Roaming around the world and experiencing diverse cultures is a great way to spend your vacation time, or even years of your life pursuing, but travel brings with it the risk of unwittingly happening upon one of the most dangerous cities in the world to visit.
Unsurprisingly, travel brochures rarely tout the true dangers of a city, as they’re in the business of promoting travel after all. Likewise, as you’ll see from the many aerial shots of some of the most dangerous cities in the world to visit, right here in our list, most cities can look quite charming from the air, even when they’re located in some of the most dangerous countries in the world like Colombia, and Kenya.
This can make it extremely difficult to know which cities to avoid, or at the very least, which cities to be extremely cautious in, and wary of where you wander. The danger level of a city was ranked on various criteria, including the murder rate within the city, the level of gang-related activity in the city, and the amount of crime perpetrated on foreigners or travelers.
You may be surprised to see that several US cities make the list, right alongside some of the poorest and most underdeveloped cities in the world, which tells a sad tale of the state of things in the US. Have you prepared yourself for a virtual visit to the most dangerous cities in the world to visit? Let’s get started on the list then. For further reading on the subject if you just can’t get enough danger, we recommend you check out our previous feature story on The 10 Most Dangerous Places in The World.
25. Baltimore, Maryland
Though the murder rate has fallen from last year, it still remains as one of the most violent places in the United States due to its high level of drug and gang related violence.
24. Belém, Brazil
Belem is popular as a natural gateway for drug smuggling. The dense Amazonian jungle surrounding this city is said to be responsible for the drugs that are exported all over Brazil and around the world.
23. Bogota, Colombia
In spite of security in this part of Colombia having considerably improved over the years, narco-terrorist groups continue to spread violence in some of its rural areas, especially in Bogota. A bomb explosion took place outside the Caracol radio station three years ago, and since then, several cases of high profile kidnappings have been reported.
22. Barquisimeto, Venezuela
It has just over a million people but the city sees murders almost every day. The city is the capital of its region, but despite once being a booming tourist destination, the area is now so dangerous that many tourists avoid it.
21. Guayana, Venezuela
Guayana in Venezuela is among the most dangerous cities in the world and had already reported 578 homicides early in 2014 among just 1,050,283 inhabitants. If events such as this continue, people can only hope that the horrendous violence and homicide will one day decrease.
20. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Port Moresby is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea and also one of the most dangerous cities in the world in terms of crime rate. Rape and robbery are the most ordinary in this city, though carjacking and pick-pocketing are also widespread.
19. Cape Town, South Africa
Though it is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, this city is fighting against some of the highest crime rates on Earth. Cape Town can easily be considered as one of the most dangerous cities at night, especially for women.
18. Detroit, Michigan
With a murder rate of 54.6 per 100,000 citizens, Detroit is undoubtedly one of the most violent places in the world. 40 years ago, it was known as the Murder Capital of the United States because of its very high crime rate, and things have not greatly improved in the years since.
17. Recife, Brazil
Among the 25 most dangerous cities in the world to visit, Recife city is one of them. The Brazilian city had 1,656 homicides in a city of 3,717,640 inhabitants, although the city is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil.
16. Caracas, Venezuela
Caracas, Venezuela is also in a terrible situation, and it is reported that only 8% of the crimes that take place in the city will actually be punished. There is an average of 3,862 homicides per 3,247,971 people in this dangerous city.
15. Mogadishu, Somalia
Mogadishu city in Somalia has had major problems with Al-Shabaab militants for a while now, making the area dangerous for citizens and tourists alike. This part of Somalia is even associated with military offensive attacks committed by terrorists.
14. Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of Haiti, and is said to be controlled by criminals. The presence of police does not guarantee the security of visitors to Port-au-Prince, as it is considered a fortress for murderers, carjackers, robbers, and drug addicts.
13. Maceió, Brazil
Maceió is the capital of the Alagoas state in Brazil, and sees around 135 murders per 100,000 residents each year. Up to now, the city is the most dangerous in the country, even topping even Rio de Janeiro.
12. Flint, Michigan
Flint is known as one of the deadliest cities in the United States and has a murder rate of 64.9 per 100,000 citizens. It is also one of the poorest cities in the US with rural areas plagued by unauthorized gun users and drug dealers.
11. St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri tops out as one of the most violent cities in the United States, beating Detroit, New Orleans and Camden. Most of the crimes take place in the eastern part of St. Louis, which is where 65% of the total crimes are committed in the city.
10. Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham has always been among the deadliest cities not just in the United States but also in the world. It has maintained consistently high crime rates with a murder rate of 33.7 per 100,000 citizens.
9. New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is among the most dangerous cities in the world to visit. Just in 2012 alone, this city had 193 reported murders, accounting for its 53.5 murder rate for every 100,000 citizens.
8. Nairobi, Kenya
Although Kenya is a striking country with plenty to offer, it is also so dangerous that most tourists leave it off their itineraries. Nairobi is especially dangerous for women, but no one should walk around the city alone at night.
7. Torreon Metropolitan, North Mexico
Despite being the ninth biggest metropolitan area in Mexico, the Torreon Metropolita is one of Mexico’s most violent places. At present, drug cartels in the city continue to fight a violent turf war against the government of Mexico.
6. Sana’a, Yemen
Since 2012, the security situation in this city in Yemen has deteriorated considerably due to political uprisings, and it is said to be the reason why it has turned into a core of violence.
5. Chihuahua, Mexico
Though there are many Mexican cities on the world’s most dangerous cities list, Chihuahua defeats them because of its position on the cocaine smuggling route to the United States. Drug cartels have taken over the area to an enormous degree.
4. Medellin, Colombia
Medellin city in Colombia is among the most dangerous cities in the world with a reported 1,175 homicides per 2,393,011 inhabitants. It is reported that much of the violence can be placed at the feet of criminal bands trying to gain control of certain territories.
3. Acapulco, Mexico
The once popular tourist destination of Acapulco in Mexico is a place with rising murderous violence between drug lords and criminals, which has made tourists avoid the sunny destination. The city has reported 1,170 murders for 818,853 inhabitants.
2. San Pedro Sula, Honduras
San Pedro Sula of Honduras is surrounded by crime such as gang violence, drug cartel killings and extortion. Homicide rates in this country are currently floating around 1,143, while the murder rate is at 158.87.
1. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
This is it, Ciudad Juarez in Mexico ranks first among the most dangerous cities in the world to visit as the number of crimes committed within the city has increased drastically. The city had 749 homicides for 1,339,648 inhabitants according to the most recent reports.
