77
▲ 13× since 2000
data localisation measures in East Asia and the Pacific, cumulative to 2024
20002024

What the chart shows

Ferracane and colleagues count 77 data localisation measures in East Asia and the Pacific by 2024, the most of any region, followed by sub-Saharan Africa (71) and Europe and Central Asia (66). North America had 3.

Most of the growth came after 2015: the seven regions together went from 124 measures in 2015 to 321 in 2024. Sub-Saharan Africa rose from 22 to 71 and the Middle East and North Africa from 5 to 44. The AI Index links the rise from 2016 to the EU’s GDPR and to other countries adopting similar rules.

Key numbers

MeasureValue
East Asia and Pacific, 202477
Sub-Saharan Africa, 202471
Europe and Central Asia, 202466
Middle East and North Africa, 202444
North America, 20243
All seven regions, 2024321

How to read it

  • A data localisation measure requires certain data to be stored or processed within a country, or restricts its transfer abroad. Counts are cumulative.
  • The dataset (Ferracane, González and Rogaler Wilson, European University Institute) was issued in 2025 and posted online in January 2026, which is why the AI Index chart footer says 2026. Regions are as given in the data.
Source: Ferracane et al., 2025, via the AI Index Report 2026 (Stanford HAI), figure 8.3.3: Data localization measures by region, 2000–24. Chart and text by AI Adoption.
Numbers checked against the published data on 20 October 2026.
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