PCI Compliance Observatory
The canonical public intelligence surface for global PCI DSS compliance benchmarks. Powered by 4,721 benchmark programmes across 7 industries and 12 regions.
Global PCI Overview
2026Risk Index Snapshot
WeeklyGlobal PCI Maturity Distribution
N=4,721Compliance maturity scores by industry — P25, industry average, P75 bands. Higher = more mature.
| # | Industry | Score | vs Avg | YoY | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FinTechn=810 | 68/100 | +13% | +3 | ||
| 2 | SaaS / Cloudn=920 | 65/100 | +8% | +4 | ||
| 3 | Financial Servicesn=720 | 63/100 | +5% | +2 | ||
| 4 | Healthcaren=480 | 58/100 | -3% | +4 | ||
| 5 | E-Commercen=580 | 55/100 | -8% | +3 | ||
| 6 | Retailn=640 | 52/100 | -13% | +2 | ||
| 7 | Hospitalityn=390 | 47/100 | -22% | +1 | ||
| Global Average | 60/100 | |||||
Audit Effort Observatory
HoursAverage audit hours by industry
Cross-industry avg: 949h · YoY trend: -6%
Audit Hours by Region
RegionalAverage audit programme duration by geography
| Region | Hours | Maturity |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1,180h | 58/100 |
| Canada | 1,020h | 60/100 |
| United Kingdom | 920h | 64/100 |
| India | 920h | 54/100 |
| Germany | 840h | 67/100 |
| Australia | 840h | 63/100 |
| Singapore | 760h | 65/100 |
Remediation Observatory
Avg DaysAverage days to close compliance gaps by industry
Requirement Hotspots
BottlenecksPCI DSS requirements with longest remediation delays
Compliance Cost Observatory
USDAnnual compliance cost distribution by industry — total cost and estimated automation savings
Cost by maturity band — organisations with higher maturity consistently spend less on compliance. Automation typically saves 35–45% of total programme cost.
Automation Observatory
HistoricalGlobal automation adoption trend 2019–2026
Cross-industry automation: 59% · YoY growth: +10pp
Automation by Industry
CurrentManual vs automated evidence coverage breakdown
Regional Observatory
7 RegionsPCI compliance maturity, audit duration, and risk tier by geography
| Region | Maturity | Audit Hours | Avg Cost | Automation | YoY | Risk Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germanyn=290 | 67/100 | 840h | $134k | 68% | +3 | Low |
| Singaporen=210 | 65/100 | 760h | $128k | 70% | +5 | Low |
| United Kingdomn=680 | 64/100 | 920h | $142k | 65% | +4 | Low-Moderate |
| Australian=180 | 63/100 | 840h | $139k | 62% | +3 | Low-Moderate |
| Canadan=240 | 60/100 | 1,020h | $156k | 60% | +2 | Low-Moderate |
| United Statesn=1820 | 58/100 | 1,180h | $169k | 58% | +3 | Moderate |
| Indian=160 | 54/100 | 920h | $89k | 55% | +6 | Elevated |
Intelligence Feed
8 activeLatest benchmark signals, trend changes, and methodology updates
FinTech remediation delays rising (+12% YoY)
FinTech average remediation time is 6.2 days — up 12% YoY. Primary driver: API security monitoring (Req. 6.4).
FinTechRetail remediation delays rising (+8% YoY)
Retail average remediation time is 9.1 days — up 8% YoY. Primary driver: POS terminal firmware patching (Req. 6.3).
RetailHospitality remediation delays rising (+5% YoY)
Hospitality average remediation time is 10.4 days — up 5% YoY. Primary driver: Multi-property network segmentation (Req. 1.3).
HospitalityFinTech compliance maturity up 3 pts YoY
FinTech now averages 68/100 maturity (+3 pts vs last year). Sample: 810 organisations.
FinTechFinTech compliance cost falling 5% YoY
Average FinTech compliance spend is $120k/yr (down 5%). Automation savings are the primary cost driver.
FinTechSaaS / Cloud compliance maturity up 4 pts YoY
SaaS / Cloud now averages 65/100 maturity (+4 pts vs last year). Sample: 920 organisations.
SaaS / CloudSaaS / Cloud automation adoption accelerating (+8pp YoY)
SaaS / Cloud organisations now use 74% automation on average — up 8 percentage points year-on-year, the fastest growth rate in the sector.
SaaS / CloudSaaS / Cloud compliance cost falling 7% YoY
Average SaaS / Cloud compliance spend is $98k/yr (down 7%). Automation savings are the primary cost driver.
SaaS / CloudVerification note: maturity score remains provisional — full verification scheduled Q2 2026
Following internal review, the cross-industry maturity score (58/100) will remain at provisional status until Q2 2026 verification cycle completes. Value is directionally sound; full verification requires independent audit of benchmark collection methodology.
Citation corrected: PCI DSS v4.0.1 — updated canonical URL
Canonical URL updated to reflect PCI SSC document library reorganisation. Citation text unchanged. All published statistics unaffected.
Statistic created: average annual PCI DSS compliance cost (cross-industry)
Annual compliance cost computed from benchmark submissions. Value: $287,000 USD median (provisional). Covers QSA fees, remediation, internal labour, and tooling. Excludes breach response costs.
Methodology v2026.1 — Active
Benchmark scoring model v2026.1 is the current active methodology. Weighting: maturity 40%, evidence 25%, automation 20%, remediation 15%.
Methodology & Provenance
provisionalRelated Intelligence
LinksData is provisional — directionally indicative, k-anonymity k≥5. Not verified benchmark data. Cite as "GRCTrack Benchmark Dataset 2026 (provisional)".
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