The staggering prediction by Cybersecurity Ventures that global cybercrime damages would reach $10.5 trillion USD annually by 2025 has served as a wake-up call for governments, businesses, and cybersecurity professionals.

A BitGuardian blog post states that as of Feb. 2026, this widely cited milestone remains a pivotal benchmark in discussions about the economic scale of cyber threats. If cybercrime were a nation-state economy, it would rank as the third-largest in the world—behind only the U.S. and China—surpassing the combined profits of all major illegal drug trades and dwarfing annual damages from natural disasters.

The forecast had become a staple in industry reports, cited by organizations like the World Economic Forum, CompTIA, Fortinet, and others as evidence of cybercrime’s outsized economic footprint.

The figure encompasses not just direct losses but cascading economic ripple effects—supply chain disruptions, halted operations, and eroded investor confidence—that amplify the true impact far beyond initial breach costs. The $10.5 trillion projection for 2025 was never just about a number—it was a call to action.

In 2026 cybercrime is outpacing many legitimate industries in profitability, according to BitGuardian, and it is incentivizing innovation among attackers (AI-powered phishing, deepfakes, automated exploits) faster than many defenders can respond.

Organizations that treat cybersecurity as a strategic imperative—rather than a cost center—stand the best chance of mitigating exposure in an era where cybercrime’s economic shadow continues to expand. The 2025 benchmark may now be historical, but its warning remains urgently relevant: in the digital age, the cost of inaction is measured in trillions.

Read the Full Story