Global Organized Crime Index
In 2019, a precursor to the current index appeared under the name ENACT Organised Crime Index for Africa. This regional report laid the groundwork for what would become a worldwide assessment tool. The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime published its first global version in 2021. That initial release marked a historic shift because no prior index had measured organized crime on such a broad scale. A second edition followed two years later in 2023 and showed a slight increase in the global score. The evolution from a single continent to all nations required new data sources and expanded expert networks.
The framework divides indicators into two distinct categories called criminality and resilience. Criminality measures the presence of activities like drug trafficking or human trafficking within borders. Resilience gauges how well a country combats these threats through governance and law enforcement. Data comes from official statistics, media reports, and surveys conducted by experts. Each indicator receives a weight before being aggregated into composite scores. Countries rank higher when their vulnerability increases rather than when they successfully resist criminal groups. The methodology allows direct comparison between nations despite differing legal systems and reporting standards.
Drug trafficking remains one of the most prevalent forms assessed across every region. Human trafficking operations appear frequently in the data collected from international organizations. Cybercrime has emerged as a significant category alongside traditional physical crimes. These three areas form the core of what the index defines as organized crime. The assessment does not include minor offenses or isolated incidents without group coordination. Instead it focuses on structured networks that operate across national boundaries. This scope ensures the rankings reflect transnational threats rather than local street crime.
Governmental bodies provide partial funding for the production of each edition. The US Department of State contributes financial resources to support the project. The European Union also offers backing for the research and publication efforts. Norway provides additional government funds to sustain the initiative. Interpol and ISS offer institutional support to validate findings and expand reach. These partnerships allow the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime to maintain independence while accessing critical data streams. Without these contributions the scale of global coverage would be impossible to achieve.
The 2023 report lists countries by their calculated vulnerability scores. A score of 8.15 appears at the top of the list indicating high exposure to criminal networks. At the bottom of the ranking a nation receives a score near 1.54 showing minimal presence of organized crime. Some nations show slight increases from 2021 to 2023 suggesting growing challenges. Others remain stable despite regional conflicts or economic shifts. The composite index combines both criminality and resilience metrics into a single number. Higher numbers mean greater vulnerability while lower numbers suggest stronger defenses against transnational groups.
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Common questions
When was the Global Organized Crime Index first published?
The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime published its first global version of the index in 2021. A precursor report named ENACT Organised Crime Index for Africa appeared earlier in 2019.
What categories does the Global Organized Crime Index use to measure crime levels?
The framework divides indicators into two distinct categories called criminality and resilience. Criminality measures activities like drug trafficking while resilience gauges how well a country combats these threats through governance and law enforcement.
Which organizations fund the production of the Global Organized Crime Index editions?
Governmental bodies provide partial funding including contributions from the US Department of State, the European Union, and Norway. Interpol and ISS offer institutional support to validate findings and expand reach.
How are countries ranked in the 2023 Global Organized Crime Index report?
Countries rank higher when their vulnerability increases rather than when they successfully resist criminal groups. The composite index combines both criminality and resilience metrics into a single number where higher scores indicate greater exposure to transnational organized crime networks.