After three years of extensive research, an international team has created the inaugural “World Cybercrime Index,” ranking countries based on the prevalence and impact of their cybercriminal activities. The index reveals that the majority of cybercrime threats come from a limited group of nations, with Russia identified as the most significant contributor.

Tracking cybercrime has historically been challenging due to the ways criminals obscure their locations using fake profiles and sophisticated technology. “Cybercriminals are elusive due to the secretive and anonymous nature of their activities,” explained Jonathan Lusthaus, an associate professor at the University of Oxford and co-author of the study. “Even technical data is unreliable for pinpointing their whereabouts as they can reroute their activities through various international internet infrastructures.”

To overcome these challenges, the research team gathered insights from 92 global cybercrime experts specialising in intelligence and investigations. These experts evaluated countries across five major cybercrime categories: technical products/services, attacks and extortion, data/identity theft, scams, and money laundering. They assessed the impact, professionalism, and technical skills of cybercriminals from each country, culminating in a comprehensive scoring system out of 100.

The top countries identified as cybercrime hubs are:

Russia: 58.39

Ukraine: 36.44

China: 27.86

United States: 25.01

Nigeria: 21.28

Romania: 14.83

North Korea: 10.61

United Kingdom: 9.01

Brazil: 8.93

India: 6.13

Iran: 4.78

Belarus: 3.874

Ghana: 3.58

South Africa: 2.58

Moldova: 2.57

Miranda Bruce, another Oxford co-author, mentioned that this study provides a strategic foundation for both public and private sectors to allocate resources more effectively and focus on significant cybercrime centers. “This data not only enhances our understanding of the geographical spread of cybercrime but also how different countries specialise in various cybercrimes,” Bruce stated. The ongoing data collection aims to identify emerging hotspots for early intervention.

Federico Varese, a co-author from Sciences Po in France, expressed hope that expanding this study could reveal correlations between national characteristics—like education levels, internet penetration, GDP, or corruption—and cybercrime prevalence. “While cybercrime is often perceived as a global and fluid issue, our findings suggest it has strong local roots, similar to organized crime,” Varese concluded.