Murder Capitals Around The World

30. USA, New Orleans

Image Source/ The New York Times

When it comes to American cities, New Orleans is up there with some of the worst. Before 2018, homicide was the main cause of death due to the Big Easy Killings. Murder occurs at a rate of roughly 37 per 100,000 persons right now, which means over 100 people for their population of 376,971.

29. South Africa, Durban

Image Source/ BBC

Durban, located on the eastern coast of South Africa, is infamous as one of the country's most hazardous cities. As of 2018, the murder rate was 39 per 100,000 people, which would probably add up when you consider the 3.721 million population. Not the best moving location.

28. USA, San Juan

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After Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico in 2017, San Juan was added to the list of the world's most hazardous cities. Following the storm, there was oddly an increase in the number of homicides. In addition to the rising rates of violent crime and homicide, the city has also been experiencing significant difficulties on the economic front.

27. Honduras, Distrito Central

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Honduras's Distrito Central is comprised of the former cities of Tegucigalpa and Comayagüela. When compared to the other two countries that make up the Northern Triangle in Central America, it has the worst violence. The high murder rate (43 per 100,000 residents) has driven many to seek refuge in the United States..

26. Guatemala, Guatemala City

Image Source/ TIME

Guatemala City serves as the capital of Guatemala, located in Central America. It is famous for the religious carvings and paintings that date back to the colonial era. Together with a high number of other crimes, this urban region has been reported as having a homicide rate of 44 per 100,000 people.

25. Hondouras, San Pedro Sula

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The city of San Pedro Sula is located in the Sula Valley of northern Honduras and is one of the most important transportation centers in the country. When it comes to murder rates, this city topped the charts in 2013. A shocking 187 people were murdered for every 100,000 people in the country. Rates are down to 47 per 100,000 now.

24. Colombia, Cali

Image Source/ Colombia Reports

Cali is a city in the Valle del Cauca area of Colombia, located to the southwest of Bogota. As a result of the recent rise in the amount of violent criminal gang activity in the state of Guanajuato, it has become one of the most dangerous cities in the world. The rate of homicide is 47 per 100,000 individuals in the population.

23. Brazil, Macapá

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The city of Macapá is the state capital of Amapá in northern Brazil. It can be found on a small plateau on the Amazon. Interpersonal violence, drug gang activity, and tensions between law enforcement and citizens are major contributors to the town's high crime rate. At 47 per 100,000 residents, the homicide rate is one of the highest in the world.

22. Venezuela, Maturín

Image Source/ Reuters

 

Located in the state of Monagas, Maturn serves as the capital of Venezuela. It's a major hub for the country's petroleum industry, where scientists and business people go to find new reserves and refine existing ones. At 47 per 100,000 residents, the homicide rate is extremely high.

21. Mexico, Coatzacoalcos

Image Source/ Data Mexico 

A municipality and city, Palmira is located in the Valle del Cauca Department in southwestern Colombia. It's the second-biggest city in the Valle del Cauca, behind Cali. Terrorist attacks and civil battles between rival drug gangs have devastated the city in recent years. There were 47 murders per 100,000 residents in 2016.

20. Brazil, Aracju

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For tourists, Aracaju is the best beach destination in all of Brazil, despite being the smallest of the states. In 2016, there were 63 murders for every 100,000 people living there, making that year one of the worst on record. At 49 per 100,000 people, it has decreased slightly.

19. El Salvador, San Salvador

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Another city on the not-moving-to list is the largest and most important city in El Salvador: San Salvador. The capital is the financial, cultural, and political hub of the country, but it doesn't stop it having an astounding murder rate of 50 per 100,000 residents.

18. USA, Baltimore

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Baltimore, Maryland's largest city, has been an important seaport for many decades but, nonetheless, it ranks as the country's second most dangerous major metropolis. There are 51 murders for every 100,000 residents who live in Baltimore which is surprising.

17. Brazil, Vitória da Conquista

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The municipality of Vitória da Conquista is the third largest city in the Brazilian state of Bahia. The city serves as Bahia State's main business hub. The murder rate has dropped from 70.3, per 100,000 persons, to 51, as a result of increased security in recent years.

16. Mexico, Ciudad Obregón Read

Image Source/ Yahoo News Singapore

With a homicide rate of 37.7 per 100,000 people in 2014, Ciudad made its first appearance on the list of the world's most dangerous cities. The homicide rate in the city eventually reached 52 per 100,000 people due to warfare between rival drug gangs.

15. Jamaica, Kingston

Image Source/ Christian Science Monitor

Kingston, located on the southeast coast of Jamaica, serves as the island's capital. Murder rates and the prevalence of organised crime have both been on the rise in this metropolis for some time now. As of 2016, there were 54 murders for every 100,000 people in the country.

14. Mexico, Uruapan

Image Source/ Independent.ie

Gun violence and other violent criminality have increased in Uruapan, Mexico, since 2013. The governor of Michoacán state has recently pledged to boost police presence in order to improve city safety. There were 55 murders for every 100,000 residents in that year.

13. Venezuela, Barquisimeto

Image Source/ The Independent

The murder rate in Barquisimeto jumped from 8.2 in 2017 to 57 in 2018, which is a massive jump considering the short amount of time between stats. There are just over 1.2 million people living in the city, and the homicide rate is currently at 57 per 100,000.

12. USA, St. Louis

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St. Louis, Missouri, is a significant, infamous metropolis on the Mississippi River, yet it just happens to be another another global murder capital. From roughly 66 per 100,000 in 2017 to 61 per 100,000 in 2018, the city's murder rate has decreased.

11. Brazil, Feira de Santana

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A city in the Brazilian state of Bahia, Feira de Santana, has the state's second-highest population. This city serves as a key hub for international trade and so it serves as a perfect channel for transnational organised crime. There were 58.8 murders per 100,000 people in 2007, however in 2015 that number has risen to 63.

10. Mexico, Cancún

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Cancn, Mexico, is located on the Yucatán Peninsula beside the Caribbean Sea. The area is famous for its beaches, abundance of resorts, and vibrant nightlife, with tourists flocking every year. Shockingly high murder rates persisted throughout the city in 2018, leading to a homicide rate of 64 per 100,000 residents.

9. Brazil, Belém

Image Source/ Al Jazeera

Clearly, the cities of Brazil are no strangers to this list. Northern Brazil is home to the state of Pará, and its capital and largest city is Belém. In recent years, murder rates have risen dramatically with an extreme level of 65 murders per 100,000 persons.

8. South Africa, Cape Town

Image Source/ The Conversation 

On the southwestern coast of South Africa you'll find the city of Cape Town. The murder rate rose from 65.5 in 2017 to 66 for 2018. The homicide rate has reached 66 per 100,000 residents, and it has been steadily rising over the previous three years.

7. Venezuela, Ciudad Bolívar

Image Source/ Miami Herald

Before it was called Ciudad Bolivar, the city was called Angostura and St. Thomas de Guyana. Venezuela has had the world's highest murder rate for a very long time, with the homicide rate in Ciudad Bolvar at a level of 69 per 100,000 residents. That's a huge amount!

6. Brazil, Natal

Image Source/ The Times

In the northern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte, the city of Natal serves as the state capital. The crime rate has dropped from 103 per 100,000 to 75 in recent years and for a number of years in a row, Natal has led the country in murder rates.

5. Venezuela, Ciudad Guayana

Image Source/ RAISG

Located at the confluence of the Orinoco and Caron rivers in Bolivar state, Ciudad Guayana is a major port in Venezuela. The murder rate has decreased from 80.3 per 100,000 to 78. Together with a high crime rate, the city also has an extreme food shortage.

4. Mexico, Ciudad Victoria

Image Source/ The Guardian

City of Ciudad Victoria is the state capital of Tamaulipas, Mexico. The city has been devastated in recent years due to territorial battles and several subgroups of the Gulf and Zeta Cartels have formed there. While the city's murder rate was 30 per 100,000 before the war, it has since risen to an alarming 86 per 100,000.

3. Venezuela, Caracas

Image Source/ Reuters

Caracas is the commercial and cultural hub of Venezuela and the country's capital too, which is located in a valley in the country's northern mountains. The biggest number of homicides occur in Venezuela, and more than 90% of them are never solved. There are 100 homicides for every 100,000 people in Caracas.

2. Mexico, Acapulco

Image Source/ BBC

Like Brazil, Mexico play a huge part in this list. On the Pacific coast of Mexico, there is the popular tourist destination of Acapulco. In 2023, it is one of Mexico's most hazardous cities with a homicide rate hovering around 111 per 100,000 people for quite some time now.

1. Mexico, Tijuana

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The biggest murder capital in the world is crowned to Tijuana, Mexico. It's a Mexican city on the border with the United States, south of California. An unbelievable total of 138 people per 100,000 each year are murdered there. So if you're planning a holiday, you know where not to go.