The Burrow
Sep 15, 2025
We all love our possessions. From smartphones to passports, jewellery to gadgets, none of us wants any of our precious items stolen away from us. Unfortunately, break-ins do happen, and our things can be taken away from us.
As experts in comparing a home and contents insurance, we wanted to get a better understanding of how prevalent household theft is, and which items are the most commonly targeted.
To do this, we surveyed more than 3,000 adults across Australia, Canada and the USA.
Here’s what we found.
According to our survey, a total of 32.6% of Americans reported having item/s stolen from their home, with 12.8% of these thefts being recent (within the last year) and 19.8% being more than a year ago.
In comparison, a total of 29.7% of Australians reported household theft (6.8% recent, 22.9% over a year ago), followed by 26.6% of Canadians (10.0% recent, 16.6% over a year ago).
Have you ever had anything stolen from your home? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 🇨🇦 Canada | 🇺🇸 USA | |
| Yes | 6.8% | 10.0% | 12.8% |
| Yes, but more than a year ago | 22.9% | 16.6% | 19.8% |
| No | 70.3% | 73.3% | 67.4% |
Note: Values may not add to 100% due to rounding
Across each country surveyed, electronics were the most commonly stolen items, with 41.4% of Canadians who reported home theft having had electronics stolen. This was followed by 40.4% of Americans and 32.6% of Australians.
Money appeared in the top three for most stolen items for each country, placing tied first for Australians (32.6%), third for Canadians (38.8%), and second for Americans (39.8%).
House and vehicle keys were among the least commonly stolen across the survey, with house keys placing as the least stolen item for Canadians (4.5%) and Americans (7.9%), and vehicle keys placing as the least stolen for Australians (6.0%).
Most common items to be stolen from the home | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 🇨🇦 Canada | 🇺🇸 USA | |
| Electronics (Phone, tablet, laptop etc.) | 32.6% | 41.4% | 40.4% |
| Jewellery | 32.6% | 28.4% | 33.1% |
| Money | 32.6% | 38.8% | 39.8% |
| Watches | 17.6% | 40.8% | 21.3% |
| Wallet | 14.3% | 16.8% | 22.2% |
| Power tools | 15.6% | 11.6% | 21.9% |
| Designer items | 9.3% | 7.1% | 10.0% |
| Art or collector’s items | 7.0% | 6.7% | 8.2% |
| Personal documents or ID | 6.3% | 10.1% | 12.2% |
| Vehicle keys | 6.0% | 6.0% | 9.4% |
| House keys | 6.3% | 4.5% | 7.9% |
| Other (please specify) | 15.9% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
Note: Value total exceeds 100% due to multiple choice
According to our survey, bedrooms were the most burgled room across each country, with over half (51.4%) of USA burglaries occurring in the bedroom, followed by Canada (46.3%) and Australia (42.2%).
Similarly, living rooms and garages placed as the second and third most thieved room for each country, respectively, with living rooms led again by the USA (38.9%), then Canada (32.1%) and Australia (31.2%), and garages following a similar trend (USA (22.8%), Australia (22.3%), Canada (14.9%)).
Thefts outside of the home were much less common, with only 17.9% of home burglaries in Canada occurring outside, followed by 17.6% in the USA and 16.3% in Australia.
Most commonly targeted rooms in home theft | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 🇨🇦 Canada | 🇺🇸 USA | |
| Bedroom | 42.2% | 46.3% | 51.4% |
| Living Room | 31.2% | 32.1% | 38.9% |
| Garage | 22.3% | 14.9% | 22.8% |
| Dining room | 11.0% | 10.8% | 14.9% |
| Kitchen | 13.3% | 13.1% | 15.8% |
| Basement | 6.6% | 9.0% | 10.9% |
| Attic | 2.0% | 3.0% | 5.5% |
| Outside – behind locked gate | 8.3% | 7.1% | 8.5% |
| Outside – accessible area (e.g. front of house) | 8.0% | 10.8% | 9.1% |
| Shed | 8.6% | 4.9% | 7.0% |
| Other (please specify) | 3.0% | 4.1% | 4.9% |
Note: Values may not add to 100% due to rounding
Executive General Manager of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor, notes there are ways to help protect your home from theft.
“Break-ins are a common concern for anyone,” Mr Taylor said.
“While, unfortunately, we can’t always completely prevent them, there are many things we can do to help deter thieves and protect our home.
“Prominent security devices, motion-sensor lighting and ensuring you lock your doors and windows are among just some of the ways you can secure your belongings.
“For when that fails, a home and contents insurance can bridge that gap and potentially help you cover the costs of damage or stolen items due to a break-in, provided they are covered by your policy.
“When searching for home and contents insurance, it pays to compare your options to ensure you find the right deal for you and your home.”
Always read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) to check for the inclusions, limits and restrictions before purchasing to make sure the product is suitable.
Compare the Market commissioned PureProfile to survey 1,012 Australian, 1,009 American and 1,005 Canadians adults in August 2025.