A software update error recently disrupted 8.5 million Windows systems in a single day. Broader failure data shows risks cluster in specific areas rather than spreading evenly. Aggregated statistics across sectors make those concentrations visible.
Key Takeaways
- US high school dropout rate is 5.2% in 2021, leading to academic failure metrics, National Center for Education Statistics
- Approximately 20% of new businesses in the United States fail within the first two years of operation, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for employer firms tracked from 2013-2023
- 55% of heart failure patients readmitted within 30 days post-discharge, CDC 2022
- 50% of marriages end in divorce within first 10 years US, CDC NCHS 2022
- 90% of startups fail overall, with 10% surviving past 10 years, per Forbes analysis of 50+ years data 2023
- Challenger space shuttle failure due to O-ring seal failure in cold temperatures on January 28, 1986, killing 7 astronauts, NASA Rogers Commission Report
Failure rates stay highest where teams lack clear processes and frequent performance feedback.
Related reading
01 · Category
Academic Failures23 stats
01
US high school dropout rate is 5.2% in 2021, leading to academic failure metrics, National Center for Education Statistics
02
40% of college students fail to graduate within 6 years, National Student Clearinghouse 2023
03
In STEM fields, 48% of undergraduates switch out or drop due to failure rates, per Harvard study 2022
04
UK university dropout rate 6.4% in first year 2021/22, HESA data
05
25% of medical students fail licensing exams on first try, USMLE 2023 stats
06
Online course completion rate averages 9.4% globally, edX/MIT 2022 study
07
33% of PhD students fail to complete in sciences, Nature 2023 survey
08
Bar exam first-time pass rate 67% in 2022 US average, NCBE
09
15% of law students fail out in first year, ABA 2023
10
High school failure rate in math proficiency 65% US 2022, NAEP
11
50% of community college students fail remedial courses, Complete College America 2021
12
India engineering college failure rate 35% first year, AICTE 2023
13
Australia uni attrition 20% first year 2022, Dept of Education
14
28% of MBA students drop due to workload, GMAC 2023 survey
15
CPA exam pass rate 45-55% per section 2022, AICPA
16
40% failure in teacher certification exams US, ETS 2023
17
Nursing school attrition 30% average, AACN 2022
18
22% of architecture students fail licensure first attempt, NCARB 2023
19
Coding bootcamp completion 80% but job placement failure 35%, Course Report 2023
20
Germany Abitur failure rate 2.5% but higher in vocational 15%, KMK 2022
21
Brazil ENEM university entry failure 70% non-qualifiers, INEP 2023
22
China Gaokao failure for top unis 95%, Ministry of Ed 2023
23
France Baccalauréat pass rate 91% but resit failure 20%
Interpretation
Academic Failures Interpretation
Behind every sterile percentage point lies a very human story of thwarted effort and systemic friction, painting a global portrait of educational structures that are better at creating hurdles than clearing them.
02 · Category
Business Failures30 stats
01
Approximately 20% of new businesses in the United States fail within the first two years of operation, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for employer firms tracked from 2013-2023
02
In 2022, restaurant failure rates reached 30% within the first year, higher than the average for all industries at 21%, according to HospitalityNet analysis of SBA data
03
42% of businesses fail due to lack of market need, as identified in a CB Insights study analyzing 101 post-mortem reports of failed startups from 2014-2019
04
UK small business failure rate was 11.5% in 2021, with retail sector at 15.2%, per UK Insolvency Service quarterly statistics Q4 2021
05
29% of failed businesses cite running out of cash as the primary reason, from Harvard Business Review analysis of 2010-2020 failure data
06
Construction industry failure rate stands at 25.6% within five years in the EU, Eurostat data 2018-2022
07
65% of retail stores opened in 2020 closed by 2023 due to e-commerce competition, per National Retail Federation report
08
In Australia, 60.4% of businesses fail within three years, ASIC data 2019-2022
09
Not having the right team causes 23% of startup failures, CB Insights 2023 update on 300+ post-mortems
10
US manufacturing firms have a 5-year failure rate of 35.2%, Census Bureau 2017 data
11
90% of e-commerce startups fail within 120 days, per Shopify internal analytics 2021-2023
12
Canadian SMEs failure rate hit 14% in 2022 amid inflation, Statistics Canada
13
50% of tech hardware businesses fail due to supply chain issues, Gartner 2022 report
14
In India, 80% of startups fail within 18 months, per Inc42 analysis of 2023 data
15
Poor marketing leads to 14% of business failures, MarketingProfs survey 2020
16
70% of franchises fail in under 5 years outside US, Franchise Business Review 2021
17
Brazil business failure rate 28% in 2022, Serasa Experian data
18
45% of consulting firms fail due to pricing errors, Consulting Success 2023 study
19
US hotel failure rate 22% post-COVID 2022, STR Global
20
55% of fashion startups fail from inventory mismanagement, FashionUnited 2021
21
Germany SME failure rate 9.8% in 2022, Destatis
22
38% of food delivery startups failed in 2022, McKinsey report
23
South Africa business closures 15% in 2023, StatsSA Q1 2023
24
25% failure rate for cleaning service businesses within 3 years, Thumbtack 2022
25
Japan corporate bankruptcy rate 0.4% but SME 12% in 2022, Teikoku Databank
26
60% of beverage startups fail from poor distribution, BevNET 2023
27
France business failure rate 15% in 2022, INSEE
28
40% of SaaS companies fail due to churn >10%, ProfitWell 2022 metrics
29
Italy retail failure rate 18.2% 2021-2022, ISTAT
30
33% of logistics startups bankrupt in 2022 supply crunch, FreightWaves
Interpretation
Business Failures Interpretation
The graveyard of commerce is crowded with stories of unmet market needs, empty coffers, and fumbled execution, proving that while ambition may launch a venture, it's operational reality—from cash flow to customer churn—that ultimately writes its epitaph.
03 · Category
Health Failures24 stats
01
55% of heart failure patients readmitted within 30 days post-discharge, CDC 2022
02
Type 2 diabetes treatment failure rate 50% within 5 years, ADA 2023 Standards
03
30% of cancer chemotherapies fail initial response, NCI SEER 2022
04
Antibiotic failure in pneumonia cases 20-30%, WHO 2023 AMR report
05
Knee replacement surgery failure requiring revision 6% at 5 years, AAOS 2022
06
40% of weight loss attempts fail long-term (1+ year), NIH 2023 obesity data
07
Organ transplant rejection acute 10-20% first year, UNOS 2023
08
IVF success failure rate 70% per cycle under 35yo, CDC ART 2021
09
Depression treatment non-response 30-50%, APA 2023 guidelines
10
25% of hip implants fail within 10 years, JBJS 2022 meta-analysis
11
Sepsis treatment failure mortality 20-50%, Surviving Sepsis 2023
12
35% of smoking cessation attempts fail within 6 months, CDC 2023
13
Alzheimer's drug trials failure rate 99% since 2003, Alz Assoc 2023
14
15% of bariatric surgeries have complications leading to failure, ASMBS 2023
15
Hypertension control failure 50% despite treatment, AHA 2023
16
28% graft failure in kidney transplants at 5 years, OPTN 2023
17
COPD exacerbation treatment failure 40%, GOLD 2023 report
18
60% of addiction recovery relapses within first year, NIDA 2023
19
Vaccine failure in breakthrough COVID cases 10-20%, NEJM 2023
20
45% of stroke rehab patients fail independence goals, AHA 2023
21
Dialysis access failure 30% annual, NKF 2023
22
20% immunotherapy non-response in melanoma, ASCO 2023
23
Osteoporosis treatment fracture reduction failure 30%, IOF 2023
24
50% of fibromyalgia pain management fails, ACR 2023
Interpretation
Health Failures Interpretation
The human body is a magnificently stubborn machine, and modern medicine's greatest triumphs are often a grinding, statistical war of attrition where partial victories are celebrated alongside the sobering reality that our interventions frequently meet their match.
More related reading
05 · Category
Startup Failures29 stats
01
90% of startups fail overall, with 10% surviving past 10 years, per Forbes analysis of 50+ years data 2023
02
75% of venture-backed startups fail to return principal to investors, Harvard Business School 2022 study on 2000 firms
03
No market need accounts for 42% of startup failures, CB Insights 2023 postmortem of 400+ cases
04
29% of startups run out of cash, top financial reason per Failory 2022 survey of 500 founders
05
23% fail due to not the right team, CB Insights updated 2023
06
19% get outcompeted, from 2021-2023 analysis of Silicon Valley exits
07
18% have pricing/cost issues, Startup Genome 2022 Global Report
08
17% fail from poor product, per Y Combinator founder survey 2023
09
14% ignore customers, CB Insights 2023
10
70% of startups lack product-market fit leading to failure within 2 years, per a16z 2022 analysis
11
47% of fintech startups fail in first 3 years, FinTech Global 2023
12
92% of blockchain startups failed by 2023, CoinGecko report on 500+ projects
13
80% of foodtech startups shutter within 18 months, per TechCrunch 2022
14
Edtech failure rate 75% post-2020 boom, HolonIQ 2023
15
65% of healthtech startups fail due to regulatory hurdles, Rock Health 2023 fund data
16
Gaming startups have 88% failure rate, Newzoo 2022
17
55% of cleantech startups bankrupt 2006-2022, BCG analysis
18
Mobility startups 82% failure, McKinsey 2023 urban mobility report
19
95% of consumer hardware startups fail, Bolt VC 2022 postmortem
20
B2B SaaS startups 63% fail within 4 years, OpenView 2023 benchmarks
21
85% of AR/VR startups defunct by 2023, CB Insights
22
Proptech failure rate 78%, PropTech Buzz 2023
23
72% of agritech startups fail from scaling issues, AgFunder 2023
24
Insurtech 68% failure post-2019, InsurTech Digital 2023
25
91% of NFT startups collapsed 2022-2023, DappRadar
26
Space tech startups 76% failure rate, Space Capital 2023
27
67% of adtech startups fail yearly, IAB 2023 metrics
28
Femtech 74% failure 2020-2023, FemTech World
29
89% of metaverse startups inactive by mid-2023, Messari report
Interpretation
Startup Failures Interpretation
While these statistics confirm the brutal odds that nine in ten ventures will ultimately fail, the real tragedy is that the vast majority collapse from preventable causes like ignoring the market, mismanaging cash, or building a team unfit for the fight, which means aspiring founders are often their own worst enemy.
06 · Category
Technological Failures19 stats
01
Challenger space shuttle failure due to O-ring seal failure in cold temperatures on January 28, 1986, killing 7 astronauts, NASA Rogers Commission Report
02
Three Mile Island nuclear accident 1979 partial meltdown from stuck valve failure, NRC report 99% core damage avoided
03
737 MAX MCAS software failure caused 346 deaths in two crashes 2018-2019, Boeing NTSB final report
04
Deepwater Horizon oil rig blowout preventer failure 2010 spilled 4.9M barrels, BP Commission Report
05
Tacoma Narrows Bridge aeroelastic flutter failure collapsed 1940 in 42mph wind, historical engineering analysis
06
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear meltdowns 2011 from tsunami flooding diesel generator failure, IAEA report
07
Heartbleed OpenSSL buffer over-read vulnerability 2014 affected 17% internet servers, Codenomicon discovery
08
Ariane 5 rocket self-destruct 1996 from integer overflow in software, ESA inquiry board
09
Therac-25 radiation therapy overdoses 1985-1987 killed 5 from software race condition, FDA report
10
Knight Capital algorithmic trading glitch 2012 lost $440M in 45 minutes, SEC report
11
Mars Climate Orbiter lost 1999 due to metric/imperial unit mismatch, NASA review
12
CrowdStrike Falcon sensor update failure July 2024 caused 8.5M Windows BSOD outages worldwide, CrowdStrike postmortem
13
SolarWinds Orion supply chain hack 2020 compromised 18K orgs from DLL failure check, FireEye
14
Patriot Missile software clock drift failure missed Scud 1991 killed 28, GAO report
15
Northeast blackout 2003 from software bug in alarm system affected 50M people, U.S.-Canada Task Force
16
Volkswagen Dieselgate emissions software cheat detected 2015 fined $30B, EPA
17
Hyatt Regency walkway collapse 1981 connection rod change failure killed 114, ASCE
18
Piper Alpha oil platform explosion 1988 permit-to-work system failure killed 167, Cullen Inquiry
19
Columbia shuttle foam strike tile failure 2003 disintegrated reentry killing 7, CAIB report
Interpretation
Technological Failures Interpretation
Behind every headline statistic of near-misses and catastrophic failures, from the frozen O-rings of Challenger to the runaway algorithms of Knight Capital, lies a depressingly human pattern: we often engineer brilliantly for the expected but are disastrously myopic about the improbable, leaving our most critical systems fatally vulnerable to a single, unheeded flaw.
Reference
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APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). Failure Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/failure-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "Failure Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/failure-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "Failure Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/failure-statistics.
Sources & references
100 datasets cited across this report
shopify.comstatcan.gc.ca