Cyber theft is projected to cost $10.5 trillion annually by 2025, and the tactics are evolving just as fast as the bill grows. Even when you drill into breach patterns, the mix is striking, like ransomware with data exfiltration rising to 66% of attacks in 2023 while phishing shows up in 36% of data theft breaches. The result is a dataset where entry points, motives, and monetization routes overlap in ways that are easy to underestimate until you see the full breakdown.
Key Takeaways
- Ransomware accounted for 24% of breaches with theft in 2023 DBIR
- Phishing was involved in 36% of data theft breaches in 2023
- Credential theft via infostealers affected 80% of malware in 2023
- In 2023, the global cost of cybercrime, including cyber theft, is projected to reach $10.5 trillion annually, up from $8 trillion in 2022, driven largely by ransomware and data exfiltration incidents
- US businesses lost $12.5 billion to cybercrime in 2023, with business email compromise (BEC) accounting for $2.9 billion in theft-related losses
- The average cost of a ransomware attack involving data theft in 2023 was $4.88 million globally, including recovery and stolen data impacts
- Cyber theft costs to reach $13.82 trillion globally by 2028, CAGR 15%
- Ransomware attacks projected to hit every 2 seconds by 2031, doubling theft
- Data breaches to expose 17.5 billion records annually by 2025
- 60% of cyber theft occurred in North America in 2023 global reports
- Asia saw 25% of global ransomware thefts, with $1B losses in 2023
- Europe reported 422,000 cybercrime victims, focusing on theft, in 2022 Eurostat
- In 2023, 88% of organizations experienced at least one cyber theft incident, per global surveys
- US IC3 received 880,418 cybercrime complaints in 2023, with theft-related at 69%
- 83% of breaches involved data theft elements in 2023 DBIR analysis
In 2023, phishing and ransomware fueled theft, with data exfiltration surging to 66% of attacks.
Related reading
01 · Category
Attack Types18 stats
01
Ransomware accounted for 24% of breaches with theft in 2023 DBIR
02
Phishing was involved in 36% of data theft breaches in 2023
03
Credential theft via infostealers affected 80% of malware in 2023
04
Business email compromise used social engineering in 98% of cases, stealing $2.9B
05
Ransomware with data exfiltration rose to 66% of attacks in 2023
06
Cryptojacking incidents led to $500M indirect theft losses in 2023
07
SIM swapping stole $72 million in crypto from 1,500+ victims in 2023
08
Magecart attacks on e-commerce sites increased 53%, stealing card data
09
Supply chain compromises like SolarWinds enabled theft in 18% of cases
10
Investment fraud via fake apps stole $3.3B, using deepfakes in 12% cases
11
DDoS as distraction for theft occurred in 11% of ransomware in 2023
12
Fileless malware for credential theft up 225% in 2023 detections
13
Vishing (voice phishing) preceded 22% of BEC thefts in 2023
14
North Korean Lazarus group responsible for $600M crypto thefts in 2023
15
Smishing attacks rose 118%, stealing banking credentials primarily
16
Zero-day exploits used in 4% of theft breaches but 20% of high-impact
17
Romance scams used AI chatbots in 15% of cases for $1.3B theft
18
Insider threats caused 19% of data theft incidents in 2023
Interpretation
Attack Types Interpretation
In the digital arms race of 2023, cybercriminals have perfected a simple yet devastating formula: exploit human nature with phishing and social engineering to steal credentials, then relentlessly automate the actual theft through ransomware, cryptojacking, and an ever-evolving arsenal of fileless and supply chain attacks.
02 · Category
Financial Impact20 stats
01
In 2023, the global cost of cybercrime, including cyber theft, is projected to reach $10.5 trillion annually, up from $8 trillion in 2022, driven largely by ransomware and data exfiltration incidents
02
US businesses lost $12.5 billion to cybercrime in 2023, with business email compromise (BEC) accounting for $2.9 billion in theft-related losses
03
The average cost of a ransomware attack involving data theft in 2023 was $4.88 million globally, including recovery and stolen data impacts
04
Identity theft complaints in the US resulted in $8.8 billion in losses in 2022, with cyber-enabled methods comprising 70% of cases
05
Global cryptocurrency theft via hacks and scams reached $3.8 billion in 2023, a 15% increase from 2022
06
The healthcare sector faced $10.1 million average cost per data breach involving theft in 2023, highest among industries
07
Phishing attacks led to $52 million in direct theft losses for US consumers in 2023
08
Corporate account takeover thefts cost US firms $43 million in wire transfers in 2022
09
Ransomware payments globally hit $1.1 billion in 2023, often tied to data theft extortion
10
Credit card fraud via cyber theft caused $11 billion in global losses in 2022
11
Investment scams online stole $3.3 billion from US victims in 2023
12
Data breach fines and settlements cost companies $4.45 million on average in 2023 for theft incidents
13
BEC scams resulted in $2.7 billion stolen worldwide in 2022, per FBI estimates
14
Retail sector cyber theft losses averaged $3.3 million per breach in 2023
15
Personal information theft led to $5.6 billion in fraud losses for US elders in 2022
16
Crypto bridge exploits accounted for $2.1 billion in thefts in 2023
17
Government entities lost $593 million to cyber theft in 2023 US IC3 complaints
18
Average stolen credential value on dark web rose to $150per record in 2023
19
Supply chain cyber theft incidents cost $25 million average in 2023 breaches
20
Online romance scams stole $1.3 billion from US victims in 2023
Interpretation
Financial Impact Interpretation
With so many hands in the digital cookie jar, the annual $10.5 trillion global bill for cybercrime proves that crime now pays in cryptocurrency and data, not just cash.
03 · Category
Future Projections20 stats
01
Cyber theft costs to reach $13.82 trillion globally by 2028, CAGR 15%
02
Ransomware attacks projected to hit every 2 seconds by 2031, doubling theft
03
Data breaches to expose 17.5 billion records annually by 2025
04
AI-driven phishing thefts to increase 300% by 2025, per predictions
05
Global cybercrime theft to cost $10.5T in 2025
06
Crypto thefts forecasted at $10.5B annually by 2025 due to DeFi
07
BEC losses to exceed $50B globally by 2027
08
99% of orgs to face cyber theft by 2025 surveys predict
09
Average breach cost to hit $5.5M by 2025, driven by theft
10
Identity theft victims to reach 1 in 5 adults by 2030 US
11
Quantum computing to enable 40% more credential thefts by 2030
12
Ransomware payments to surpass $20B annually by 2031
13
Phishing to account for 50% of theft breaches by 2025 DBIR proj
14
Dark web data sales to triple to 50M records by 2027
15
Small biz cyber theft incidents to rise 25% yearly to 2028
16
Global malware for theft to hit 1B samples yearly by 2025
17
AI deepfake scams to steal $40B by 2027 predictions
18
Supply chain theft breaches to double by 2026
19
Healthcare theft costs to $20M average per breach by 2028
20
Mobile cyber theft to comprise 40% of incidents by 2027
Interpretation
Future Projections Interpretation
If this avalanche of grim data is any indication, humanity is meticulously constructing a digital Tower of Babel, except this time we’re not arguing over languages but frantically scrambling to protect our wallets, identities, and sanity from an army of bots, ransomware gangs, and our own gullibility.
More related reading
04 · Category
Geographic Distribution18 stats
01
60% of cyber theft occurred in North America in 2023 global reports
02
Asia saw 25% of global ransomware thefts, with $1B losses in 2023
03
Europe reported 422,000 cybercrime victims, focusing on theft, in 2022 Eurostat
04
US had 800,000+ identity theft complaints in 2023, 70% of global total
05
India faced 1.6 million cybercrime cases in 2023, mostly financial theft
06
Africa crypto thefts via scams hit $500M, 13% global share in 2023
07
UK lost £460 million to cyber theft in 2023 Action Fraud reports
08
China reported 30,000+ ransomware cases with theft in 2023
09
Australia saw AU$33 billion cybercrime cost, theft dominant, 2023
10
Middle East phishing thefts up 45%, $200M losses in 2023
11
Brazil had 1.3 million cyber theft complaints in 2023
12
Canada reported $500M CAD in BEC thefts in 2023
13
Russia hosted 60% of phishing sites for global theft in 2023
14
Southeast Asia mobile banking thefts cost $1.2B in 2023
15
Germany faced 300,000 cyber attacks daily, 40% theft-related, 2023
16
South Korea crypto exchanges lost $1.5B to hacks in 2023 peak
17
Latin America saw 200% rise in ransomware thefts in 2023
18
France reported €2.5 billion cyber theft losses in 2023 ANSSI
Interpretation
Geographic Distribution Interpretation
Despite North America's starring role in this grim production, the relentless global encore of cyber theft reveals a sobering truth: every region is now both a stage and a victim in this costly digital heist.
05 · Category
Prevalence Rates20 stats
01
In 2023, 88% of organizations experienced at least one cyber theft incident, per global surveys
02
US IC3 received 880,418 cybercrime complaints in 2023, with theft-related at 69%
03
83% of breaches involved data theft elements in 2023 DBIR analysis
04
Phishing sites increased 58% in 2023, leading to 300,000+ credential thefts daily
05
1 in 10 internet users globally fell victim to identity theft in 2022 surveys
06
Ransomware attacks hit record 2,228 victims in 2023, all involving theft threats
07
74% of breaches featured stolen credentials as entry point in 2023
08
US consumers reported 1.1 million identity theft cases in 2023 FTC data
09
61% of small businesses faced cyber theft attempts weekly in 2023
10
Global data breaches exposed 4.35 billion records in 2023, mostly theft
11
BEC incidents reported 21,439 times to IC3 in 2023
12
95% of cybersecurity issues stem from human error enabling theft, 2023 study
13
300,000 new malware samples daily in 2023 target data theft
14
1.1 billion personal records compromised in first half 2023 alone
15
43% rise in ransomware victims self-reporting in 2023 surveys
16
68% of enterprises hit by credential stuffing thefts in 2023
17
FTC saw 2.6 million fraud reports in 2023, 40% cyber theft related
18
Dark web listings for stolen data grew 27% to 15 million in 2023
19
Phishing emails rose to 3.4 billion daily in 2023 estimates
20
BEC scams comprised 20% of all IC3 theft complaints in 2023
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim, interconnected picture where a relentless tide of phishing emails, human error, and stolen credentials has made cyber theft not just a common occurrence, but a near-inevitable cost of doing business online for both organizations and individuals.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Cyber Theft Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cyber-theft-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "Cyber Theft Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/cyber-theft-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "Cyber Theft Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cyber-theft-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
akamai.com