172 countries with data privacy laws – year by year 1973-2025

For the past 52 years, since 1973 when Sweden enacted the first national data privacy law, countries around the world have enacted new data privacy laws at an average rate of 3.3 new countries per year, giving a total of 172 countries with such laws by March 2025. Since 2020 the average number of new countries per year has risen to 5.4. This paper lists the countries year-by-year since 1973, and the number of new countries each year. The number of new countries each decade is calculated, and observations made on geographical growth and rates of growth.