Killings committed by the mafia in Italy have dropped by 80% over the last 20 years, according to the United Nations.
There was a high point in 1992 when nearly 350 murders were reported. This fell dramatically in 1993 and 1994, but was followed by spikes through the late 1990s.
By 2012, however, the number of mafia-related reported homicides was down to 70. A similar number of people had met their end at the hands of the mafia in 2010 and 2011.
While all the murders were carried out in the south, the traditional mafia base, the UN report makes clear that other mafia activity is known in the centre and north of the country as well.
Mafia murders make up approximately 10 to 15% of all of Italy's homicides.
The UN report was careful to note that the drop in the murder rate does not mean that mafia-type associations are necessarily loosening their grip in certain regions of Italy.
It also notes that such crime syndicates are chiefly money-making operations, and they could intentionally be reducing the number of violent crimes committed to protect their substantial financial resources.
The Italian foreign ministry recently claimed that the mob's annual income is more than £166 billion, although other estimates place it lower by as much as 43%.
