15 Best Spy Agencies in the World [As of 2024]

An intelligence agency essentially works like a nervous system in any nation’s defense setup, which is responsible for feeding vital information about possible threats to national security to law enforcement agencies and armed forces.

They collect, analyze, and exploit secretive information unavailable to common people to their advantage. These agencies gather information by various means, including espionage, signal gathering or intercepting, cryptanalysis, and various other methods.

Many countries have multiple operational secret services or spy agencies, but one usually stands out as the primary agency.

So, what makes one spy agency better than another? Is it because of a colossal budget or relentless and hard training, or is it just because of the technology they use? Well, it’s a mixture of all these things. Anyway, here are the best spy agencies in the world.

Did you know? 

The exact budget of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is classified, but it is estimated to be in the range of $15 to $20 billion annually. The number of employees working there is also classified; however, it is known to have thousands of analysts, operatives, and support personnel.  

15. Inter-Service Intelligence – Pakistan

Established In: 1948

The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) serves as Pakistan’s foreign intelligence agency, primarily recruiting personnel from the country’s armed forces. Known for its assertive methods, including psychological warfare and subversion, ISI has maintained a notable presence in Afghanistan over the years.

During the 1980s Soviet-Afghan War, ISI played a pivotal role by offering essential logistics and intelligence support to Afghan mujahideen. Apart from its activities in Afghanistan, ISI conducted covert operations in India, Libya, Iran, and Iraq.

14. National Intelligence Organization – Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (left) with MIT director Hakan Fidan during a meeting at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey | Image Courtesy: Presidency of Turkey

Established In: 1965
Annual Budget: $260 million (2023)

The National Intelligence Organization, or MIT (Turkish abbreviation), is the primary intelligence agency of Turkey operating directly under the head of state, the president of the Republic of Turkey. Its responsibilities include intelligence gathering, internal and external threat assessment, and counterintelligence.

MIT is capable of conducting intelligence and covert missions around the world. A large number of known MIT operations outside Turkey are related to tracking and arresting members of the Gülen movement and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), both designated as terrorist organizations by Turkey and several other nations.

The organization is known to have conducted major surveillance operations in Austria, Germany, Greece, and Egypt.

13. General Intelligence Presidency – Saudi Arabia

The Presidency of State Security is among the highest results of government agencies in measuring digital transformation in 2023. pic.twitter.com/Ak7kpPelij

— The Presidency of State Security (@pss_en) December 21, 2023

Established In: 1955

The General Intelligence Presidency (GIP) is Saudi Arabia’s external intelligence agency with a deep presence in West Asian and North African countries. The GIP was established as an independent agency in 1955 under King Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Before, all intelligence-related tasks in the country were carried out by its secret police, the Mabahith.

In 1976, the GIP became a member of the ‘Safari Club,’ a group of multinational intelligence agencies from France, Morocco, Egypt, and Iran to execute covert operations in Africa. As part of the Safari Club, the agency provided intelligence support for military intervention in Zaire (Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1977 and the Somalia-Ethiopia conflict in 1978.

Alongside the US and Pakistani foreign intelligence agencies, the Saudi GIP played a crucial role in aiding and arming Mujahideen for fighting against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan during the Cold War. It was also involved in the Syrian Civil War.

12. Canadian Security Intelligence Service 

CSIS expenditures

Established In: 1984
Annual Budget: $650 million (2020-21)

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) was established on June 21, 1984, to replace the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Security Service as Canada’s primary agency to gather and analyze intelligence related to domestic security.

The CSIS is a member of the Five Eyes, an alliance of various intelligence agencies from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The alliance is perhaps the most powerful intelligence-gathering entity in the world since the Cold War.

CSIS has four components — counterintelligence, counter-terrorism, and counter-proliferation. The fourth component, namely, Research, Analysis and Production (RAP), was established to better coordinate with Canada’s Intelligence Assessment department of the Privy Council Office (cabinet secretariat).

11. Australian Secret Intelligence Services  

R. G. Casey House, Headquarters of the ASIS

Established In: 1952
Annual Budget: $337 Million (2017)

The Australian Secret Intelligence Service, or ASIS, is the external component of the Australian Intelligence Community. It is tasked with gathering intelligence from overseas that concerns Australia’s domestic security and strategic interests.

The ASIS was established on 13 May 1952 by executive order. However, its existence became known publicly for the first time about two decades later, in 1972, after a news report exposed its espionage activities in the neighboring Asian countries. Most of its operations in recent years remain confidential.

During a public press conference in 2012, the Director-General of ASIS, Nick Warner, stated that the agency is increasing its foothold in some of the world’s most volatile regions. In 2013, the agency was involved in capturing a rogue Afghan soldier and suspected Taliban agent, who killed three Australian soldiers during an insider attack at a petrol base.

10. General Directorate for External Security (DGSE) – France

DGSE headquarters

Established In: 1982
Annual Budget: $731 million

The General Directorate for External Security, also known as DGSE (French abbreviation), is one of the most influential spy agencies in the world. It operates directly under the French Ministry of Armed Forces and is tasked with intelligence gathering and counterintelligence, as well as conducting special operations on foreign soil.

DGSE also specializes in economic espionage — gathering knowledge about intellectual property (industrial products, techniques, ideas) or operational information (R&D, strategies) against other countries. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, DGSE extensively spied on some of the largest tech companies in the United States. A similar account was given by former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in a 2014 interview.

Over the years, the agency has been involved in multiple civil wars, coup d’état, counterterrorism, and rescue operations around the world.

9. Federal Intelligence Service (BND) – Germany

Established In: 1956
Annual Budget: $1.3 Billion (2022)

Established during the Cold War in 1956 with assistance from the CIA, the current foreign intelligence agency of Germany is the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND).

In its early years, the BND played a crucial role as the primary channel for Western spy agencies to closely monitor the Eastern Bloc. During the 1960s-70s, BND earned a reputation as the most well-informed intelligence agency concerning Western Asia (Middle East).

Today, the agency is responsible for gathering and analyzing information regarding international terrorism, counter-proliferation, as well as, drug trafficking and organized crime. Like the CIA, the agency is involved in mass surveillance.

In 2016, a BND officer successfully negotiated a prisoner exchange between Israel and the Shia Islamist militant group Hezbollah that eventually took place two years later in 2018. The agency has been a successful mediator between the two parties on previous occasions as well.

The Federal Intelligence Agency currently has the largest intelligence headquarters in the world. Inaugurated in 2019, the Berlin headquarters of BND span over an area equal to the size of 36 football fields and can accommodate approximately 6,500 employees.

8. Research And Analysis Wing – India

Rameshwar Nath Kao , Spymaster and The Man Who Founded Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW)

In 1940 He Joined Imperial Police Service ( I.P.S ) Under British Govt pic.twitter.com/kPVVR6Yg3g

— indianhistorypics (@IndiaHistorypic) September 21, 2023

Established In: 1968

India’s intelligence failure during the Sino-Indian War of 1962 was a major setback for the Intelligence Bureau, the agency responsible for the country’s internal and external security at that time. To prevent such catastrophes in the future, the Government of India established the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) in 1968 as a dedicated external intelligence agency.

Its responsibilities include gathering intelligence from foreign nations concerning India’s national security. It also monitors arms and narcotics smuggling into the country. Additionally, R&AW is involved in the security of India’s nuclear installations.

The agency has had a substantial presence in Afghanistan since the 1990s. Following the ascent of the Pakistan-backed Taliban in the country, India chose to support the United Front (Northern Alliance), with R&AW providing essential intelligence and logistical support.

In 2020, acting on information from R&AW, the National Intelligence Agency of Afghanistan (NDS) detained multiple undercover operatives from China’s Ministry of State Security in Kabul. This incident marked the first known revelation of Chinese intelligence presence in Afghanistan.

7. Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR RF) – Russia

FM Sergey #Lavrov:

Russian-Chinese relations are at their best period in history.

There is not a single area where our ties are not experiencing a rapid growth and expansion. pic.twitter.com/fP8EeHspCD

— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) January 18, 2024

Established In: 1991

The Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, or SVR RF, succeeded the KGB as Russia’s external intelligence agency after the latter was disbanded in 1991. Its duties include intelligence gathering, conducting strategic and economic espionage, and protecting Russian officials overseas.

For over a decade after its formation, the SVR played a more influential role in Russia’s foreign policies than its ministry. Reportedly, it was the decisive authority on the transfer of Russian nuclear technologies to Iran.

The SVR often works together with Russia’s foreign military intelligence unit, the GRU, for espionage and covert operations in many foreign countries.

Read: 15 Most Secret and Experimental Military Aircraft

5/6. GCHQ and NSA – UK and USA

Our experts at the @NCSC work to protect the UK’s critical services from cyber attacks.

They support organisations across the UK from the wider public sector to industry and small and medium enterprises. pic.twitter.com/2AMFAFJ99g

— GCHQ (@GCHQ) January 19, 2024

Established In: 1919 (GCHQ); 1952 (NSA)

Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ, is a security organization responsible for intelligence gathering mainly through signals intelligence for the government of the United Kingdom and its armed forces.

GCHQ has two components: the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) and Composite Signals Organization (GCHQ Bude).

The NCSC conducts threat assessments and provides cybersecurity-related advice to government and private organizations in the U.K. In contrast, GCHQ Bude carries much broader intelligence-gathering operations, such as satellite and cable data interception.

GCHQ’s US counterpart, the National Security Agency (NSA), is one of the most publicized intelligence agencies in the world. NSA is responsible for gathering and analyzing security-related information from both home and abroad to assist other federal security agencies in the United States.

The NSA is involved in mass surveillance through hacking and clandestine eavesdropping programs. In terms of budget, NSA is the second-largest intelligence organization in the US after the CIA.

Signals intelligence, or SIGINT, is a specific intelligence-gathering discipline that involves the interception of signals. The sub-fields SIGINT include communications intelligence (COMINT), electronic intelligence (ELINT).

Both GCHQ and NSA are the world’s foremost security-related information-gathering intelligence agencies, often collaborating on different projects.

Read: 13 Top Secret US Military Intelligence Programs

4. Mossad – Israel

Established In: 1949
Annual Budget: US$2.7 billion

Israel’s Mossad is one of the oldest, most capable, and feared spy agencies in the world. Like the CIA, Mossad is a foreign intelligence agency. Apart from intelligence gathering, Mossad is tasked with conducting counter-terrorism and covert operations abroad.

In 2017, Mossad started a technological innovation fund, Libratad, to invest in up-and-coming tech startups.

The agency has its own counter-terrorism units, namely Kidon and Metsada, for highly sensitive missions. Kidon has been described as a group of highly trained soldiers who perform high-profile assassinations and sabotage across the globe.

Most of the covert operations executed by Mossad are in the interest of the Jewish community across the world.

After the Munich Massacre in 1972, the agency carried out a massive covert operation (“Wrath of God”) to track and eliminate members of the Palestinian armed militant group who were involved in the attack. The operation spanned from Italy, France, Greece, and Norway to Lebanon, Algeria, and Libya.

3. Secret Intelligence Service  – The United Kingdom

SIS Building at Vauxhall Cross | Image Courtesy: Laurie Nevay

Established In: 1909
Annual Budget: $4.7 Billion (2021-22)

Also known as MI6, the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) is one of the most respected organizations in the spy world. The existence of SIS was officially acknowledged only in 1994, almost nine decades after its initial establishment.

Unlike MI5, SIS’s domain is only limited to people and entities outside the British Isles. Historically, the agency was involved largely in the Second World War, the Cold War, and other regional disputes all over the world.

2. Ministry of State Security – China

MSS facilities in Xiyuan, Beijing

Established In: 1983
Annual Budget: More than $10 billion  

The Ministry of State Security (MSS) is a civilian agency in charge of domestic and foreign intelligence gathering and counterintelligence for the People’s Republic of China.

MSS was established in its current structure in 1983 following the merger between the Central Investigation Department (the preceding foreign intelligence agency) and the counterintelligence branch of the Ministry of Public Security.

With a significant presence in all five continents, the MSS is considered one of the world’s most powerful and influential intelligence agencies. The agency is notorious for its aggressive and unconventional intelligence-gathering strategies.

In recent years, the espionage activities carried out by the MSS against several host nations, including the United States, have increased significantly. According to a study, the US suffers economic damages anywhere between $300 billion to $445 billion annually due to Chinese cyberattacks and economic espionage.

1. Central Intelligence Agency – The United States

Established In: 1947
Annual Budget: $15 Billion (2013)

When the CIA was established by President Harry S. Truman in 1947, its main motive was to mediate foreign policy intelligence and analysis countrywide. Today, it is perhaps the most powerful agency in the United States Intelligence Community.

The organization primarily focuses its resources and manpower on gathering foreign intelligence, dedicating minimal attention to domestic data. The CIA is undoubtedly the most easily recognizable intelligence agency in the world, mostly due to its numerous mentions in international and Hollywood movies.

CIA is also one of the most heavily funded government organizations in the USA. Historically, the CIA has been involved in many international controversies, including the 1954 Guatemalan coup d’état and political shake-ups in Syria, Indonesia, and Congo.

More to know? 

How did we determine the ranking of these spy agencies?

While the ranking of spy agencies is a subjective process and depends on several factors like geopolitical shifts and technological advancements, there are some common criteria we considered while listing these spy agencies: 

• Global reach and cooperation 
• Effectiveness in intelligence gathering
• historical performance and achievements
• Cyber espionage capabilities
• Budget and resources 
• Advanced technological capabilities like signal intelligence, surveillance methods, and data analysis 

How has the role of intelligence agencies evolved in the post-Cold War era?

After the Cold War, intelligence agencies have faced new challenges, including terrorism, cybersecurity threats, and hybrid warfare.

Increased global connections and more teamwork between countries have compelled spy agencies to deal with hybrid threats like information warfare, economic espionage, and cyber threats that go beyond traditional boundaries.

These agencies are now tasked with aiding in conflict resolution and supporting peacekeeping efforts. Understanding regional dynamics and providing early warning of potential conflicts have become key aspects of their roles.

What challenges do these spy agencies face in the modern era?

At present, spy agencies face various complex challenges that evolve with advances in Information Technology and changes in global geopolitics. The key challenges include cybersecurity threats, hybrid warfare, and rapidly evolving threats, such as biological, chemical, or nuclear terrorism. 

Furthermore, maintaining a balance between national security needs and the protection of civil liberties is an ongoing challenge. The agencies must function within legal frameworks and uphold ethical standards to prevent abuses of power and unwarranted surveillance. 

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