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68 billion spam calls recorded globally, India ranks fifth: Truecaller report
Global spam volumes soar to 68 billion as India grapples with a digital deluge of sales and scams
MUMBAI: In 2025, the transition to the “Machine Era” of communication fraud became a global reality, with automated systems reaching a scale that human callers cannot match. According to the latest Truecaller Insights Global Report, identified spam and fraud calls reached 68 billion globally last year, marking a significant rise in automated interference.
India remains one of the most targeted nations in the world, ranking fifth for spam intensity globally. Data shows that 66 per cent of all unknown calls received by users in India are identified as spam.
The intent behind these calls in India is primarily driven by three sectors:
- Sales and telemarketing: This is the largest category, accounting for 36 per cent of spam.
- Financial services: These calls make up 18 per cent of the spam landscape.
- Scams: Fraudulent attempts represent 12 per cent of unwanted outreach.
While India was once the central focus of these reports, the community has grown to 500 million monthly active users as of March 2026, with over 150 million of those users now located outside of India.
The intensity of spam is even higher in Southeast Asia and South America. Indonesia recorded the highest spam density globally, where 79 per cent of unknown calls were spam or fraud.
In 2025, Indonesia topped the list of the most spammed countries, with 79 per cent of unknown calls flagged as spam, largely driven by financial services outreach, which accounted for 42 per cent. Chile followed with a 70 per cent spam intensity, where debt collection dominated at 38 per cent. Vietnam and Brazil were tied at 68 per cent, led by sales and telemarketing at 45 per cent in Vietnam and telecom-related spam at 48 per cent in Brazil. India ranked fifth, with 66 per cent of unknown calls identified as spam, primarily driven by sales and telemarketing, which made up 36 per cent of such calls.
The volume of spam has nearly doubled in recent years, jumping 80 per cent from 37.8 billion calls in 2021 to 68 billion in 2025. This growth is fueled by automated dialers that are increasingly used for debt collection and financial pressure, particularly in markets like Chile, where debt-related spam rose from 7 per cent in 2021 to 38 per cent in 2025.
In Europe, the challenge has shifted toward “Telecom” spam. In the UK (18 per cent) and Italy (28 per cent), automated outreach from service providers has become a top-three spam category, making it difficult for consumers to distinguish between legitimate updates and unwanted noise.
The report warns that the high volume of spam is causing a fundamental erosion of trust in voice communication. As people stop answering unknown calls, they risk missing important information from doctors, banks, or schools.
Looking toward 2026, Truecaller is implementing several measures to counter these trends:
- AI call scanner: Tools to detect risks during live interactions as AI-generated voices become more convincing.
- Family protection: Extending safeguards to connected family members, especially those more vulnerable to fraud.
- Community signals: Using “Scamfeed” to allow users to share suspicious experiences in real time.
With 68 billion calls identified in 2025, the scale of the problem continues to grow, necessitating more advanced verification and detection tools for both individuals and businesses.
