Ransomware losing its grip? Only 17% of UK businesses are paying the ransom

Organisations are now more than three times more likely to recover from backups than pay the ransom. Databarracks' Data Health Check 2025 reveals ransomware payments are in steep decline.

LONDON, Aug. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Is ransomware losing its grip? According to Databarracks' newly published Data Health Check 2025, organisations are turning the tide – opting to recover from backups instead of paying ransoms. 

The annual survey of 500 IT decision-makers – released just days after the UK Government confirmed new ransomware rules – reveals a significant shift in how organisations respond to attacks. Just 17% of those hit by ransomware in the past year paid the ransom – down from 27% in 2024 and 44% in 2023. In contrast, 57% recovered from backups.

That means organisations are now more than three times more likely to recover from backups than pay the ransom. Better backup practices are a factor in this:

• 72% of organisations now have air-gapped backups
• 59% have immutable backups

The report shows more organisations are also formalising their stance: 24% now have a policy never to pay a ransom – double the figure from 2023. 

This shift comes as the UK Government confirms its new ransomware policy, which includes a ban on ransom payments by public sector bodies and Critical National Infrastructure operators, plus mandatory reporting and pre-payment notification for the private sector.

James Watts, Managing Director at Databarracks, commented:

"The government's new stance is bold – but the data shows the direction of travel was already clear. In some sense, the policy is a formalisation of where UK businesses were already headed. Paying the ransom used to feel like the only option. Now, the best-prepared organisations are recovering faster, more reliably, and without funding criminals. Air-gapped and immutable backups are giving organisations the confidence to say no – and back it up."

The Data Health Check 2025 also shows that improving backup processes is now the top IT resilience priority for UK organisations – ahead of both continuity planning and recovery testing.

"Recovery isn't a last resort – it's a strategy," added Watts.

 "The organisations that plan and rehearse their recoveries are the ones that come through an attack strongest. That's how you beat ransomware – not by paying, but by preparing to recover."

Download the full report:
https://www.databarracks.com/resources/data-health-check-2025 

Explore the highlights:
https://datahealthcheck.databarracks.com/2025

About Databarracks
Databarracks is the technology and business resilience specialist. 

In 2003, we launched one of the world's first managed Backup services to bring indestructible resilience to mission-critical data. 

Today, we deliver award-winning IT resilience and continuity services. We help organisations get the most out of the cloud and protect their data, wherever it lives.
And we back this up with unbeatable support. There's no such thing as 'above and beyond' for our engineers because they only work to one standard: to keep your systems running perfectly.

Enterprise-class continuity, security and resilience. Accessible for all. 

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SOURCE Databarracks