Whether you’re a nervous traveller or just curious, it’s no harm being aware of where you’ll find the most dangerous cities in the world. 24/7 Wall St. discovered the most dangerous cities – which are the ones with the highest murder rates.
The report looks at cities outside of war zones. It says that the main culprits of the high murder rates were street-level gangs and splinter groups of major drug cartels engaged in urban turf battles, kidnappings, armed robberies, and revenge killings. The report also says that “Murder tends to be indicative of overall violent crime levels.”
Just remember: high murder rates do not mean foreign visitors are at risk when they travel to these cities. Locals are by far the most likely targets of violence. For example, St. Louis had a higher murder rate in 2018 than nine of the Mexican cities on this list, but visitors to Missouri’s largest city aren’t typically at risk to the violence.
The most dangerous cities in the world
1. Tijuana, Mexico
Homicides per 100,000 in 2018: 138
2. Acapulco, Mexico
Homicides per 100,000 in 2018: 111
3. Caracas, Venezuela
Homicides per 100,000 in 2018: 100
4. Ciudad Victoria, Mexico
Homicides per 100,000 in 2018: 86
5. Ciudad Juárez, Mexico
Homicides per 100,000 in 2018: 86
6. Irapuato, Mexico
Homicides per 100,000 in 2018: 81
7. Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela
Homicides per 100,000 in 2018: 78
8. Natal, Brazil
Homicides per 100,000 in 2018: 75
9. Fortaleza, Brazil
Homicides per 100,000 in 2018: 69
10. Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela
Homicides per 100,000 in 2018: 69
Interested in seeing where to find the safest cities in the world? We have the results of a recent report. Here’s the 10 safest cities in the world for 2019.
