In this article, we look at 30 countries with the highest rates of violent crime. You can skip our detailed analysis on violent crime statistics and their impact on business activity, and head over directly to the 10 Countries with Highest Rates of Violent Crime.
The National Institute of Justice describes violent crime as one in which an individual is harmed by or threatened with violence. The most common violent crimes that occur around us are murder, rape, assault, kidnapping, and robbery. Crime rates prevalent in a country are indicative of the law and order situation there. Countries that have effective governance and rule of law attract investment and business growth, while regions with deteriorating law and order push investors away.
Countries such as Singapore, Denmark, and New Zealand have some of the lowest crime rates in the world, and at the same time, they rank among countries with the highest ease of doing business scores. Singapore, over the last decade, has attracted investments from over 4,500 US-based corporations. One great success story has been Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), which calls Singapore its home for multiple Google data centers.
In 2011, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) acquired 2.45 hectares of land to set up its first data center in Singapore and southeast Asia, which became operational in 2013. Two years later in 2015, Google established its second building, and in 2022, its third data center facility became operational in the country. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has invested up to $850 million in Singapore on data centers. In fact, most American corporations have their Asian headquarters in Singapore. You can read more in our list of best countries to headquarter a corporation.
On the other hand, several countries in Africa, which have some of the highest rates of violent crime in the world, struggle to attract foreign investment. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in its World Investment Report 2023 highlighted that investment flows to the continent dropped by $45 billion in 2022.
Impact of Violent Crime on Businesses
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) announced in 2022 to close 16 of its stores in the Los Angeles and Seattle metropolitans due to an increase in violent crimes and drug use in the areas near their stores. Data released by police departments in both Seattle and Los Angeles seemed to back Starbucks Corporations (NASDAQ:SBUX)’s claims. Property crimes, including armed robberies and larceny theft in Seattle were up by nearly 20% compared to 2021. Similar crimes in Los Angeles were up by 14% in contrast to the previous year. In a letter to employees announcing closure of these stores, Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) stated that ‘we cannot serve as partners if we don’t feel safe at work’.
Mexico’s rising image as a film production destination took a hit in 2017 when a location scout for Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) crime drama series Narcos was shot dead while he was on a work visit scouting locations in central Mexico for the series’ upcoming season. Carlos Muñoz Portal was found dead in his car in Temascalapa, one of the most violent towns in the country. Narcos is a global hit Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) crime series that is focused on the drug cartels in Colombia and Mexico.
Photo by Peter Scherbatykh on Unsplash
Methodology
We have ranked 30 countries with the highest rates of violent crime using data released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for 2021. There were some countries for which 2021 figures were not available with the UN; for them, we used their most recent previous-year data. Our rankings are based on four metrics – homicide, serious assault, kidnapping, and all forms of sexual violence including rape.
Rates for these metrics are per 100,000 population. We have assigned 50% weightage to homicide, 30% to sexual violence, and 10% each to serious assault and kidnapping. Greater weightage has been given to homicide and sexual violence due to the grave intensity of the crime. Weighted scores for each metric were aggregated to get an overall score. Countries are listed in this article in ascending order of those scores. In cases where the overall scores for two or more countries were equal, we outranked one over the other based on a higher homicide rate.
If interested, you can also take a look at the 25 Most Dangerous Countries in the World.
Let’s now head over to the list of countries with the highest rates of violent crime in the world.
30. Bolivia
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 3.49
Serious Assault: 47.75
Kidnapping: 0.21
Sexual violence, including rape: 189.2
Overall Score: 0.617
Bolivia is situated in South America. The country has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the continent. In 2009, police rounded up men belonging to an insular Mennonite colony that were later convicted of raping 151 women and children.
29. Uganda
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 8.53
Serious Assault: 18.11
Kidnapping: 2.42
Sexual violence, including rape: 100.40
Overall Score: 0.661
More than 3,900 people were murdered in Uganda in 2021. It ranks 29th in the list of countries with the highest rates of violent crime.
28. Colombia
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 27.48
Serious Assault: 198.24
Kidnapping: 0.62
Sexual violence, including rape: 15.30
Overall Score: 0.668
Violent crimes remain on the higher side in Colombia. The country is home to some of the world’s most notorious drug trafficking cartels.
27. Chile
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 3.63
Serious Assault: 57.30
Kidnapping: 1.81
Sexual violence, including rape: 197.35
Overall Score: 0.672
Homicide rate in Chile has almost doubled over the last decade. Crime is beginning to go out of hand in a country that was once deemed among South America’s safest.
26. Argentina
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 4.62
Serious Assault: 340.57
Kidnapping: 0.25
Sexual violence, including rape: 167.27
Overall Score: 0.672
Crime rate in Argentina declined from 5.37% in 2020 to 4.62% in 2021, but it still remains a law and order concern. Last month, an 11-year old boy was killed in a robbery in Buenos Aires. The gruesome killing prompted all major political parties to halt an ongoing election campaign in the country.
25. Guyana
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 16.28
Serious Assault: 100.05
Kidnapping: 0.01
Sexual violence, including rape: 108.13
Overall Score: 0.70
Guyana is an island state in South America that is popular for its beaches, cricket and calypso music. However, crime remains a concern. The US Department of State travel advisory dated July 17, 2023 urged American nationals to reconsider travel to Guyana due to the threat of violent crimes.
24. Suriname
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 5.71
Serious Assault: 246.10
Kidnapping: Not Available
Sexual violence, including rape: 329.00
Overall Score: 0.702
While no data was available with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on kidnapping cases in the country, Suriname still ranked among countries with the highest rapes of violent crime due to a high number of sexual violence cases. The country is a major destination market for human trafficking according to the 2021 Organized Crime Index.
23. Grenada
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 4.01
Serious Assault: 1587.35
Kidnapping: 0.01
Sexual violence, including rape: 601.88
Overall Score: 0.705
Grenada has the highest rate of sexual violence and serious assault cases in the world. It has the worst record for rape in the Caribbean.
22. Bermuda
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 10.91
Serious Assault: 58.47
Kidnapping: Not Available
Sexual violence, including rape: 222.77
Overall Score: 0.706
Bermuda, which is popular for its pink-sand beaches, is often in the news for its high rate of violent crimes as well. The island nation ranks 22nd on our list.
21. Honduras
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 38.25
Serious Assault: 25.19
Kidnapping: 0.33
Sexual violence, including rape: 67.70
Overall Score: 0.734
Honduran government led by Xiomara Castro has made significant progress against homicides. However, with 38.25 murders per 100,000 people in 2021, Honduras ranked among the most dangerous countries in the Americas.
20. Mexico
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 28.18
Serious Assault: 53.99
Kidnapping: 0.81
Sexual violence, including rape: 84.50
Overall Score: 0.742
Nearly 40,000 people were murdered in Mexico in 2021. According to government data, close to half of Mexican women have faced sexual violence in their lives in one form or another.
19. Barbados
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 11.38
Serious Assault: 281.65
Kidnapping: 1.42
Sexual violence, including rape: 110.24
Overall Score: 0.743
Violent crime figures have continued to decline in Barbados since the early 2000s, but the Caribbean island nation still remains a high crime zone.
18. Botswana
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 10.55
Serious Assault: 745.32
Kidnapping: 0.09
Sexual violence, including rape: 211.90
Overall Score: 0.746
Located in southern Africa, Botswana has one of the highest crime rates in the world, with violent crime often reported in Gaborone, Francistown and Maun. Having said that, attacks on tourists are rare.
17. Antigua and Barbuda
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 17.16
Serious Assault: 3.26
Kidnapping: 3.24
Sexual violence, including rape: 130.00
Overall Score: 0.746
Antigua and Barbuda’s homicide rate increased by 55% between 2020 and 2021. Like many other Caribbean islands, the country has a high rate of violent crime per 100,000 population.
16. Eswatini
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 12.66
Serious Assault: 352.10
Kidnapping: 4.53
Sexual violence, including rape: 84.80
Overall Score: 0.758
Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is a country in southern Africa bordered by Mozambique and South Africa. Homicide, armed robberies, and carjackings are common in Eswatini.
15. Namibia
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 12.45
Serious Assault: 374.09
Kidnapping: 2.73
Sexual violence, including rape: 97.62
Overall Score: 0.759
Namibia ranks 15th on the list of countries with the highest rates of violent crime. The overall crime rate in the African country was estimated to be 12.45% in 2021, up from 12.17% in 2020.
14. Panama
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 12.64
Serious Assault: 107.85
Kidnapping: 0.05
Sexual violence, including rape: 305.75
Overall Score: 0.767
Shootings, robberies, rapes, and express kidnapping outside ATM facilities are common occurrences in Panama. More than 550 people were murdered in the country in 2021.
13. Trinidad and Tobago
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 29.36
Serious Assault: 47.92
Kidnapping: 1.33
Sexual violence, including rape: 90.01
Overall Score: 0.770
Homicide rates have been increasing in Trinidad and Tobago since 2014. Sexual violence and killings against women are at an all time high,
12. El Salvador
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 18.17
Serious Assault: 100.71
Kidnapping: 0.16
Sexual violence, including rape: 191.09
Overall Score: 0.779
El Salvador has been ravaged by gang violence for several years now. 1,147 people were murdered in 2021. Incidents of sexual violence also remain high. This year, President Nayib Bukele announced a crackdown against gang members in the country and has put at least 70,000 people in prison.
11. Ecuador
(Rate per 100,000 population)
Homicide: 14.02
Serious Assault: 35.20
Kidnapping: 4.51
Sexual violence, including rape: 154.40
Overall Score: 0.780
Located on South America’s west coast, Ecuador ranks among countries with the highest rates of violent crime as evident by the statistics with high rates of homicide and sexual violence.
Click to continue reading and see the 10 Countries with Highest Rates of Violent Crime.
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Disclosure: None. 30 Countries with Highest Rates of Violent Crime is originally published on Insider Monkey.
