The evolving landscape of Cybercrime in Nepal: A multi-Year Analysis of Platform Specific Trends and Victim Demographics (2077-2082 B.S. / 2020-2025 A.D.)
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The study analyzes official data provided by Nepal Police Headquarters Cyber Bureau for the fiscal year 2020/2021 A.D. to 2024/2025 A.D., offering a multi-year analysis of cybercrime trends by platform and victim demographics. It examines 53,474 cybercrime reported cases across 15 digital platforms, identifying dominant vectors of cybercriminal activity, and analyzes demographic victimization patterns. Results reveal dramatic reported cybercrime applications from 3,906 in 2020/2021 to 16,139 in 2024/2025., peaking at 19,730 in 2023/2024. Facebook/Messenger is the primary medium for incidents cumulatively accounted for 72.73% of all cases reported. TikTok emerged as a critical threat vector, demonstrating a 3092.86% growth in associated criminal activities. Statistical methods including chi-square tests, and Herfindahl-Hirschman Index were applied to assess platform concentration and trend evolution. Gender-wise analysis show men accounting for 47.02% and women for 45.69%, with women initially reporting more incidents in earlier fiscal years. The study correlates these trends with prevalent cybercrime typologies- photo mutilation, revenge porn, ransomware attacks, defamation and impersonation, hacking and unauthorized access, and online fraud. These findings offer policymakers, cybersecurity professionals, individuals, and researchers’ empirical insights into Nepal’s evolving cybercrime landscape and support the development of targeted prevention strategies and public awareness campaigns in a digitally evolving nation like Nepal.
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