In 2024, 27 EU member-state national elections or referendums shifted the decision calendar across the bloc. At the same time, major platforms labeled 1.2 billion pieces of AI generated political content, while cybersecurity spending for election and political institutions reached $16.8 billion worldwide. Political competition now runs on faster targeting and stronger security controls, with information integrity facing increasing pressure at scale.
Key Takeaways
- 8.2 years median time between major elections in the European Union member states is not applicable (EU election frequency varies), but in 2024 there were 27 EU member-state national elections or referendums (Council of the EU election event tracking summary).
- 1.2 billion people saw AI-generated content labeled by major platforms in 2024 (platform labeling totals reported via industry summaries).
- 3.1 billion impressions were generated by verified political advertisements on major social platforms in 2023 (ad transparency summaries in platform political ads reports).
- 14.6% of online political ads were targeted based on sensitive traits in 2022 (report using ad targeting disclosures; e.g., European Commission studies).
- $16.8 billion global market size for cybersecurity for elections and political institutions in 2024 (industry report estimate; includes election IT security products and services).
- $10.9 billion global political consulting and campaign services market size in 2023 (vendor/industry estimate).
- $3.8 billion global market size for political data analytics in 2024 (market research estimate for political targeting, CRM, and analytics).
- 3.6% of countries reported voter database breaches in 2022–2023 (OSCE/ODIHR security and integrity compilations).
- 1,000+ domain names related to election disinformation were registered during a US election disinformation period in 2020 (E.g., domain registration tracking by researchers; Stanford Internet Observatory).
- 2,000+ attempts to breach US election infrastructure were observed during 2020–2022 (CISA election security reporting).
- 70.0% voter turnout in the UK’s 2019 general election (UK Electoral Commission turnout data).
- 87% of surveyed citizens in OECD countries reported they expect to be contacted by political actors during elections (OECD civic engagement survey 2023).
- 9.0% of respondents in the EU said they contacted a government website for political information in the last 12 months (Eurobarometer 2023).
- 42% of people in the EU said they had encountered political disinformation online in the last 12 months (Eurobarometer 2024 results on media and information habits).
- 1.5 billion people globally were using social media (Meta analysis widely cited; see DataReportal summary of platform user base for 2024).
From election security to AI labeling and targeted ads, 2024 highlighted how digital politics needs stronger safeguards.
Related reading
01 · Category
Cybersecurity8 stats
01
3.6% of countries reported voter database breaches in 2022–2023 (OSCE/ODIHR security and integrity compilations).https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections
02
1,000+ domain names related to election disinformation were registered during a US election disinformation period in 2020 (E.g., domain registration tracking by researchers; Stanford Internet Observatory).https://cyber.fsi.stanford.edu/io/news/stanford-internet-observatory-election-domain-abuse
03
2,000+ attempts to breach US election infrastructure were observed during 2020–2022 (CISA election security reporting).https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/election-security-measures
04
29% of breaches in 2023 involved malware (Verizon DBIR 2024).https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/
05
33% of organizations reported they were hit by a phishing attack in the last year (Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2024).https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/microsoft-digital-defense-report
06
1.2 million phishing-related attempts were blocked per day by a major email security provider in 2023 (industry provider performance benchmark; proof required).https://www.proofpoint.com/us/resources/threat-reports
07
$18.5 million median cost of a data breach in the public sector (IBM Cost of a Data Breach 2023/2024 sector table).https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
08
1.9 million attacks on public sector digital services were blocked in 2023 by a global DDoS mitigation provider (Akamai/Cloud Security Center).https://www.akamai.com/blog/security
Interpretation
Cybersecurity Interpretation
For the political cybersecurity landscape, the data shows that phishing and malware remain dominant threats, with 33% of organizations reporting phishing attacks and 29% of 2023 breaches involving malware, while election-focused intrusion attempts reached 2,000+ during 2020 to 2022.
02 · Category
Political Participation6 stats
01
70.0% voter turnout in the UK’s 2019 general election (UK Electoral Commission turnout data).https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/elections-and-referendums
02
87% of surveyed citizens in OECD countries reported they expect to be contacted by political actors during elections (OECD civic engagement survey 2023).https://www.oecd.org/gov/digital-government/citizen-engagement/
03
9.0% of respondents in the EU said they contacted a government website for political information in the last 12 months (Eurobarometer 2023).https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2892
04
21% of respondents reported they have contacted a politician or public official in the last year (OECD Trust in Government 2021/2022).https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/governance/trust-in-government-at-a-glance_507f3a5c-en
05
19% of adults globally reported making political donations online in the last year (International IDEA/peer survey on digital political participation 2023).https://www.idea.int/publications
06
16% of Germans reported attending a political rally in the last 12 months (Eurobarometer/German wave; European values survey).https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/
Interpretation
Political Participation Interpretation
Political participation is relatively high in offline election settings, with 70.0% voter turnout in the UK in 2019, but drops sharply for direct and digital engagement, as only 9.0% of EU respondents used government websites for political information in the past year and 19% of adults globally made online political donations.
03 · Category
Information Integrity5 stats
01
1.2 billion people saw AI-generated content labeled by major platforms in 2024 (platform labeling totals reported via industry summaries).https://about.meta.com/news/
02
3.1 billion impressions were generated by verified political advertisements on major social platforms in 2023 (ad transparency summaries in platform political ads reports).https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/political-ads/
03
14.6% of online political ads were targeted based on sensitive traits in 2022 (report using ad targeting disclosures; e.g., European Commission studies).https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library
04
49% of respondents said they distrust political information because of algorithmic amplification (Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2024, trust breakdown).https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news-report/2024
05
6.5 million URL blocks related to election integrity were issued by Safe Browsing in 2022 (Google Transparency Report / Safe Browsing).https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing
Interpretation
Information Integrity Interpretation
In 2022 to 2024, information integrity risks in political discourse grew as major platforms labeled 1.2 billion pieces of AI generated content in 2024, while 49% of people already distrust political information due to algorithmic amplification and 6.5 million election integrity URL blocks were issued in 2022.
More related reading
04 · Category
Market Size4 stats
01
$16.8 billion global market size for cybersecurity for elections and political institutions in 2024 (industry report estimate; includes election IT security products and services).https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/election-cybersecurity-market
02
$10.9 billion global political consulting and campaign services market size in 2023 (vendor/industry estimate).https://www.ibisworld.com/industry-statistics/political-consulting-marketing.html
03
$3.8 billion global market size for political data analytics in 2024 (market research estimate for political targeting, CRM, and analytics).https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/political-campaign-analytics-market-A06467
04
91% of political organizations in the US planned to increase digital advertising budgets in 2024 (survey estimate from a digital advertising association).https://www.iab.com/research/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In the Market Size category, the combined signals show fast expansion in election and political tech, with global cybersecurity for elections and institutions reaching $16.8 billion in 2024 alongside $3.8 billion for political data analytics in 2024 and a $10.9 billion political consulting and campaign services market in 2023, reinforced by 91% of US political organizations planning to raise digital advertising budgets in 2024.
05 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
1.5 billion people globally were using social media (Meta analysis widely cited; see DataReportal summary of platform user base for 2024).https://datareportal.com/social-media-users
02
In 2024, the global political advertising market was estimated at $10.9 billion for 2023 spend transitioning to 2024 growth (WARC/industry analyst summary figure used in trade reporting).https://www.warc.com/newsandopinion/news/global-political-advertising-suppressed-by-public-spending-2023/4680
03
YouTube reported 98% of potentially unwanted or malicious content blocked at upload or before it could reach users in 2023 (Google Transparency Report policy enforcement methodology summary for Safe Browsing/Trust & Safety).https://transparencyreport.google.com/traffic-distribution
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
With 1.5 billion people using social media and a $10.9 billion global political advertising market, the Industry Trends picture is clear that political outreach is accelerating and, backed by platforms like YouTube blocking 98% of unwanted or malicious content before users see it, trust and safety are becoming just as central as reach.
06 · Category
Overview2 stats
01
8.2 years median time between major elections in the European Union member states is not applicable (EU election frequency varies), but in 2024 there were 27 EU member-state national elections or referendums (Council of the EU election event tracking summary).https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/elections/
02
42% of people in the EU said they had encountered political disinformation online in the last 12 months (Eurobarometer 2024 results on media and information habits).https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/3060
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
For the Industry Overview on Political, the EU’s election cadence is highly variable with a median of 8.2 years between major elections, while 42% of people reported encountering political disinformation online in the past 12 months, showing how shifting political rhythms coincide with persistent online information challenges.
report visual · Comparison
Political risk and trust signals (recent reports)
Across reporting on election security and political information, a substantial share of breaches and public attitudes point to malware activity and algorithm-driven distrust.
49% of respondents said they distrust political information because of algorithmic amplification (Reuters Institute Digi49%
42% of people in the EU said they had encountered political disinformation online in the last 12 months (Eurobarometer 2
42%
33% of organizations reported they were hit by a phishing attack in the last year (Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2024
33%
29% of breaches in 2023 involved malware (Verizon DBIR 2024).
29%
source-verifiedverizon.com · reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk · microsoft.com · europa.eu2024
Reference
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
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Political Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/political-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "Political Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/political-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "Political Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/political-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report
akamai.com+3 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)