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A new study has claimed that a remarkable 41 per cent of all software installations on PC last year were based on illegally pirated copies – a figure which amounts to a market value of $53bn.

The global piracy rate in 2007 was pegged at 38 per cent, but successes in territories such as China and Russia don’t seem to have eased the problem, Reuters reports.

The US is named as the best-behaved nation, with piracy rates of just 20 per cent whilst prime offender China saw a welcomed reduction, with illegal installations falling to 80 per cent – a reduction of ten per cent. There was also a five per cent drop in Russia.

Countries with piracy rates above 90 per cent include Georgia, Bangladesh, Armenia, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan and Moldova.

Despite the growing problem, the global PC software market still grew in 2008, reaching $88bn.