Crime Index: Top countries for foreign actors in 2025

Several African countries rank highly for the presence and influence of foreign criminal actors, according to the Africa Organised Crime Index 2025. 

The index highlights growing transnational dimension of organised crime on the continent. 

The index, which scores countries out of 10 — with 10 indicating the highest level of crime — places DR Congo and the Central African Republic at the top with scores of 9.0. 

Both countries have long faced instability and conflict, conditions that often create space for external criminal networks to operate, particularly in resource-rich but weakly governed areas. 

They are followed by Sudan, South Sudan and Benin, each scoring 8.0, signalling a significant presence of foreign-linked criminal activity. 

Mozambique, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Togo all post scores of 7.5, suggesting that foreign actors remain an important component of organised crime landscapes across diverse regions — from Southern and West Africa to Central Africa. 

The findings reflect broader concerns that parts of Africa have become arenas for cross-border criminal operations tied to global supply chains. 

These include illicit exploitation of non-renewable resources, trafficking networks and arms flows that often intersect with local conflicts and governance gaps. 

The index underscores how organised crime is increasingly transnational, with foreign groups embedding themselves in domestic illicit economies. 

Addressing the trend requires stronger regional cooperation, financial transparency and coordinated law enforcement strategies to disrupt networks that operate beyond national borders while exploiting local vulnerabilities.