Almost 60% of known criminal groups use corruption as part of their activities.

Omissions

• The claim does not cite a source or a reference period. The figure closest to 'almost 60%' is Europol's EU-SOCTA 2021 statement that 'more than 60% of criminal networks active in the EU use corruption' — a source now more than two years old.
• More recent Europol data (2024) put the share of networks using corruption at 71% among the EU's most threatening criminal networks — a higher figure, albeit for a narrower subset (the most threatening networks rather than all known criminal groups), so it does not directly replace the ~60% estimate for the broader metric.
• Europol's EU-SOCTA 2025 (published March 2025) reaffirms that corruption is 'embedded in the very DNA of crime' and 'instrumental to most forms of organised crime', corroborating the substance of the claim without publishing a single updated percentage.
• The exact figure 'almost 60%' does not appear verbatim in the sources located; the nearest verified figures are 'more than 60%' (2021) and '71%' (2024).

Sources

• PrimaryEuropol — Decoding the EU's most threatening criminal networks (2024)71 % of the most threatening criminal networks use some form of corruption, including 28 % that use it proactively and systematically. ... Corruption and violence mutually reinforce each other. 71 % of networks engage in corruption to facilitate criminal activity or obstruct law enforcement or judicial proceedings.
• PrimaryEuropol — EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment (EU-SOCTA) 2025Corruption is embedded in the very DNA of crime. It acts as a key enabler and catalyst for criminal activities, and contributes to destabilising society. It is instrumental to most forms of organised crime ... to evade law enforcement, gain economic or political influence, facilitate criminal operations or weaken the trust in public sector or law enforcement.
• Secondaryeucrim — EU-SOCTA 2025 (news report)On 18 March 2025, Europol published its EU Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment 2025 (EU-SOCTA 2025). The EU-SOCTA is Europol's flagship report. Published every four years, it provides a comprehensive overview of the threats posed by serious and organised crime in Europe.