Crime Rate by Country

Australia ranks 152nd in global crime rates with a criminality index of 4.000. The most significant organized crime issue is drug trafficking and distribution  with outlaw motorcycle gangs controlling most of the domestic market. The country’s geographic isolation has historically limited some forms of transnational crime, but it has also created high-value markets for drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine. Cybercrime has grown significantly with attacks targeting businesses and government agencies, causing millions in financial losses annually. In the environmental sphere, Australia’s unique native wildlife is targeted for illegal export, facilitated by dark web transactions.

Brazil ranks 22th in global crime rates with a criminality index of 6.770. This reflects a challenging security landscape shaped by organized criminal networks that control drug trafficking in urban centers, widespread availability of illegal firearms, and significant regional disparities in safety. Environmental crimes ravage the Amazon through illegal logging, mining, and wildlife trafficking. Also, the criminal justice system struggles with inefficiency and corruption, while overcrowded prisons serve as recruitment centers for gangs.

Canada ranks 160th globally in crime rates with an index of 3.880. Despite this overall safety, the country faces interconnected criminal challenges primarily centered around financial flows rather than violence. Asian organized crime syndicates use real estate investments in Vancouver and Toronto to launder drug proceeds, driving housing affordability issues while financing drug distribution networks. The country also serves as a source and transit point for synthetic drugs, particularly methamphetamine, given the high street value. Although Canada experiences low violent crime compared to global standards, indigenous communities face disproportionately higher victimization rates.

China ranks 33th in global crime rates with a criminality index of 6.370. Despite strict state control and severe penalties for criminals, the country’s massive manufacturing makes it the world's primary source of counterfeit products. Related to this, human trafficking remains a persistent issue with reports of forced labor involving ethnic minorities. China also remains the largest market for illegal wildlife products like ivory and rhino horn. In the end, State control is extensive, yet corruption facilitates criminal activities across various sectors, creating a landscape where criminal and state activities sometimes overlap.

Colombia ranks 2nd globally in crime rates with an index of 7.750. Drug trafficking remains the core of its criminal landscape, with the country being the world's largest cocaine producer. This production drives multiple interconnected criminal enterprises, like financing armed groups that control territory, fueling violence, and corrupting officials. Environmental crimes are directly linked to narcotics production, with deforestation driven by coca cultivation, clandestine airstrips, and mining that provides money laundering opportunities. The same criminal networks facilitating drug exports also manage wildlife trafficking and timber smuggling along established routes.

France ranks 58th in global crime rates with a criminality index of 5.450. Despite registering a moderate criminality index globally, the country serves primarily as a destination for human trafficking. The country also faces growing challenges with illicit arms trade  fueling drug trafficking networks. Cannabis dominates the drug market, while cocaine enters through key ports. Criminal activity often concentrates in disadvantaged suburban areas, creating distinct zones with higher crime rates. Terrorist activity, while sporadic, has created significant security concerns over the past decade. Organized crime groups from Northern Africa, Eastern Europe, and Italy maintain operations in different regions of the country, primarily focused on drug distribution and money laundering through legitimate businesses. Cybercrime has intensified with French companies ranking second most targeted in Europe.

Guyana ranks 49th in global crime rates with a criminality index of 5.970. The country faces significant challenges related to transnational crime. It serves as a transit point for drug trafficking, with cocaine moving through poorly monitored ports and airstrips. Environmental crimes, including illegal gold mining and mercury trafficking, are a growing problem, while Venezuelan criminal groups operate along the border. While these criminal activities are significant, they primarily affect specific regions and sectors rather than the safety of most citizens.

Honduras ranks 13th worldwide in crime rates with an index of 7.050. The country has consistently suffered from extreme levels of violence. Mafia-style gangs control urban areas through widespread extortion. The country's location makes it a critical transit point for drug trafficking between South America and North America, with remote areas effectively controlled by narcotrafficking organizations. Criminal penetration of the state reaches the highest levels with organized crime group politicians involved in criminal schemes. The criminal justice system is hampered by a lack of resources and the influence of criminal actors over government institutions.

India ranks 61th worldwide in crime rates with an index of 5.750. The country's vast size, diverse geography, and complex social structure create a multifaceted criminal landscape where illicit markets interconnect. Human trafficking operates at both transnational and domestic levels, with women and children exploited for sex work while men from Nepal and Bangladesh are trafficked for forced labor. These trafficking networks thrive partially due to police corruption. This same corruption enables environmental crimes to flourish, particularly illegal sand mining controlled by the "sand mafia". Also, India's position between the Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle drug production regions makes it a crucial transit hub for opiates. Its growing digital economy has become vulnerable to cybercrime with the country ranking among the top three most affected by ransomware attacks.

Jamaica ranks 8th in global crime rates with a criminality index of 7.820. The country struggles with one of the world’s highest homicide rates, primarily driven by gang violence concentrated in specific urban areas. These gangs control territories through intimidation and violence, with their operations funded largely through lottery scamming, extortion, and drug trafficking. The country's cannabis market is substantial, producing the largest supply in the Caribbean trafficked abroad to Europe, Canada, and the US. Human trafficking is highly organized and linked to the drug trade, with mafia-style groups exploiting vulnerable populations, particularly women and minors forced into sex work, labor exploitation, and drug activities. Also, arms trafficking is one of Jamaica's largest criminal markets, with most illegal weapons coming from the US, fueling the country's extremely high homicide rate.

Japan ranks 142th in global crime rates with a criminality index of 4.280, making it one of the world's safest countries.The country’s organized crime landscape is dominated by traditional mafia-style groups such as Yakusa. But their visibility and membership have declined under strict anti-gang laws. Financial crime is one of Japan’s most significant challenges with fraud schemes particularly targeting elderly victims. Cybercrime has increased significantly, with record cases of ransomware and cryptocurrency fraud. Despite low overall crime rates, Japan faces persistent issues with human trafficking affecting both domestic and foreign nationals, with victims coerced through debt tactics and document confiscation. 

Mexico ranks 3rd globally in crime rates with an index of 7.570. The country's criminal landscape centers around powerful drug cartels whose influence extends far beyond narcotics. These organizations control vast territories where they operate with impunity, using extreme violence to defend their interests. Drug trafficking remains their primary business, with Mexico serving as the crucial corridor between South American cocaine producers and U.S. consumers. In recent years, cartels have diversified into fentanyl and methamphetamine production, which has proven highly profitable. Their territorial control enables other criminal activities - systematic extortion affects businesses across entire regions, particularly the food industry and construction sector. Violence is facilitated by weapons flowing from the U.S., creating a destructive cycle where profits from drug sales fund arms purchases, which then strengthen cartel control. The weakening of state institutions through corruption completes this cycle, with officials at various levels facilitating rather than combating criminal operations.

Qatar ranks 77th in global crime rates with a criminality index of 5.450. The country's reliance on migrant labor creates significant vulnerability to labor exploitation and human trafficking. The Kafala system, which ties the legal status of migrant workers to individual sponsors, persists in the country. Consequently, many workers face restricted movement, withheld payments, passport confiscation, and deportation threats. Qatar has become an important hub for synthetic drug trafficking, with significant seizures of methamphetamine, Captagon, and substances like tramadol. International criminal networks exploit migrant workers as traffickers. There are significant reports of Qatari state involvement in corruption scandals, including schemes related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Russia ranks 19th globally in crime rates with an index of 6.870. The country's criminal landscape is characterized by influential mafia-style groups that emerged following the Soviet collapse, maintaining deep connections with business and political elites. Corruption enables financial crimes to flourish, with embezzlement and tax evasion. The same corruption facilitates environmental crimes like illegal logging in Siberia and wildlife trafficking to Asian markets. Russia's geography makes it a crucial transit point in multiple trafficking networks, particularly for heroin moving from Afghanistan to European markets, though sanctions and border changes have disrupted established routes. The country has also become a global center for cybercrime, with Russian-based groups conducting sophisticated ransomware attacks worldwide.

South Africa ranks 7th globally in crime rates with an index of 7.180. The country deals with high levels of armed violence with one of the world's highest homicide rates related to urban gangs. Organized criminal groups target building sites to extort protection fees, while mafia-style gangs operate differently in Cape Town than in Johannesburg, with varying approaches to territorial control. Another significant criminal market is wildlife trafficking, especially of rhinoceros horn and abalone. Despite having relatively strong institutions, police corruption and judicial inefficiency contribute to a culture of impunity that perpetuates South Africa's crime crisis.

Sweden ranks 118th globally in crime rates with an index of 4.700. Despite its overall safety, the country faces increasing gang-related violence, particularly in disadvantaged urban areas, with a rise in the use of explosives in criminal activities. Drug trafficking, particularly cocaine and synthetic drugs, has expanded and fueled gang violence. While government corruption remains low by global standards, organized crime has successfully infiltrated vulnerable communities, creating a security challenge that contrasts with Sweden's otherwise strong social welfare system.

Switzerland ranks 106th globally in crime rates with an index of 4.870. Despite its safety, the country's financial center creates vulnerabilities to money laundering and tax evasion. The country's wealth and reputation for luxury goods have attracted counterfeit operations, particularly for watches, electronics, and medicines. Most criminal markets in Switzerland are controlled by foreign actors who maintain low profiles. In this context, cybercrime has grown, with ransomware attacks and cryptocurrency-related fraud affecting businesses and individuals.