Successful species introductions are not homogeneously distributed over the globe, which points to the need to understand why some have succeeded, yet others failed. We summarized information on small carnivore introductions worldwide and assessed whether introduction outcomes (success or failure) supported one or more of the following hypotheses: climate-matching, propagule pressure, inherent superiority, island susceptibility and Darwin's naturalization hypotheses. Using the literature, we summarized: number of individuals released, mean body size, mean litter size, consumer type, latitude difference, ecoregions difference, congener presence, and mainland or island release. We generated generalized linear models and ranked them using Akaike's Information Criterion and Akaike's weights. We identified 253 documented introduction events of 24 species from five families, with two thirds of them involving the northern raccoon, Procyon lotor , the American mink, Neovison vison , and the small Indian mongoose, Urva [= Herpestes] auropunctata . Overall introduction success was high, with a success rate > 70% for four of the five represented families. We found support for climate-matching, inherent superiority, and Darwin's naturalization hypotheses. Likelihood of success increased with matching climatic conditions that allow survival, a greater body size together with smaller litter size, a carnivorous diet, and the absence of congeners in the area of introduction. Islands were not more susceptible than the mainland, and the number of individuals introduced did not influence success. As biological invasions become increasingly widespread, understanding the biological and environmental factors affecting introduction success is important for conservation and management.