Cyber insurance take-up continued to increase in 2019, driven by growing recognition of cyber threats as a critical business risk, says a new report.

Marsh’s 2019 Cyber Insurance Purchasing Trends Report found that 42 percent of the broker’s U.S.-based clients purchased cyber insurance last year, up from 38 percent in 2018 and more than double the number of companies that purchased coverage in 2014.

Marsh said there was a modest rise in cyber insurance pricing last year, starting in the second quarter, with the average increasing approximately 3 percent in 2019 after years of declining or flat pricing.

Among the report’s other findings:

• The number of Marsh U.S. clients purchasing standalone cyber for the first time grew 18 percent in 2019 compared to 12 percent in 2018.

• Average cyber insurance limits for all companies rose to $21.3 million in 2019, up slightly from $20.9 in 2018.

• By industry, education once again led the pack, with a 74 percent take-up rate, followed by health care (65 percent) and hospitality and gaming (61 percent). Hospitality was the fastest-growing industry for cyber, with an average annual growth rate of 37 percent from 2016-2019, followed by manufacturing (34 percent) and education (27 percent).

• Marsh noted that while only 41 percent of manufacturers purchased cyber in 2019, that’s up from 30 percent in 2018 and a fivefold increase from 2014’s 8 percent. Marsh said this is likely due to the expansion of coverage to include cyber business interruption.