Number of cybersecurity professionals worldwide 2023, by country

The number of professionals working in the cybersecurity industry was estimated to be over 1.3 million in the United States in 2023. The number of cybersecurity professionals globally stood at 5.45 million, up from 4.6 million in 2022. Cybersecurity refers to the practice of protecting computer information systems, hardware, networks, and data from cyberattacks. As awareness of cyber threats is rising, so is the size of the global cybersecurity market.

The cybersecurity workforce is growing fast, but demand is growing faster

Cybersecurity workers have become some of the most in-demand members of today’s labor force with some specific roles being particularly difficult to fill, such as cloud security, security operations, or network security experts. In 2022, China and India were the two countries with the largest cybersecurity workforce gap, with a shortage of just under 1.5 million and over half a million cybersecurity professionals respectively.

The wider context of tech layoffs

The struggle faced by employers worldwide to recruit qualified and skilled professionals to fill cybersecurity roles runs counter to the recent mass layoffs in the technology sector. Although COVID-19 restrictions, which triggered the layoffs in 2020, loosened up in 2021, factors such as the Russia-Ukraine war, rising inflation, and concerns about an economic recession continue to have a significant impact on the tech industry.