All About Email Spam Statistics

Globally, countries are challenged by email spam flooding inboxes every minute. The highest global spam volume for email was in July 2021, accounting for 283 billion out of 336.41 billion emails. Roughly 84.12% of all emails sent that year were spam.

Email spam statistics are eye-opening. Knowing them gives you insights into their impact on cybersecurity, boosting your chances of protecting yourself. 

By analyzing the trends and demographics these spam emails move through, you can better position yourself to block them. 

How Many Spam Emails Are Sent?

Typically, anyone with an email has experienced or still experiencing unsolicited emails inside spam folders. 60 billion spam emails are forecasted to be sent daily from 2019-2023. Most of these spam emails are marketing ads, newsletters, and, occasionally, phishing emails.

Let’s learn more about spam email traffic through the following data.

Spam Email Traffic Statistics

With roughly 347.3 billion emails sent out daily, many are spam emails. Many businesses use emails for marketing ads and newsletters, while others, for phishing attacks. Efforts were made to mitigate these malicious emails, but the attacks have persisted. 

Let’s warm up the discussion with the statistics below.

1. 36% of global spam content is from Advertising.

(DataProt)

Advertising messages are the most common spam email. Although with the intent to spam email users’ inboxes or not, its presence is described as annoying. Generally, people don’t want their inboxes flooded with hundreds of unwelcome email messages.

2. Gmail blocks 100 million daily spam emails.

 (TechJury)

On average, people spend 11 hours weekly checking work-related emails. According to the report, 14.5 million email spam are sent daily on Gmail. As of 2015, Gmail claims it has blocked 99.9% of spam malware. 

3. In 2022, almost 49% of emails were categorized as spam.

(Statista)

The 49% is an increase from the 46% in 2021. Although the share of spam emails has remarkably reduced, the highest volume was accounted for in February 2022, with roughly 53% of the email traffic worldwide.

Demographic Statistics on Spam Email Receivers

Victims of malicious spam vary. Certain groups are more challenged by email spam, and particular user behavior is also targeted. 

Below are the demographics of spam email receivers. 

4. 27% of phishing email spam attacks worldwide target the delivery services industry.

(Proof Point, Statista)

In 2022, about 3.4 billion phishing email spams were sent daily, and the delivery services industry received most of them. Second to it are online stores with 15 %, followed by banks and payment systems with 10%. 

With the rise of e-commerce businesses, companies must take extra precautions when opening emails. Based on these statistics, they are the target victims. 

5. 42% of email spam attacks are targeted to residents of the US

(Duo)

Of the 4.37 billion email users worldwide, almost half of the spam attacks focus on Americans. According to the study, about 42% of the attacks targeted people in the US. Second, is the United Kingdom, with 10% of the attack volume targeted to its people. 

6. Adult-related content accounts for approximately 31.7% of all spam messages.

(Data Prot)

People using dating sites like Tinder can be prone to malicious email spam. The swarming of adult content on the internet makes it the most persistent and profitable target for spammers. 

If you are looking for a relationship, you are still a target of these malicious activities. Be mindful of your email interactions and actions when using dating sites.

7. In 2021, 85% of all organizations were targeted by phishing scams.

(Data Prot)

Even with the increasing awareness of email spam malicious activities, companies still report phishing attacks. Scams and fraud account for 2.5% of all spam emails. 

However, 73% of those email spam targets identity theft. Businesses must be educated and vigilant in safeguarding themselves from attacks like this. 

Spam Email Statistics by Country

Spam emails are a worldwide problem. In 2022, there was an increase of 61% in phishing attacks linked to emails compared to the previous year. In fact, many forms of spam are on the rise, including spam calls and sms.    

Below are the countries significantly involved in these spam emails.

8. The United States ranked as the top country in sending spam emails. 

(Mail Mondo, Statista)

The US tops the list of countries sending spam emails. As of 2021, the country sends out 8.61 billion spam emails. Czechia was coming close as second with 7.7 billion spam emails. 

Most scammers are based in the US. This explains why the country ranked top for sending email spam. 

9. Kaspersky blocked 11,260,643 phishing links in Southeast Asia.

(Tech Wire Asia)

The cybersecurity market expanded to $40 billion in 2020. Antiviruses like Kaspersky added more security features like protecting customers from phishing links and spam content.

11,260,643 phishing links were blocked by Kaspersky’s Anti-Phishing system in Southeast Asia alone. Most were blocked on devices of Kaspersky users in Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

According to Southeast Asia’s General Manager, Yeo Siang Tiong, this figure is just the tip of the iceberg. Emails are lucrative entry points for cybercriminals since most critical data are sent through email. 

10. The US houses 7 out of 10 world’s top scammers.

(DataProt)

Seven of the world’s top 10 scammers are in the US. They are Blaze Media Solutions, PredictLabs, Sphere Digital, RR Media, Cyber World Internet Services, e-Insites, and Kobeni Solutions.

11. 9.32% of the malicious email campaigns are targeted at Spain. 

(Comparitech)

According to the Kaspersky report, the top target for a malicious campaign in 2021 was Spain receiving a share of 9.32%. Next to it was Russia with 6.33%, and Italy was third with 5.78%. 

This data shows how Spain was a core target for malicious email campaigns in 2021.

12. 42% of cyber attacks in European organizations were phishing.

(AAG)

In 2021, 42% of cyber attacks in European organizations were phishing. This was significantly greater than brute force attacks at 12% and slightly less than vulnerability exploitation at 46%. 

This type of email spam affects a lot of industries worldwide. Users must become more vigilant and prepared during this crisis.

Conclusion

With all these statistics about email spam, email users must take extra precautions when utilizing any platform. Whether the email spam is simply for advertising, users need to be sharp-eyed to assess if it's beyond that.

Take note of these statistics to understand how email spamming works. Avoid clicking malicious email spam that may lead to unwanted situations like identity theft, and activate spam filters. And, of course, always be vigilant.