Open-source research
Drone incidents
in peacetime states.
A record of small drones flown where they should not have been, or used to do something they should not have done, outside war zones.
2,831Documented incidents
106Countries and territories
123Published aggregate figures
2010–2026Through September 2026
These are counts of rows in the incident record. They reflect where incidents are reported individually, rather than the true frequency of each kind of event. Prison and aviation incidents are especially well represented because those sectors report individual cases. Coverage is strongest in the UK, US, Canada and Australia. The separate aggregate figures provide additional context.
By year
17 categories| Year | Incidents | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 | 0.0% |
| 2011 | 2 | 0.1% |
| 2012 | 3 | 0.1% |
| 2013 | 15 | 0.5% |
| 2014 | 66 | 2.3% |
| 2015 | 79 | 2.8% |
| 2016 | 79 | 2.8% |
| 2017 | 102 | 3.6% |
| 2018 | 85 | 3.0% |
| 2019 | 85 | 3.0% |
| 2020 | 64 | 2.3% |
| 2021 | 305 | 10.8% |
| 2022 | 358 | 12.6% |
| 2023 | 297 | 10.5% |
| 2024 | 357 | 12.6% |
| 2025 | 474 | 16.7% |
| 2026 | 459 | 16.2% |
| Total | 2,831 | 100% |
By region
6 categories| region | Incidents | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Africa | 20 | 0.7% |
| Asia-Pacific | 542 | 19.1% |
| Europe | 1,017 | 35.9% |
| Latin America | 155 | 5.5% |
| Middle East | 126 | 4.5% |
| North America | 971 | 34.3% |
| Total | 2,831 | 100% |
By site type
14 categories| site type | Incidents | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Civil airport | 521 | 18.4% |
| Correctional facility | 442 | 15.6% |
| Airspace (national) | 402 | 14.2% |
| Residential / urban | 275 | 9.7% |
| Emergency operations | 238 | 8.4% |
| Public event | 222 | 7.8% |
| Government site | 186 | 6.6% |
| Border | 167 | 5.9% |
| Military base | 158 | 5.6% |
| Energy infrastructure | 81 | 2.9% |
| Port / maritime | 55 | 1.9% |
| Nuclear facility | 38 | 1.3% |
| Industrial site | 29 | 1.0% |
| Transport infrastructure | 17 | 0.6% |
| Total | 2,831 | 100% |
By incident type
10 categories| incident type | Incidents | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Incursion into restricted airspace or site | 952 | 33.6% |
| Contraband delivery | 581 | 20.5% |
| Crash or malfunction | 393 | 13.9% |
| Near-miss with aircraft | 386 | 13.6% |
| Airspace encounter - no or undetermined collision risk | 189 | 6.7% |
| Attack | 133 | 4.7% |
| Surveillance / reconnaissance | 81 | 2.9% |
| Privacy intrusion / harassment | 65 | 2.3% |
| Collision with aircraft | 34 | 1.2% |
| Protest / activism | 17 | 0.6% |
| Total | 2,831 | 100% |
By country or territory
106 categories| Country or territory | Incidents | % of total |
|---|---|---|
| Albania | 1 | 0.0% |
| Algeria | 1 | 0.0% |
| Argentina | 2 | 0.1% |
| Armenia | 1 | 0.0% |
| Australia | 206 | 7.3% |
| Austria | 2 | 0.1% |
| Azerbaijan | 5 | 0.2% |
| Bangladesh | 5 | 0.2% |
| Belarus | 1 | 0.0% |
| Belgium | 30 | 1.1% |
| Bermuda | 2 | 0.1% |
| Brazil | 27 | 1.0% |
| Bulgaria | 2 | 0.1% |
| Cambodia | 3 | 0.1% |
| Canada | 457 | 16.1% |
| Central African Republic | 1 | 0.0% |
| Chile | 5 | 0.2% |
| China | 37 | 1.3% |
| Colombia | 51 | 1.8% |
| Croatia | 3 | 0.1% |
| Cuba | 1 | 0.0% |
| Curaçao | 1 | 0.0% |
| Cyprus | 4 | 0.1% |
| Czech Republic | 1 | 0.0% |
| Denmark | 12 | 0.4% |
| Dominica | 1 | 0.0% |
| Dominican Republic | 1 | 0.0% |
| Ecuador | 2 | 0.1% |
| Egypt | 1 | 0.0% |
| El Salvador | 1 | 0.0% |
| Estonia | 5 | 0.2% |
| Finland | 11 | 0.4% |
| France | 81 | 2.9% |
| Germany | 48 | 1.7% |
| Ghana | 1 | 0.0% |
| Greece | 5 | 0.2% |
| Guam | 2 | 0.1% |
| Guyana | 1 | 0.0% |
| Hong Kong | 10 | 0.4% |
| India | 138 | 4.9% |
| Indonesia | 4 | 0.1% |
| Iran | 3 | 0.1% |
| Iraq | 10 | 0.4% |
| Ireland | 45 | 1.6% |
| Isle of Man | 7 | 0.2% |
| Israel | 42 | 1.5% |
| Italy | 20 | 0.7% |
| Ivory Coast | 1 | 0.0% |
| Japan | 19 | 0.7% |
| Jersey | 2 | 0.1% |
| Jordan | 64 | 2.3% |
| Kazakhstan | 2 | 0.1% |
| Kenya | 2 | 0.1% |
| Kosovo | 2 | 0.1% |
| Kuwait | 2 | 0.1% |
| Kyrgyzstan | 1 | 0.0% |
| Latvia | 12 | 0.4% |
| Lithuania | 28 | 1.0% |
| Luxembourg | 2 | 0.1% |
| Malawi | 1 | 0.0% |
| Malaysia | 7 | 0.2% |
| Maldives | 2 | 0.1% |
| Mali | 1 | 0.0% |
| Malta | 1 | 0.0% |
| Mexico | 47 | 1.7% |
| Moldova | 14 | 0.5% |
| Montenegro | 1 | 0.0% |
| Morocco | 2 | 0.1% |
| Myanmar | 3 | 0.1% |
| Namibia | 1 | 0.0% |
| Nepal | 1 | 0.0% |
| Netherlands | 31 | 1.1% |
| New Zealand | 22 | 0.8% |
| North Korea | 2 | 0.1% |
| Norway | 32 | 1.1% |
| Oman | 1 | 0.0% |
| Pakistan | 6 | 0.2% |
| Peru | 1 | 0.0% |
| Philippines | 3 | 0.1% |
| Poland | 24 | 0.8% |
| Portugal | 5 | 0.2% |
| Qatar | 1 | 0.0% |
| Romania | 39 | 1.4% |
| Russia | 2 | 0.1% |
| Saudi Arabia | 1 | 0.0% |
| Serbia | 3 | 0.1% |
| Singapore | 16 | 0.6% |
| Slovakia | 1 | 0.0% |
| South Africa | 5 | 0.2% |
| South Korea | 27 | 1.0% |
| Spain | 29 | 1.0% |
| Sri Lanka | 4 | 0.1% |
| Sweden | 21 | 0.7% |
| Switzerland | 18 | 0.6% |
| Taiwan | 4 | 0.1% |
| Thailand | 3 | 0.1% |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 9 | 0.3% |
| Turkey | 4 | 0.1% |
| Uganda | 1 | 0.0% |
| United Arab Emirates | 2 | 0.1% |
| United Kingdom | 462 | 16.3% |
| United States | 512 | 18.1% |
| Uzbekistan | 3 | 0.1% |
| Venezuela | 5 | 0.2% |
| Vietnam | 12 | 0.4% |
| Zimbabwe | 2 | 0.1% |
| Total | 2,831 | 100% |
Source: Drone incidents in peacetime and non-belligerent states, Summary stats and Incidents sheets. Percentages are calculated from 2,831 incident rows and rounded to one decimal place.