Report
Africa 2026 Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report
Africa's Workforce Is the Most Phish-prone in the World. Training Is Closing the Gap.
Africa's workforce faces the highest phishing susceptibility of any region, with more than one in three employees likely to fall for a phishing simulation before training. Discover how ongoing security awareness training can reduce human risk and strengthen organizational resilience.
The 2026 Africa Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report from KnowBe4 examines phishing susceptibility across African organizations by industry and organization size, drawing on a global dataset of 42 million simulations and 14 million users. The report reveals how sustained security awareness training reduced average phishing susceptibility from 35.9% to 7.4%, while identifying sectors and workforce segments where risks remain elevated.
Key Findings: Africa's Phishing Risk
- 35.9% Baseline Risk: More than one in three employees was susceptible to phishing before training, dropping to 7.4% after a year or more.
- 79% Risk Reduction: Sustained training significantly reduced phishing susceptibility, although Africa remains 70% above the global average.
- Highest-Risk Industries: Energy and utilities (48%), Retail and wholesale (45.2%), and Consumer services (43.6%) recorded the highest baseline
rates among well-sampled industries. - Persistent Vulnerabilities: Mid-sized organizations maintained a 15.1% susceptibility rate after a year, while AI-driven phishing, vishing, and
Download the Report to Discover
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Phishing susceptibility benchmarks by industry and organization size
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How training reduced phishing susceptibility by up to 95% in certain sectors.
- How Africa compares with six other global regions.
- Expert insights and practical strategies for strengthening AI-aware security awareness programs.
Topics
Email Security
Human Security
Risk Management
Cyber Threats