The total amount of data created, captured, copied, and consumed globally is forecast to increase rapidly, reaching 64.2 zettabytes in 2020. Over the next five years up to 2025, global data creation is projected to grow to more than 180 zettabytes. In 2020, the amount of data created and replicated reached a new high. The growth was higher than previously expected caused by the increased demand due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as more people worked and learned from home and used home entertainment options more often.
Storage capacity also growing
Only a small percentage of this newly created data is kept though, as just two percent of the data produced and consumed in 2020 was saved and retained into 2021. In line with the strong growth of the data volume, the installed base of storage capacity is forecast to increase, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 19.2 percent over the forecast period from 2020 to 2025. In 2020, the installed base of storage capacity reached 6.7 zettabytes.
Volume of data/information created, captured, copied, and consumed worldwide from 2010 to 2025
(in zettabytes)
* The data was taken from various publications released over several years: Forecast for the years 2018 and 2019 as of 2018; Forecast for 2020 as of May 2021; Forecast for 2021 to 2025 as of March 2021 based on figure for 2020 provided by the source. Figures were rounded to provide a better understanding of the statistic.
The figures from 2021 to 2025 were calculated by Statista based on the 2020 forecast figure and the five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23 percent provided by the source. The figures prior to 2020 are based on IDC's forecast from late 2018.
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IDC, & Statista. (June 7, 2021). Volume of data/information created, captured, copied, and consumed worldwide from 2010 to 2025 (in zettabytes) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/871513/worldwide-data-created/
IDC, und Statista. "Volume of data/information created, captured, copied, and consumed worldwide from 2010 to 2025 (in zettabytes)." Chart. June 7, 2021. Statista. Accessed May 23, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/871513/worldwide-data-created/
IDC, Statista. (2021). Volume of data/information created, captured, copied, and consumed worldwide from 2010 to 2025 (in zettabytes). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 23, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/871513/worldwide-data-created/
IDC, and Statista. "Volume of Data/Information Created, Captured, Copied, and Consumed Worldwide from 2010 to 2025 (in Zettabytes)." Statista, Statista Inc., 7 Jun 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/871513/worldwide-data-created/
IDC & Statista, Volume of data/information created, captured, copied, and consumed worldwide from 2010 to 2025 (in zettabytes) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/871513/worldwide-data-created/ (last visited May 23, 2022)
