Africa’s Top Human Smuggling Hotspots Revealed
Several African countries recorded high human smuggling activity in 2025, with Libya topping the list, according to the Africa Organised Crime Index 2025 by Enact Africa.
Libya scored 9.50, followed by Sudan at 9.0 and Eritrea at 8.50. Kenya, along with Chad, Djibouti, Niger, Somalia, and Tunisia, each scored 8.0, while Algeria, Ethiopia, and Morocco posted slightly lower scores of 7.50. The scores reflect the intensity of smuggling activity, with higher values indicating greater prevalence.
The report highlights that North, East, and parts of West Africa continue to face serious human smuggling challenges. In 2025, the continent’s most common criminal markets were financial crimes, human trafficking, non-renewable resource crimes, trade in counterfeit goods, and arms trafficking.
“Although human smuggling has grown more slowly since 2023, over the six years between the 2019 and 2025 Indexes it was the second fastest-growing criminal market (the first being cocaine), which is indicative of instability and conflicts driving the movement of people,” the report reads.
While human smuggling has increased every year since 2019, the pace slowed in 2025 due to a sharp drop in irregular migrants travelling beyond Africa.
Between 2023 and 2024, the number of intercepted irregular African migrants on routes to Europe and the Gulf fell from 282,000 to 146,000. The report attributes this decline to intensified European Union-funded operations in North and West Africa, increased coastguard patrols in East Africa, and ongoing conflicts at certain transit points, particularly in Yemen.
Despite the slowdown, smuggling remains a growing and complex problem. Poverty and social inequality drive people to take high-risk journeys, while weak institutional responses leave them vulnerable to exploitation.
The Index also highlights the close link between human smuggling and human trafficking, with a correlation of 0.68. Many migrants who engage smugglers end up being trafficked, sometimes forced into labor to repay debts or seized mid-route by criminal groups.
Human trafficking, the second most widespread criminal market in Africa, has continued to grow since 2019. Libya remains a notorious hotspot, scoring 8.50 for human trafficking, among the highest in the continent.
Trafficking takes many forms, from forced labor in agriculture and mining to the recruitment of child soldiers in conflict zones. Most trafficking occurs within Africa, with severe impacts on communities, governance, and human development.
Refugee routes often overlap with smuggling and trafficking corridors, allowing criminal groups to exploit displaced people through forced labor, sexual abuse, or recruitment into armed groups.