Overview

• Worldwide average breach cost declined 9% to $4.44 million in 2025, marking the first drop since 2020
• U.S. breach expenses rose 9% to a record $10.22 million, driven by higher regulatory fines and detection costs
• Canadian companies saw costs increase 10.4% to $6.98 million amid slower AI defense adoption and governance gaps
• Healthcare remained the costliest sector at $7.42 million per breach with the longest resolution time of 279 days
• Organizations using AI and automation saved an average $1.9 million and cut breach lifecycles by 80 days, though 13% reported AI-related breaches and 97% lacked AI access controls