Spending on IT security rises by 10.1 per cent to 11.1 billion euros Six out of ten companies consider cyber attacks to be a threat to their existence

Germany is arming itself against cyber attacks and investing more heavily in IT security. In the current year, spending is expected to increase by 10.1 per cent to 11.1 billion euros, after exceeding the 10 billion euro mark for the first time in 2024 with 10.1 billion euros. This was announced by the digital association Bitkom at the start of the IT security trade fair it-sa in Nuremberg, based on data from the European consulting and analyst firm PAC. A significant increase of 9.9 per cent to €12.2 billion is also expected for 2026. ‘Successful cyber attacks can paralyse companies, but also public authorities and infrastructure such as railways and airports. We must continue to ramp up our investments in IT security,’ says Bitkom President Dr Ralf Wintergerst. According to a recent Bitkom study, cyber attacks cause the German economy annual losses of €202.4 billion, with 6 out of 10 companies (59 per cent) feeling that cyber attacks threaten their very existence. At the same time, companies now spend 18 per cent of their total IT budget on IT security. In 2022, this figure was just 9 per cent.

The strongest growth in the current year is in spending on security software and corresponding cloud platforms, which is up 12.1 per cent to £4.8 billion. Expenditure on IT security services is growing by 9.7 per cent to £5.6 billion. The increase in IT security hardware is only slight, at 1.4 per cent to £800 million. The German market for IT security as a whole will grow by a strong 10.1 per cent in 2025, but other countries will grow faster. The global market for IT security is expected to grow by 11.2 per cent to €212.2 billion in 2025. Other European countries will also increase their spending by an average of 10.9 per cent, and the rest of the world by as much as 11.4 per cent. Germany currently has a 5.3 per cent share of the global IT security market. The rest of Europe accounts for 20.5 per cent. ‘The high demand for security solutions that are both powerful and trustworthy offers enormous opportunities for German providers,’ says Wintergerst. ‘it-sa shows that cyber security should not be seen solely as a cost factor; it guarantees the future and enables value creation, trust and innovation in Germany.’

The German economy fears a further increase in cyber attacks. 35 per cent of companies expect attacks to increase significantly in the coming twelve months, with a further 47 per cent expecting them to increase somewhat. No company expects a decline. ‘Politicians must speed up the implementation of the NIS 2 Directive. We need European harmonisation of IT security and must promote cross-border cooperation,’ said Wintergerst. ‘It is also important to hold administrations accountable. Administrations are of paramount importance for a functioning community and should comply with the same high security requirements as companies.’

Note on methodology: The market forecasts for the IT security market in Germany and worldwide are based on data from the European consulting and analyst firm PAC. The information is based on a survey conducted by Bitkom Research on behalf of the digital association Bitkom. A total of 1,002 companies with 10 or more employees and an annual turnover of at least €1 million in Germany were surveyed by telephone. The survey took place between calendar weeks 16 and 24 of 2025. The survey is representative.