Last year, 36 per cent of all software being used here was pirated - a marginal drop from the 37 per cent in 2007 - a study conducted by advocacy group Business Software Alliance (BSA) and IT research company IDC shows.

The main culprits: Young home users and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Worryingly, getting hold of pirated software is becoming easier. Gone are the surreptitious hawkers outside MRT stations, wiped out by tough enforcement action. Also disappearing are shops buried deep within dingy malls.

Now, more people are getting their illegal software off the Internet, said Mr Victor Lim, vice-president of consulting at IDC. One reason for this is ever-higher broadband speeds, which allow users to download big files in a jiffy.

The study measured the impact of piracy on software companies' bottom lines: They lost $345 million last year, up from $231 million the year before.

Into its sixth year, the study looked at piracy rates across 110 countries.

Singapore fared reasonably well, finishing in fourth place in Asia and 20th overall. Japan topped the Asian table, with a piracy rate of 21 per cent.

The United States fared best overall, with a piracy rate of 20 per cent, ahead of Japan and New Zealand (22 per cent).

The worst performers were Bangladesh and Vietnam, with 92 per cent and 85 per cent, respectively.

Read the full story in Wednesday's edition of The Straits Times.