Research shows Brazil ranks 22nd to 14th on the list of worst countries when it comes to the prevalence of organized crime

Brazil was ranked 22nd in the previous survey. The study collected data on both crime levels and states’ ability to combat criminal groups from 2021 to 2025 (see rankings at the end). This methodology assesses the impact of organized crime in a country on a score scale of 0 to 10, taking into account several factors such as the structure of criminal groups and the illegal markets operating in each region.

In the crime resilience classification, Brazil ranks 86th, an improvement compared to 94th in 2023. In the big picture, the country is in the category of 66 countries with high crime rates and low resilience. In the same quadrant appear countries such as Mexico, Cambodia, Russia, Cameroon, and Ethiopia. The country with the worst indicators is Myanmar in Asia.

Research shows that these countries face significant levels of threat from organized crime in multiple markets and have flawed combat mechanisms.

In an interview with O GLOBO in June, GI-TOC Director Mark Shaw said Brazil has a problematic combination. In other words, although Brazil has a high crime rate, is a distribution channel for illegal goods, and has a high domestic cocaine consumption, it still has low resilience against crime.

— Brazil is a huge country that acts as a conduit for the flow of illegal traders and also as a domestic market for many illegal markets such as cocaine, environmental resources, synthetic drugs, extortion, and human trafficking. Additionally, there are a variety of criminal actors, including factions such as the private sector, as well as foreign actors such as the ‘Ndrangheta and Balkan groups. In addition to this, Brazil remains less resilient to organized crime. And what does resilience mean? It is the ability of the state and society to respond to the mafia, Shaw said.

This study shows that the sphere of activity of criminal groups globally is undergoing several changes. Financial crime remains the most prevalent criminal market in the world, with the largest expansion of any market since 2023.

Synthetic drugs and cocaine are on the rise in the drug market, while marijuana and heroin are losing ground. However, marijuana remains the most used illegal drug on the planet. Researchers say the rise of cocaine is directly linked to South America and evidence of the global reach of cartels operating in the region, which maintain connections with criminal organizations in other parts of the globe to keep the trade alive.

Compared to cocaine, the synthetic drug market is also on the rise and is more flexible and decentralized as production centers can be located closer to consumer markets, leading to lower operating and production costs, research has shown.

“Traditional human trafficking routes are being redesigned, old goods replaced by new ones, criminal agents operating at the transnational level or within the formal economy are integrated, and new illicit markets, visible or invisible, are expanding,” the text states.

Other areas of activity of this group are non-violent crimes such as financial crimes and crimes that occur on the Internet. The report also notes counterfeiting, which the study says is an increasingly attractive crime due to factors such as global inflation and trade wars, with consumers with lower purchasing power seeking cheaper products.

Data shows that groups that rely on state infiltration are the most prevalent type of criminal actors in the world. In 80 of the 193 countries analyzed, groups exert influence classified as significant over the state.

— This report should form the basis for action to change the direction of how we deal with the growing harm caused by organized crime — Mark Shaw said on the launch of the new rankings.

According to GI-TOC, organized crime is not only expanding globally, but also reorganizing. “The evidence points to a significant change in the crime landscape,” the report states. According to GI-TOC, global integration in the fight against organized crime is decreasing due to the decline in multilateralism.

crime score

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. Turkiye (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)