Brazil moves from 22nd to 14th on the list of worst countries for organized crime, according to research

In the previous poll, Brazil was in 22nd place. The research collected data from 2021 to 2025 on crime levels and the ability of countries to combat criminal groups (see rankings at the end). The methodology formulates scores from 0 to 10, assessing the impact of organized crime in a country taking into account several factors, such as the structure of criminal groups and the illicit markets operating in each location.

In the crime resilience ranking, Brazil appears at 86th, an improvement over 2023, when it was 94th. In the big picture, the country appears in a category of 66 countries with high crime rates and low resilience. In the same quadrant, countries such as Mexico, Cambodia, Russia, Cameroon, Ethiopia and others appear. The country with the worst indicators is Myanmar in Asia.

According to the research, these countries face significant levels of organized crime threats in multiple markets and suffer from deficiencies in combat mechanisms.

In June, in an interview with O GLOBO, GI-TOC Director Mark Shaw stated that Brazil has a problematic mix: it has high crime rates, is a corridor for the flow of illicit goods, has a large domestic consumer of cocaine and still has a low capacity to confront crime.

Brazil is a huge country that serves as a corridor for the flow of illicit traffickers and as an internal market, as well as for many illicit markets, such as cocaine, environmental resources, synthetic drugs, extortion, and human trafficking. Furthermore, there are many different criminal actors, not just factions, such as the private sector, some foreign actors, such as the ‘Ndrangheta, Balkan groups…. In addition, Brazil continues to have low levels of resilience to organized crime. What is the meaning of flexibility? Shaw said: It is the ability of the state and society to respond to the mafia.

The research indicates that the areas of activity of criminal groups are witnessing many changes at the global level. Financial crime remains the most prevalent criminal market globally and has seen the largest expansion of any market since 2023.

The drug market has seen the rise of synthetic drugs and cocaine, while marijuana and heroin have declined. However, marijuana remains the most widely used illicit substance on the planet. Researchers point out that the rise of cocaine is directly linked to South America and is evidence of the global reach of gangs operating in the region, and that they maintain relationships with criminal groups from other parts of the planet to make the trade viable.

Compared to cocaine, the synthetic drug market, which is also on the rise, has proven to be more flexible and decentralized because it has production centers that can be established close to consumer markets, resulting in lower operating and production costs, according to the study.

“Traditional smuggling routes are being redesigned, new goods are replacing old ones, criminal agents operating at the transnational level or within the formal economy are strengthening, and new illicit markets are proliferating, whether visible or not,” it reads.

Other areas of activity for the groups are non-violent crimes, such as financial crimes and those that occur on the Internet. The report also draws attention to counterfeiting, which according to the research has become an increasingly attractive crime due to factors such as global inflation and trade wars, pushing consumers with low purchasing power to look for cheaper products.

Data shows that groups that rely on state infiltration are the most prevalent type of criminal agents in the world. In 80 of the 193 countries analysed, groups exert influence on the state that is classified as severe.

“This report should serve as a foundation for action to change the course of how we address the growing harms caused by organized crime,” said Mark Shaw about the launch of the new classification.

According to GI-TOC, organized crime is not only expanding globally, it is reorganizing itself. “The evidence suggests profound changes in the dynamics of the criminal landscape,” the report says. Global integration in the fight against organized crime, according to the GI-TOC, is decreasing due to declining multilateralism.

Crime points

1. Myanmar (8.08)
2. Colombia (7.82)
3. Mexico (7.68)
4. Paraguay (7.48)
5. Ecuador (7.48)
6. Democratic Republic of the Congo (7.47)
7. South Africa (7.43)
8. Nigeria (7.32)
9. Lebanon (7.30)
10. Türkiye (7.20)
11. Kenya (7.18)
12. Iraq (7.17)
13. Honduras (7.10)
14. Brazil (7.07)
15. Libya (7.05)
16. Central African Republic (7.03)
17. Afghanistan (7.02)
18. Cambodia (7.02)
19. Syria (6.98)
20. Venezuela (6.97)