Illegal arms trafficking: main trafficking countries in Latin America| ��ƽ��

Ranking of Latin American and Caribbean countries with the most illicit arms trafficking in 2023, according to the Global Organized Crime Index

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Release date

2023

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Region

Latin America and the Caribbean

Survey time period

2023

Supplementary notes

The source specifies the following: "Illegal arms trafficking involves the import, export, acquisition, sale, delivery, movement, or transfer of firearms, their parts, components, and ammunition across national borders, as well as the intentional diversion of firearms from legal to illegal trade, without this necessarily involving the movement of items across physical borders."

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Paraguay and Jamaica were the countries with the highest arms trafficking rate in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2023, according to data from the Global Organized Crime Index. With a rating of * points, they are even ahead of Brazil and Mexico, which compete for second place.

United States, main arms supplier

The exact amount of illicit weaponry circulating in Latin America and the Caribbean is unknown, although its origin has been identified. The vast majority enters the region through the Mexican border with the United States, which is also one of its main arms suppliers, according to information provided by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). What is the most trafficked type of weapon? At this point, all organizations (both international and local) agree: pistols.

Main legal arms importing countries in the region.

Brazil is the largest importer of weaponry in Latin America. Considering that it has one of the largest armies in the world, along with Colombia, it is not surprising that it has to resort to imports to meet its arms demand. Notably, it is the member of this geographic area that invests the most in the military sector.