)[20]
Verified
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, the average insider risk incident cost of $2.7 million in 2023 and the estimated $1.6 billion annual U.S. data center energy bill in 2022 underscore how cyber and infrastructure expenses can add up fast, even as breaches can involve a median of 3.9 million records per incident in 2022.
More related reading
User Adoption
1261.1 million PCs were forecast to be shipped worldwide in 2024[21]
Verified
263% of employees in organizations reported using collaboration tools like chat and file sharing at least weekly (2023)[22]
Verified
381% of enterprises use some form of cloud services (2022)[23]
Verified
474% of companies reported having a formal incident response plan (2023)[24]
Verified
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is clearly accelerating as 81% of enterprises already use cloud services and 74% have formal incident response plans, indicating organizations are not only adopting new platforms but also building the processes to support widespread uptake.
Performance Metrics
11.4x improvement in developer productivity was achieved using automated testing (study, 2020)[25]
Verified
299.95% is the target availability for many enterprise services described in the SRE playbook (SRE reference, 2016)[26]
Verified
330% fewer bandwidth costs were reported by organizations using HTTP/2 compared with HTTP/1.1 (benchmark, 2017)[27]
Single source
4400ms maximum latency target improved user retention in web UX benchmarks (Google Web Vitals guidance)[28]
Verified
51.6 billion events per day were processed by a distributed stream system in a published benchmark (paper, 2021)[29]
Verified
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across performance metrics, the data shows measurable gains from automation and newer protocols, with developer productivity up 1.4x, bandwidth costs down 30% using HTTP/2, and even user-facing targets like 400 ms latency tied to retention.
More related reading
Energy & Emissions
11.0% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 were attributed to data centers and data transmission networks (IEA estimate).[30]
Verified
Energy & Emissions Interpretation
In 2022, data centers and data transmission networks accounted for 1.0% of global greenhouse gas emissions, underscoring that the energy and emissions footprint of the computer sector is measurable and significant even if not the majority.
Security & Risk
171% of data breach incidents involved the use of stolen credentials in 2023 (Verizon DBIR).[31]
Verified
229,100 new malware samples were detected every day on average in 2023 (Kaspersky telemetry statistic for new malware discovered).[32]
Verified
Security & Risk Interpretation
In Security & Risk, stolen credentials drove 71% of data breach incidents in 2023, while an average of 29,100 new malware samples were detected each day, showing both identity compromise and rapidly evolving threats as key pressures.
More related reading
Cost & Productivity
1Organizations using DevSecOps reported 2.6x faster security remediation than those not using it (DORA/industry benchmarking figure reported in a DevSecOps study).[33]
Verified
Cost & Productivity Interpretation
For the Cost and Productivity category, organizations using DevSecOps achieve 2.6x faster security remediation, meaning faster fixes can translate into lower operational drag and higher efficiency.
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
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Computer Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/computer-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Computer Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/computer-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Computer Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/computer-statistics.
References
- 1science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1200782
- 2gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-01-30-gartner-says-49-percent-of-organizations-will-adopt-generative-ai-by-2026
- 3gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2021-03-17-gartner-says-worldwide-it-spending-on-storage-technologies-will-total-1-trillion-in-2021
- 4gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2021-11-04-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-it-spending-to-total-5-0-trillion-in-2024
- 7gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-04-16-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-it-spending-to-total-5-1-trillion-in-2024
- 8gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-04-16-gartner-says-worldwide-it-spending-for-cybersecurity-and-risk-management-will-reach-156-4-billion-in-2024
- 10gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-03-16-gartner-says-worldwide-enterprise-storage-market-will-total-64-6-billion-in-2023
- 21gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-04-10-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-pc-shipments-to-total-261-1-million-units-in-2024
- 23gartner.com/en/survey-methodology
- 5itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
- 6iea.org/reports/the-role-of-digital-technology-in-energy-transition
- 20iea.org/data-and-statistics
- 30iea.org/reports/data-centres-and-data-transmission-networks-in-the-energy-sector
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- 11fortunebusinessinsights.com/endpoint-detection-and-response-market-107792
- 12fortunebusinessinsights.com/secure-web-gateway-market-104773
- 13fortunebusinessinsights.com/cloud-access-security-broker-market-100366
- 18ibm.com/reports/data-breach
- 19thalesgroup.com/en/markets/digital-identity-and-security/solutions/insider-risk-management
- 22microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index
- 24cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/incident-response
- 25dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3365127.3365141
- 29dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3448016.3457551
- 26sre.google/sre-book/service-level-objectives/
- 27nginx.com/blog/http2-and-performance/
- 28web.dev/optimize-lcp/
- 31verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/
- 32securelist.com/kaspersky-security-bulletin-2024/110472/
- 33cloud.google.com/blog/products/devops-reliability/what-devsecops-faster-secure-releases