Overview
Zero Trust Security Statistics: Zero Trust is a security approach that verifies every access request and never assumes trust, even for internal users. In 2026, organizations have fully or partially implemented a Zero Trust strategy. Among those that have not started, plan to adopt it at some point. Adoption is usually limited in scope. Only 16% of organizations expect it to cover 75% or more of their environment.
This technology is rapidly gaining traction across industries like entertainment, customer service, healthcare, and marketing, as businesses look for ways to create personalized audio content, virtual assistants, and automated voiceovers. While voice cloning offers exciting creative and commercial possibilities, it has also raised concerns around misuse, deepfake audio, and identity theft, prompting increased focus on ethical use and security measures across the AI industry.
Top of the Line
- 59% of IT leaders are already deploying a Zero Trust security strategy, while 79% of the remaining organizations plan to adopt it in the future.
- Only 16% of organizations expect Zero Trust to cover 75% or more of their environment, though 58% expect it to cover at least 25%.
- 75% of organizations adopt Zero Trust mainly to improve their risk-management strategy.
- 56% of organizations consider cost concerns the biggest challenge to Zero Trust adoption, while 51% face skills gaps and technology gaps.
- 68% of organizations already use identity and access management tools, and 71% consider them essential to Zero Trust, the highest of any component.
- 95% of decision-makers agree that Zero Trust reduces security incidents, with 78% agreeing and 17% strongly agreeing.
Global Zero Trust Security Market Statistics
- The global Zero Trust security market was valued at USD 30.3 billion in 2023.
- The market is expected to grow to USD 35.4 billion in 2024 and USD 41.4 billion in 2025.
- By 2026, the market is projected to reach USD 48.4 billion, followed by USD 56.6 billion in 2027.
- The market could increase to USD 66.1 billion in 2028 and USD 77.3 billion in 2029.
- From 2023 to 2033, the market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 16.9%.
(Source: market.us)
Recent Developments in Zero Trust Security
- On September 24, 2026, Qnext announced a strategic partnership with Service Credit Union and an investment from Service Ventures to expand its FileFlex Zero Trust Data Access platform across more than 3,000 U.S. credit unions.
- Ascent Capital Partners has funded over USD 2 million and committed an additional USD 2 million toward Qnext’s USD 8 million rolling funding round.
- On September 22, 2026, Outerlimit emerged from stealth with USD 16 million in pre-seed funding from AlbionVC, Evolution Equity Partners, and Crane Venture Partners to build a decentralized Zero Trust authorization platform for AI agents.
- On July 29, 2026, ThreatLocker raised USD 190 million in a Series F funding round led by Elephant, with investment from Koch Disruptive Technologies, D. E. Shaw Ventures, and Arthur Ventures. The company plans to invest in AI security capabilities, Zero Trust platform development, and international growth.
- On June 9, 2026, Saviynt expanded its partnership with Zscaler to connect identity-security decisions with real-time Zero Trust enforcement. Zscaler Ventures also participated in Saviynt’s Series B investment round alongside KKR, Carrick Capital Partners, Ten Eleven, and Sixth Street Growth.
- On February 25, 2026, Forescout and Netskope formed a partnership that combines real-time device intelligence with cloud and AI security to apply Zero Trust access decisions based on device condition and risk.
- In April 2026, U.S. federal agencies had committed more than USD 32 billion in contract ceilings for AI, cloud, cybersecurity, and data-analytics programs during the first half of fiscal year 2026. Reported Zero Trust awards included a USD 120 million GDIT contract supporting 187 global Air Force bases and more than 1 million users.
- On July 22, 2026, endpoint-security company Glow raised USD 180 million in a Series A round for endpoint posture management, a core requirement for Zero Trust security programs.
- On July 28, 2026, Hush Security raised USD 30 million in Series A funding to address machine identities and AI-agent access security, areas increasingly incorporated into Zero Trust strategies.
- On August 4, 2026, Obsidian Security secured USD 85 million in Series D funding for SaaS security and AI-agent identity protection. The company’s reported valuation exceeded USD 1 billion.
Zero Trust Coverage Across Organizations
- 2% of organizations planned to apply Zero Trust security to less than 5% of their environment.
- 9% of organizations planned to cover between 5% and less than 10% of their environment with Zero Trust controls.
- 26% of organizations aimed to secure between 10% and less than 25% of their environment through Zero Trust.
- 21% of organizations planned to cover between 25% and less than 50% of their environment.
- 25% of organizations expected Zero Trust to cover between 50% and less than 75% of their environment.
- 16% of organizations planned to use Zero Trust security across 75% or more of their environment.
- Overall, 58% of organizations expected Zero Trust to cover at least 25% of their environment.
(Source: gartner.com)
Zero Trust Security Adoption Plans
- 59% of IT leaders are already deploying a Zero Trust security strategy in their organizations.
- The remaining 41% of IT leaders have not yet started deploying a Zero Trust security strategy.
- Among organizations that have not started deployment, 79% plan to adopt a Zero Trust security strategy in the future.
- 16% of organizations that are not currently using Zero Trust plan to adopt it within the next 7–12 months.
- 6% plan to adopt a Zero Trust strategy within the next 4–6 months.
- 57% plan to adopt Zero Trust at an unspecified future time.
- 21% of organizations have no plans to adopt a Zero Trust architecture.
Main Reasons for Adopting Zero Trust Security
- 75% of organizations adopt Zero Trust security to improve their risk-management strategy.
- 65% use Zero Trust to provide secure remote access for employees, systems, and business resources.
- 47% adopt Zero Trust to reduce security burdens for end users.
- 41% use this approach to reduce the number of security incidents that require investigation.
- 34% of organizations adopt Zero Trust to simplify and reduce network complexity.
- 26% use Zero Trust security to lower their overall security costs.
- Only 4% of organizations said that none of these reasons influenced their decision to adopt Zero Trust security.
(Source: gartner.com)
Business Uses for Zero Trust Security
- 63% of businesses use Zero Trust security mainly to protect customer data.
- 51% of businesses adopt Zero Trust to create one consistent security approach across their organization.
- 47% use Zero Trust to reduce accidental internal data breaches.
- 47% adopt Zero Trust to simplify their security tools and systems.
- 46% use Zero Trust to maintain regulatory and compliance requirements.
- 41% of businesses use Zero Trust to reduce malicious internal data breaches.
- 30% adopt Zero Trust to centralize the security oversight of public cloud environments.
- 26% use Zero Trust to support faster business continuity and to reduce security costs.
- 21% use Zero Trust to reduce their dependence on highly skilled security professionals.
- 1% of businesses identified other reasons for adopting Zero Trust security.
(Source: gartner.com)
Challenges of Adopting Zero Trust Security
- 56% of organizations consider cost concerns the biggest challenge when adopting a Zero Trust security strategy.
- 51% face skills gaps, meaning they do not have enough employees with the required cybersecurity knowledge and experience.
- 51% report technology gaps as a barrier to Zero Trust adoption.
- 39% struggle with shadow IT, which refers to software, devices, or systems used without formal approval from the IT team.
- 38% find it difficult to manage the growing use of personal devices for work, also known as bring your own device (BYOD).
- 37% face challenges in getting support from non-technical business stakeholders.
- 32% report that employees are skeptical about adopting Zero Trust security practices.
- 28% struggle with SaaS sprawl, where an organization uses too many cloud-based software applications.
- 2% said none of these issues were challenges, while 1% identified other barriers.
Insights into Key Zero Trust Security Components
- 69% of organizations already keep activity logs, but only 54% think they are essential for Zero Trust.
- 68% already use identity and access management (IAM) tools, and 71% think they are essential. IAM is the tool most often called essential.
- 67% use network segmentation, which splits a network into smaller parts, and 59% think it is essential.
- 62% use security information and event management (SIEM) tools, and 64% think they are essential.
- 49% use compliance checks, and the same 49% think they are essential.
- 46% have data access rules, but 56% think these rules are essential.
- 39% use public key infrastructure (PKI), and 37% think it is essential.
- 35% use threat intelligence feeds, but 48% think they are essential.
- 25% use continuous diagnostics and mitigation (CDM) tools, but 41% think they are essential.
(Reference: gartner.com)
How Zero Trust Security Helps Organizations
- 95% of decision-makers agree that a Zero Trust security strategy can reduce security incidents.
- 78% agree, while 17% strongly agree that Zero Trust reduces security incidents.
- Only 4% disagree, and 1% strongly disagree that Zero Trust can reduce security incidents.
- 68% believe that Zero Trust should protect against accidental data leaks.
- 67% say Zero Trust should protect organizations from malicious internal threats.
- 64% believe Zero Trust should control access for third parties, including consultants, vendors, and temporary employees.
- 57% say Zero Trust should help prevent account takeover attacks.
- 56% believe it should secure remote access.
- 41% expect Zero Trust to prevent lateral movement attacks, where an attacker moves from one system to another inside a network.
- 40% say it should protect public cloud access, while 33% expect protection for private cloud access.
- 26% believe Zero Trust should address Internet of Things (IoT) vulnerabilities.
Summary
Zero Trust has moved from concept to mainstream security strategy, with most organizations already deploying it, though coverage across environments remains limited and adoption plans vary widely. Risk management, secure remote access, and customer-data protection drive adoption, while cost, skills gaps, and technology gaps slow full rollout.
Strong investor and vendor activity in 2026 reflects a fast-maturing market. Organizations widely agree Zero Trust reduces security incidents, even as sizable gaps remain between component usage and perceived importance.
FAQ
Traditional security models often trust users and devices once they are inside a network perimeter, while zero trust assumes threats can exist both outside and inside the network, so every access request must be verified regardless of location.
The core principles include verifying every user and device explicitly, granting the least privilege access necessary, and assuming a breach could happen at any time, which shapes continuous monitoring and strict access controls.
Organizations adopt zero trust to reduce the risk of data breaches, protect against insider threats, secure remote and hybrid workforces, and limit the damage attackers can do if they gain initial access to a network.
Multi factor authentication is a key component of zero trust because it adds extra verification steps beyond a password, making it significantly harder for attackers to gain unauthorized access even if credentials are compromised.
Zero trust helps secure cloud environments by continuously verifying user identity and device health before granting access to cloud applications and data, regardless of whether the request comes from inside or outside the corporate network.
Common challenges include the complexity of overhauling legacy systems, the cost and time required for full implementation, employee resistance to stricter access controls, and the need for ongoing monitoring and policy updates.
