Purpose – This paper aims to review research on the topic of knowledge leakage to establish the current body of knowledge and, on this basis, to suggest some promising avenues for future research. Design/methodology/approach – The study consists of a systematic review of 57 refereed empirical articles on knowledge leakage. Findings – The findings contribute to a more holistic view of the topic and complement the study of knowledge management. Additionally, a conceptual framework is proposed that aims at guiding and informing future research activities. Research limitations/implications – This study may not have enabled a complete coverage of all empirical articles in the field of knowledge leakage. Yet, based on the chosen research methodology, it seems reasonable to assume that the review process covered a large share of studies available. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no systematic literature review on knowledge leakage has previously been published in academic journals.