The Economist wrote about the economics of being a modern-day pirate (unlike the one pictured above):

• The average (sea-faring) pirate makes between $30,000 and $75,000 a year in base salary.
• Special bonuses for those who are the first to board a ship, or for those who bring their own weapons or ladders can reach $10,000.
• There are also deductions. Qat – a narcotic plant that is commonly chewed – is provided on credit and is deducted from the final salary of a pirate. There are also deductions for bad behaviour which can reach $5,000.
• In fact the fines are so steep and the rules so often broken that many pirates end up in debt at the point of retirement.
• Those who do end up with cash spend it on machines that detect fake bank notes and, believe it or not, lawyers.
• Former pirates make their living by starting up consultancies that work with the victims of piracy, and by working as pirate negotiators.

Find out how much money is needed to invest in a pirate expedition, where it typically comes from, the interest rates that pirates have to deal with and much more over here.

Source: The Economist