10 Most Profitable Crimes to Commit

Forget about that silly old saying “crime doesn’t pay” and look at the crimes that pay the most in our list of 10 most profitable crimes to commit!

Money makes the world go round, and the world of crime is no exception to that rule. Surely you don’t think all those criminal acts would be happening just because someone feels like it? No, we’re talking big bucks here. Despite the fact that some people turned to crime because the very nature of it appealed to them, the main motive behind all that is the same as with any honest job – getting those green bills. However, those who start thinking how to start a life of crime haven’t become rich the regular way usually due to, what they would like to call, “some circumstances.

10 Most Profitable Crimes to Commit

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Still, it doesn’t mean you can become a wealthy criminal without any effort! You can earn some money for sure with some easy crimes to commit such as con tricks and best illegal hustles to make money fast or easiest frauds to commit and make money. However, quick cash crimes don’t come even close to the figures we’ll be mentioning. Just to get your attention after all this prep talk, we’re not talking millions here. We’ll be discussing billions of American dollars! Therefore, there are no lucrative petty crimes on this list. As with any other profitable job, it’s all about serious organizations and “working long hours.” Maybe you could also find your place in 10 Biggest Illegal Industries and Black Markets in the World.

To find suggestions for our list, we went through similar lists of most lucrative crimes, usually international. Our sources were The RichestCNBC, 247WallSt and, Strategy&. The figures we were given represent the average annual income from illegal activities. Still, the annual revenue could be rather interpreted as the market’s worth, since the profits and costs of, let’s say, an illegal kidney usually aren’t noted down in the unfortunate business. Surely, how much an individual earns from them pretty much depends on his/her position in the crime chain. Either way, career-wise you’re always trying to apply for companies which are famous for being the most successful and wealthy in the market. The same principle goes here. If you’re looking for low risk high return crimes, we’ll have to disappoint you. The bigger the risk, the higher the income.

In the case of natural resources illegal trade, we opted for analyzing the separate resources (oil, timber etc.) rather than focusing on all of them. By the way, here is one very interesting fact. When you think about it, all this income is illegal, and  completely tax-free. Perhaps the figures would’ve been different if there was a way of doing the civic duty. Think about it while you’re reading the stunning data. We know your government isn’t too happy about it.

Once we collected all the data, the only thing left to be done was to arrange them from the least to the most beneficial. Without further ado, while we’re pretending/hoping you’re just reading this out of curiosity and not for future career prospects, here are 10 most profitable crimes to commit!

10. Illegal lumber trade

Annual revenue: $4.9 billion

The demand for natural resources doesn’t stop growing, and neither does the illegal trade. Europe, the USA, Japan and China are the world’s largest buyers of illegal timber. Despite all the advancing technologies, the need for natural resources never ceases. In order to fully grasp the seriousness of the situation, try picturing how much time it will take for the deforested areas to recover. We’re talking decades or more.

10 Most Profitable Crimes to Commit

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9. Art theft

Annual revenue: $6.3 billion

Perhaps the first thing that pops to your mind are Picasso’s paintings, but that isn’t the case at all. Actually, the stolen goods come more than often from archaeological digs. Well-off collectors are willing to pay a fortune for works of art, whether these are paintings, sculptures or relics. The looting usually occurs in war-ravaged areas, such as Iraq and Afghanistan, but plenty of art is coming from Thailand, China, Turkey and other countries. The destination countries in most cases are the countries of Western Europe and the US. If you desire to earn the most from this illegal international trade, the best option is to be the middleman. That way you’ll get up to 98% of the revenue.

10 Most Profitable Crimes to Commit

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8. Smuggling of immigrants

Annual revenue: $6.7 billion

With so many wars going on in the world, it seems this trade will never come to an end. Of course, people may be unfortunate enough to wish to move to another country for some other reasons, but escaping war-affected areas is one of the main motives. Illegal immigration takes place along two major routes. The first one leads from Latin to North America, while the second is running from East, North and West Africa to Europe. Approximately 3 million people from Latin America illegally enter the US every year.

10 Most Profitable Crimes to Commit

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7. Illicit Oil

Annual revenue: $10.8 billion

We are continuing our list of most profitable crimes to commit with Illicit oil trade means there are about 500,000 barrels which are being smuggled every day. Usually, the oil comes from oil-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, Nigeria, and Mexico. Somewhat surprisingly, there isn’t much information about the final destinations.

6. Illicit fishing

Annual revenue: $11.3 billion

Who would’ve thought the planet is living such a healthy lifestyle and eating fish regularly? You probably didn’t see this coming. Illicit fishing ranks 6th on our list of most profitable crimes to commit. It brings greater profit than oil trade or art theft. This is how it works. Fishing companies from Southeast Asia and Africa go fishing without government licenses and sell the goods to Japan, Europe, the U.S., South Korea and China. As harmful as it is for the marine ecosystem, it is even more harmful to the people since it deteriorates the country’s economy and standard. If you’re keen on this business, we recommend a white-collar job in trade in the office, rather than going fishing on a boat.

10 Most Profitable Crimes to Commit

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5. Illegal wildlife trading

Annual revenue: $25 billion

Now we have started talking about really huge amounts in 10 most profitable crimes to commit. Though we are constantly being warned about the dangers of animal extinction, this is not a valuable information for the poachers. After all, a $25 billion worth business seems much more important. Instead of a fun fact, here’s a sad one. In one instance, poachers killed around 450 elephants in a national park in Cameroon. Ivory is still very much appreciated and valued worldwide, together with tiger parts, birds of prey and rhino horns.

10 Most Profitable Crimes to Commit

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4. Human trafficking

Annual revenue: $31.6 billion

Animals are suffering, and so are the people. It would sound harsh to say that at least most of the animals are dead, while dead people are worthless (unless we’re talking human organ trafficking, but that organized crime brings “mere” $1.2 billion per year). This is a high-risk crime since the penalties are appropriately harsh. On the “plus” side, the number of persecuted and accused culprits is relatively low for this pressing issue. Human Rights First states the majority of the enslaved people are women and girls (71%). Human trafficking facts: even though only 19% of the victims are exploited for sex, this brings 66% of the overall profit of human trafficking. The rest of the victims are being exploited for some manual or physical work.

10 Most Profitable Crimes to Commit

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3. Drug trade

Annual revenue: $320 billion

Up next on our list of most profitable crimes to commit we have an extremely lucrative business. The figure given is what is actually expected to be international annual revenue, while drug dealing within borders is also very profitable, too, but its worth is a bit harder to trace. The best countries for this crime are Afghanistan (producing about 75% of the world’s opiates) Mexico, Myanmar, Columbia, Peru, and Bolivia. Interestingly enough, the war only increased Afghanistan’s productivity. Once again, in this business, it’s much better to be the dealer than the manufacturer.

10 Most Profitable Crimes to Commit

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2. Cyber crime

Annual revenue: $450 billion

Believe it or not, but cyber crime is now more profitable than the drug trade. If you’re a computer geek, you’ve probably had a thought or two about trying out this on your friends or acquaintances, for starters. This is one of the most profitable crimes to commit in the world, and it’s very convenient compared to the previous one, isn’t it? Globally, people and companies are unaware of the dangers lurking on the web, hence its extreme productivity last year. The figures mentioned on the web differ greatly, so we chose the most reliable source.

1. Counterfeiting

Annual revenue: $1.6 trillion

Counterfeiting is definitely not what you have expected to see in the first place of our list of 10 most profitable crimes to commit. Or perhaps you’re wondering about counterfeiting meaning? It means “made to look like the original of something, usually for dishonest or illegal purposes.” As for the insane revenue, you must be wondering: is that even a number? How is that possible? Well, it’s pretty obvious, actually. How much fraudulent goods or items have you seen or bought in your life? Leather bags, clothes, perfumes, cosmetics… All of these are sold in developing countries at high or moderate prices. Some countries such as China, Russia, Malaysia and the Philippines have become real experts in manufacturing fakes. However, clothes and accessories aren’t the main sources of income. The money lies in producing fake pharmaceuticals, and they’re the reason why counterfeiting is in the first place. $200 billion is how much they are contributing to the overall business. Electronics are a close runner-up considering the amount of damage in the global market.