Organized crime groups have surged in recent decades, aided by the rise of synthetic drugs, encrypted technologies, and multinational operations.

For instance, a leading Brazilian mob has 60,000 affiliates spread across 26 countries in addition to its 40,000 members. Moreover, criminal actors are increasingly diversifying their operations, engaging in activities such as human smuggling, drug trafficking, and the exploitation of food supply chains.

This graphic, via Visual Capitalist's Dorothy Neufeld, shows organized crime hot spots around the world, based on data from the Global Organized Crime Index.

Methodology

The Global Organized Crime Index analyzes 193 countries based on their scale of criminal activity. It includes three main components:

• Criminal actor influence and structure: e.g. mafia-style groups, criminal networks, state-embedded actors

• Criminal market scale and impact: e.g. arms trafficking, heroin trade, human trafficking

• Each country’s resilience to organized crime: e.g. judicial system, government transparency

Overall, countries were scored on a scale of 0 to 10 by the extent to which organized crime groups exert control over their direct economic activities.

Where Organized Crime Groups Are the Most Powerful

Below, we show the top 30 hubs for organized crime groups worldwide:

Central and South America have the highest concentration of organized crime globally, with the most widespread criminal activity in Venezuela and Colombia.

In particular, criminal actors are known for serious extortion practices, human smuggling, and illegal arms trafficking. The economic crisis in Venezuela, which has forced millions to flee, has contributed to the rise in human smuggling and trafficking, with victims being targeted even beyond the Colombian-Venezuelan border.

In Mexico, criminal actors are increasingly targeting the food industry, including avocados, tortillas, potatoes, and limes, among others.

Myanmar also stands as a key hub for human trafficking, with an estimated 120,000 victims being used for forced labor in scam centers. These scam centers, which generate billions of dollars, operate largely along border of China and Myanmar, where victims are lured by significant perks.

Meanwhile, the illicit arms trade in pervasive across Somalia. The jihadist group, al-Shabab, has infiltrated political and economic structures, serving as a key player in illegal arms trafficking. Each year, the group is estimated to make $100 million from its extortion activities alone.

To learn more about this topic from a homicide perspective, check out this graphic on the world’s highest homicide rates by region.