Crime at a crossroads.

Contents. 

Director’s message: The Index as a compass to navigate the choices ahead

Section 1 - Introduction: Shifts in the global criminal landscape
Section 2 - Crossroads of crime and resilience


2.1 Global drug trafficking shifts to a duopoly
2.2 Forms of non-violent organized crime are exerting a growing impact, adding to the burden of enduring violent crimes
2.3 Counterfeiting at a crossroads: growth in an unstable global economy
2.4 Architects of criminal expansion
2.5 Resilience at a crossroads: international cooperation and judicial systems under pressure

Section 3 - Trajectories

3.1 Containing criminality and boosting resilience
3.2 The path of most resistance: state-embedded actors as an obstacle to resilience

Section 4 - Where do we go from here?
Section 5 - Appendix: Index data set

5.1 Criminality indicators
5.2 Resilience indicators

GLOBAL ORGANIZED CRIME INDEX 2025.

This year’s Index also shows that, while state-embedded actors are the most prevalent criminal actors, yet again, foreign actors registered the sharpest overall increase since the last Index in 2023. This suggests criminal groups are increasingly mobile and that there is closer transnational cooperation between them. Private sector actors are also playing an increasingly significant role in illicit economies, particularly as facilitators of criminal activity, for example in logistics, finance and technology.

The Global Organized Crime Index 2025 is both a record of vulnerabilities and a tool for solutions. By charting trends, risks and trajectories across every country, the Index provides a foundation for action to guide reforms, to strengthen institutions and to empower civil society. Its continuity across editions makes it possible to track change over time, offering not only a mirror of today’s realities, but also a compass for the choices that lie ahead. We therefore invite governments, policymakers, civil society and international actors to use the Index as a shared evidence base to transform knowledge into policy, and urgency into action.

Mark Shaw; Executive Director, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime