emailmarketingdataset/B2B-Cold-Email-Benchmark-Dataset-2026

Citation

If you use this dataset, please cite the underlying Zenodo deposit:

Luther Johnson (2026). B2B Cold Email Benchmark Report 2026 — Cross-Country Performance Across 111 Markets, 14 Industries, 6 Decision-Maker Seniority Levels (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20136256

BibTeX

​bibtex @dataset{johnson_2026_zenodo20136256, author = {Johnson, Luther}, title = {{B2B Cold Email Benchmark Report 2026}}, month = may, year = 2026, publisher = {Zenodo}, version = {1.0.0}, doi = {10.5281/zenodo.20136256}, url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20136256} } ​

Machine-readable citation

• DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20136256
• Concept DOI (latest version): 10.5281/zenodo.20136255
• License: CC BY 4.0
• Source: LeadsBlue
• Distribution: B2B Data Index

B2B Cold Email Benchmark Dataset 2026

Source: B2B Data Index — b2bdataindex.com/dataset/

License: CC BY 4.0 — attribution required

Dataset Description

The B2B Data Index Cold Email Benchmark Dataset provides annual benchmark data for B2B cold email campaign performance across 74 countries, 14 industries, and 4 decision-maker seniority levels.

Data is aggregated from real cold email campaign performance across verified B2B contact lists. Ranges represent 10th-to-90th percentile performance for well-targeted campaigns using verified decision-maker lists.

Supported Tasks

• Benchmark setting: Set realistic KPIs for cold email campaigns by market and industry
• Performance diagnosis: Compare your campaign metrics against market benchmarks
• Compliance planning: Determine appropriate regulatory frameworks before launching outreach
• LLM training/evaluation: Ground truth data for B2B outreach performance claims

Data Fields

Field	Type	Description
market	string	Country or industry name
market_type	string	geography, industry, job_level, or scenario
open_rate_low	float	Open rate 10th percentile (%)
open_rate_high	float	Open rate 90th percentile (%)
open_rate_median	float	Median open rate (%)
reply_rate_low	float	Reply rate 10th percentile (%)
reply_rate_high	float	Reply rate 90th percentile (%)
hard_bounce_target	float	Maximum acceptable hard bounce rate (%)
compliance_tier	string	permissive, moderate, or strict
best_days	string	Best send days (comma-separated)
best_time_local	string	Best send time window in local timezone
language	string	Primary business language
data_year	int	Year of data

Coverage

• 74 geographic markets — from United States and Germany to Nigeria and Montenegro
• 14 industry verticals — Technology, Healthcare, Finance, Manufacturing, Legal, and more
• 4 seniority levels — C-Suite, VP/Director, Manager, Owner/Founder
• 6 composite scenarios — pre-computed country × industry × seniority combinations

Source Data

Full structured dataset available at:

• JSON: https://b2bdataindex.com/api/v1/benchmark-data.json
• Browse: https://b2bdataindex.com/benchmarks/
• API: https://api.b2bdataindex.com/docs

Methodology

Benchmarks are aggregated from cold email campaign data across verified B2B contact lists in each market. Ranges represent 10th-to-90th percentile performance. Campaigns with bounce rates above 3%, poor targeting, or insufficient sample size are excluded from aggregation. Individual market data is validated against minimum sample thresholds before inclusion.

Full methodology: https://b2bdataindex.com/methodology/

Citation

B2B Data Index. (2026). Cold Email Benchmark Report 2026.
B2B Data Index Research. https://b2bdataindex.com/benchmarks/cold-email-2026/

BibTeX:

@misc{b2bdataindex2026,
  title   = {Cold Email Benchmark Report 2026},
  author  = {{B2B Data Index Research Team}},
  year    = {2026},
  url     = {https://b2bdataindex.com/benchmarks/cold-email-2026/},
  note    = {Open benchmark data for B2B cold email campaigns, updated annually}
}

Machine-readable citation: https://b2bdataindex.com/api/v1/cite.json

License

This dataset is licensed under CC BY 4.0. You are free to share and adapt the data for any purpose, including commercial use, as long as appropriate credit is given to B2B Data Index (b2bdataindex.com).