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Threat Profile

Invasive Species

Non-native species introduced by human activity now play a role in 60% of recorded extinctions worldwide — and cost the global economy hundreds of billions of dollars a year.

Published May 2026 Last reviewed July 2026 Evidence level Strong Reading time 6 min

Overview

Invasive species are organisms introduced, deliberately or accidentally, outside their native range by human activity, where they spread and cause ecological or economic harm. Unlike most threats on this platform, invasive species can actively displace and outcompete native wildlife, rather than simply degrading the environment around it.

Established fact

Invasive species play a role in 60% of all recorded plant and animal extinctions worldwide, and cost the global economy at least $423 billion every year.

Source: World Economic Forum, 2023; multiple peer-reviewed cost assessments

The Scale of the Cost

$1,130.6Bestimated cumulative damage costs from biological invasions since 1960
25xlower cost of pre-invasion prevention compared to post-invasion management, per unit spent
Established fact, with a real range

Estimates of invasive species' economic cost vary considerably by methodology: widely cited figures put agriculture, forestry and fishery losses alone at over $644 billion from 1970–2020, while newer 2025 research suggests some previous estimates may understate true costs by up to 16 times.

Source: European Commission, 2025; Phys.org / peer-reviewed cost synthesis, 2025

We show a range here rather than a single number because published cost estimates differ substantially by methodology and which economic sectors are included — consistent with our Scientific Standards.

Documented Impacts

Direct displacementInvasive species outcompete natives for food, nesting sites and other resources, sometimes eliminating native populations entirely from a given area.
Predation and diseaseIntroduced predators and pathogens — to which native species have no evolved defense — have driven some of the most severe island-species extinctions on record.
Ecosystem restructuringBeyond individual species loss, invasions can alter entire food webs and ecosystem function, as documented in marine systems affected by invasive alien species.
Editorial analysis

The 25-times cost differential between prevention and post-invasion management is arguably the most policy-relevant number on this page: it suggests that biosecurity spending — inspection, quarantine, early detection — is one of the more cost-effective conservation interventions available, even though it receives comparatively little public attention next to more visible threats like deforestation or poaching.

Uncertainty & Evidence Gaps

The role of invasive species in historical extinctions is well documented, particularly for island ecosystems. Aggregate economic cost estimates vary widely by study and methodology, partly because invasions are difficult to fully account for across all affected sectors — recent research suggesting costs are underestimated by up to 16 times highlights how unsettled the precise figures still are, even though the general scale (hundreds of billions of dollars) is not in serious dispute.