16 Cities with the Highest Crime Rates in the World

No city is alien to criminal activities taking place on its ground, and in this article, Insider Monkey provides you a list of 16 cities with the highest crime rates in the world.

When I finished my BA studies, I wanted to spend a year traveling. It would be a year of self-discovery where I would truly get to know myself by interacting with other people who live across the globe. Intersubjectivity, as philosophers call it. When I revealed my plan to the members of my family, they were quick to suggest that I am exposing myself to grave dangers. For them, the lands of far away were representing an imminent threat – threat of me being kidnapped, raped, murdered, and in the best case scenario robbed. Of course, this is not true and my family exaggerated, however, it is accurate to say that the probability of these things happening to me or anyone else is greater in some cities than in others. For example, the probability is higher if you live in one of the 35 worst most dangerous ghettoest cities in America in 2017 ranked by FBI. The statistics do not go to your advantage if you happen to be in one of the 11 countries with the highest crime rate per capita in the world. These are simply facts. In this article, we point to the world’s worst crime cities. If you happen to be traveling to one of those places anytime soon, try to enjoy them as much as you can, but also be careful and take good care of yourself.

Most of the cities with the highest murder rates are located in Latin America. Since cocaine is grown mostly in the countries of South America, where it is also smuggled to reach the market of USA, it is no wonder that these are fertile grounds for criminal activities. As The Economist suggests, the deadliest city in the world in 2015 and 2016 was the capital of El Salvador, San Salvador. In 2016, San Salvador noted 137 killings per 100.000 people. The Intelligence Unit of the Economist published a report on the safe cities in 2017. Tokyo, Singapore, Osaka, Toronto, Melbourne, Amsterdam, Sydney, Stockholm, Hong Kong, and Zurich are the top 10 safest cities in the world in 2017.  It would be amazing to live in a place which is a merging of safety and wealth. Not that long ago, Insider Monkey published an article on 20 richest cities in the world by 2016 GDP per capita. Some of the richest cities in the world are Macau, Hartford, San Jose, Houston, and Boston. These cities also do not have high crime rates.

Much like is the case in any other country in the world, the authorities in the USA are in a never-ending battle against crime. The rate of criminal activities differs from one place to another. The highest crime rates in the US are recorded in New Mexico. The authorities of Albuquerque, the most populated city in New Mexico, cannot efficiently solve the problem of drug-related crime, which is the root of violence in this state. Other US cities with the high rates of crime are Memphis (TN), Seattle (WA), Tucson (AZ), and Baltimore (MD), and these are among the top worst cities in America. If we look at the homicide rates by city in the USA, the picture is somewhat different. As the Bismarck Tribune notes, St. Louis (MO), Baltimore (MD) and Detroit (MI) are the cities with the highest number of murders in 2015. St. Louis notes the staggering murder rate of 59.29 murders per 100.000 people. This is some alarming data as it points to an increase in murder rates when compared to the data from 2014, which was 49.9 murders per 100.000 people. I do not know what is happening in St. Louis, but being the first in the “most murders by city USA” rankings for two consecutive years is an apparent call for some kind of an intervention.

When drafting the list of 16 cities with the highest crime rates in the world, I have taken into account a number of factors. Since homicide is the gravest crime one can commit, I included the data on homicide rates by the Igarapé Institute. I also used the data regarding rape rates worldwide and which are contained in the report published by the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control. The report offers an insight into international statistics with regards to crime and justice. Furthermore, I used the data provided by the World Bank on crime and theft index. To create the list, I also referred to the data on crime index worldwide, provided by Numbeo, which is based on surveys from website visitors. These sources provided a plenty of material for me to rank cities according to the highest crime rates in the world.

16. Dhaka, Bangladesh

Dhaka is ranked 25^th on Numbeo’s list with a crime index of 68.69. While it is not grouped with the cities with the highest murder rates, other types of criminal activities take place on its ground, for example, narcotics trafficking.

15. Cape Town, South Africa

In 2015, there were 2451 recorded homicides in Cape Town. While some improvement has been noted, crime remains a serious issue.

14. Detroit, MI, USA

We are continuing our list of cities with the highest crime rates in the world with Detroit that ranks 15^th on Numbeo’s list, having crime index of 72.44. I have already mentioned Detroit in the introduction as a city that has the third highest murder rate in the USA.

13. Belmopan, Belize

Belize is ranked 8^th on the list of the countries with the highest murder rates. In 2006, the country had 15.3 police recorded sexual assaults per 100.000 people. As OSAC notes, in the recent years, murder, sexual assault and robberies have occurred in the tourist areas of Belmopan.

12. Maseru, Lesotho

This African country is ranked as having the 7^th highest murder rate in the world by the Igarapé Institute. In 2009, the capital Maseru had the murder rate of 61.9.

11. Mexico City, Mexico

One can claim that drug trafficking is what Mexico City, the number 11 in our list of cities with the highest crime rates in the world, is known for. Drug cartels fuel violence and terror, keeping the crime rate high.

10. Fortaleza, Brazil

Fortaleza is the 5^th largest city in Brazil, and it is ranked 5^th on Numbeo with a crime index of 81.73. The murder rate is not very high, but crimes such as theft, armed robbery, and drug smuggling are frequent.

9. Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

Yet another South African city to make our list of cities with the highest crime rates in the world. Pietermaritzburg ranks 4^th on Numbeo, with a crime index of 81.97. In 2016, this city was ranked 2^nd most dangerous. It is nice to see that there is some improvement. I hope this trend continues.

8. Charlotte Amalie, The United States Virgin Islands

The United States Virgin Islands are ranked 5^th as having one of the highest murder rates in the world. Charlotte Amalie is the largest city on Saint Thomas and one with the highest crime rate on the island. If you are going there for a vacation, do not let the azure ocean color fool you into thinking that nothing bad can happen to you there. Keep an eye on your valuables.

7. Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Port of Spain is ranked 7^th on our list of 16 cities with the highest crime rates in the world. According to Numbeo, it has a crime index of 76.56. Trinidad and Tobago ranks 6^th in the World Bank ranking with a crime and theft index of 11.90. As OSAC indicates, there were 61 murders in 2016 in Port of Spain.

6. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

Port Moresby is ranked as having the 2^nd highest crime index on Numbeo, 83.68. The crime rate in the past few years has increased as a result of the poor economy. Furthermore, the high level of corruption certainly does not help in eradicating crime.

5. Guatemala City, Republic of Guatemala

Next in line on our list of cities with the highest crime rates in the world is Guatemala. It is ranked 2^nd on the World Bank ranking as the country with the second highest crime and theft index, 19.70. Guatemala City records a high number of cases of sexual violence against women and children.

4. Kingston, Jamaica

I have always wanted to see Kingston, enjoy its beautiful beaches while listening to old reggae tunes. If this dream is ever realized, I should be on the lookout as this is the city with a very high crime rate. Crime has become somewhat of an innate feature of Kingston.

3. Caracas, Venezuela

Up next in our list of cities with the highest crime rates in the world is Venezuela which is placed 7^th in the World Bank ranking, with theft and crime index of 10.90. Its capital Caracas ranks 3^rd on Numbeo with a crime index 82.36! Kidnapping, gang clashes, drug-related crimes, and homicide have almost become normality in Caracas. The current political climate in the country opens up space for criminal activities.

2. Tegucigalpa, Honduras

We are continuing our list of cities with the highest crime rates in the world wit the largest city in Honduras that is the ground where crime flourishes. The city records homicide rates among the highest in the world. Furthermore, Honduras is the route for the drugs intended for the US market and drug smuggling undoubtedly takes place in Tegucigalpa too.

1. San Salvador, El Salvador

Not surprisingly, San Salvador reached the top of our list as the city with the highest crime rate in the world. The country has the highest homicide rate, according to Igarapé Institute and the highest crime and theft index, according to the World Bank. Furthermore, the data from 2006 place it among the group with a high number of police-recorded sexual assaults, 18.7 per 100.000 people. Being the capital city, San Salvador is the focal point of criminal activities. Such bad indicators secured the first place of San Salvador on the list.

This was Insider Monkey’s list of 16 cities with the highest crime rates in the world.