According to the Global Organized Crime Index 2025, Serbia has earned the dubious distinction of being the worst-ranked country in the Western Balkans and the fourth worst in all of Europe behind only Russia, Ukraine, and Italy. Out of 44 European nations analyzed, Serbia sits near the bottom, exposing a deeply entrenched culture of organized crime that permeates state institutions and society alike.
The report, compiled by the Global Initiative to Combat Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), paints a damning picture: Serbia is not merely struggling with crime it is a central hub of it. State actors themselves are key players in the criminal landscape, with political elites allegedly controlling major illicit markets. Corruption within government institutions facilitates illegal financial flows, shields criminal enterprises, and links high-ranking officials to notorious figures in organized crime.
Serbia is identified as one of the main smuggling hubs in the Western Balkans, integrated into the global drug trade. It serves as a critical route for heroin into Western Europe, while Serbian criminal networks are deeply involved in global cocaine trafficking. Despite the arrests of some leaders, mafia groups continue to dominate large segments of the European drug market, signaling that enforcement efforts barely scratch the surface.
Even football fan clubs are implicated, providing logistical support for smuggling operations and engaging in paramilitary activities, according to the report. The analysis leaves little doubt: in Serbia, crime is not a fringe problem—it is a systemic issue intertwined with politics, business, and everyday life.
The GI-TOC warns that organized crime in Serbia undermines democracy, state sovereignty, and international peace, reflecting a nation where the state itself is complicit in perpetuating criminal networks.
In short, Serbia is no longer just a country with crime problems—it is a country where crime and governance have become disturbingly inseparable.
