The most dangerous city in the world is a topic that’s been widely discussed for years now. For some, the answer is obvious. For others, it’s a question that never gets answered. Still, it keeps popping up: “What’s the most dangerous city in the world?”
As the world’s population increases, so do the number of cities that can be dangerous. With so many people moving to cities, you would think that as the population grows, the crime rate would as well, right? A new study by the University of Chicago’s Crime Lab found that cities in poorer countries are more violent than those in richer ones, partly because they lack the infrastructure to prevent crime.
The list of the most dangerous cities in the world is an impossible task. While there is no way to put an exact number on the number of violent crimes committed each year, the rate of homicides, rapes, and robberies can be compared. In this article, we are going to compile a list of the top 10 dangerous cities in the world.
Top Ten Most Dangerous Cities in the World
You might assume that living in a country or a city with a low crime rate must make you safe from all the dangers in your surroundings. However, this is not true. Everyone can be a victim of a crime, and living in a dangerous city doesn’t mean that you’re totally safe either. Here is a list of the top 10 most dangerous cities in the world.
1. Tijuana, Mexico
- Homicide Rate: 138 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants
- Homicides: 2,640
2. Acapulco, Mexico
- Homicide Rate: 111 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants
- Homicides: 948
3. Caracas, Venezuela
- Homicide Rate: 100 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants
- Homicides: 2,980
4. Cuidad Victoria, Mexico
- Homicide Rate: 86 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants
- Homicides: 314
5. Ciudad Juárez, Mexico
- Homicide Rate: 86 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants
- Homicides: 1,251
These were the top 5 most dangerous cities in our research. Let’s dive into more:
6. Irapuato, Mexico
- Homicide Rate: 81 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants
- Homicides: 473
7. Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela
- Homicide Rate: 78 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants
- Homicides: 645
8. Natal, Brazil
- Homicide Rate: 75 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants
- Homicides: 1,185
9. Fortaleza, Brazil
- Homicide Rate: 69 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants
- Homicides: 2,724
10. Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela
- Homicide Rate: 69 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants
- Homicides: 264
FBI Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities
The FBI’s list of most dangerous cities has long been the subject of national debate, with some cities being branded as “deadliest” based on documented crime rates, while others are perceived to be dangerous on the basis of their high poverty rates or a high number of violent crimes. In this section, we have added a list of the FBI’s top ten most dangerous cities on the basis of the highest violent crimes rate for each city.
The FBI’s annual report on crime in the US, released recently, revealed a list of the most dangerous places in America. In keeping with the tradition of the annual release, the city of St. Louis, Missouri was once again ranked as the number one most dangerous city in the country with the highest murder rate per 100,000 people.
And the city of Baltimore, Maryland, is the most dangerous city with the highest violent crime rate per 100,000 people.
1. St. Louis, Missouri
- Violent Crimes Rate: 2,082.3 per 100,000 people
- Population: 301,578
- Homicides: 262 in 2020
- Homicide Rate: 86.87 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants per year
2. Detroit, Michigan
- Violent Crimes Rate: 2,056.7 per 100,000 people
- Population: 639,111
- Homicides: 327 in 2020
- Homicide Rate: 51.16 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants per year
3. Baltimore, Maryland
- Violent Crimes Rate: 2,027 per 100,000 people
- Population: 585,708
- Homicides: 348 in 2020
- Homicide Rate: 58.64 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants per year
4. Memphis, Tennessee
- Violent Crimes Rate: 2,003 per 100,000 people
- Population: 633,104
- Homicides: 332 in 2020
- Homicide Rate: 52.44 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants per year
5. Kansas City, Missouri
- Violent Crimes Rate: 1,654 per 100,000 people
- Population: 508,090
- Homicides: 176 in 2020
- Homicide Rate: 34.63 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants per year
6. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- Violent Crimes Rate: 1,597.4 per 100,000 people
- Population: 577,222
- Homicides: 189 in 2020
- Homicide Rate: 32.74 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants per year
7. Cleveland, Ohio
- Violent Crimes Rate: 1,556.8 per 100,000 people
- Population: 372,624
- Homicides: 177 in 2020
- Homicide Rate: 47.50 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants per year
8. Stockton, California
- Violent Crimes Rate: 1,414.6 per 100,000 people
- Population: 312,697
- Homicides: 55 in 2020
- Homicide Rate: 15.98 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants per year
9. Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Violent Crimes Rate: 1,369.1 per 100,000 people
- Population: 564,559
- Homicides: 76 in 2020; 82 within 5 months in 2021
- Homicide Rate: 13.46 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants per year
10. Indianapolis, Indiana
- Violent Crimes Rate: 1,334 per 100,000 people
- Population: 887,642
- Homicides: 102 within five months in 2021; 245 in 2020
- Homicide Rate: 10.6 Homicides/100,000 inhabitants per year
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The Top 25 Most Dangerous Cities in the World at a Glance
My plan was to compile the top 20 most dangerous cities in this article. But, when I’m researching that, I found there are more than the top 100 most dangerous cities in the world. So, I decided to make a list of at least the top 25 most dangerous cities. Those are below:
| Rank | City | Country | Homicides | Homicide Rate (Per 100,000) |
| 1 | Tijuana | Mexico | 2,640 | 138 |
| 2 | Acapulco | Mexico | 948 | 111 |
| 3 | Caracas | Venezuela | 2,980 | 100 |
| 4 | Ciudad Victoria | Mexico | 314 | 86 |
| 5 | Ciudad Juárez | Mexico | 1,251 | 86 |
| 6 | Irapuato | Mexico | 473 | 81 |
| 7 | Ciudad Guayana | Venezuela | 645 | 78 |
| 8 | Natal | Brazil | 1,185 | 75 |
| 9 | Fortaleza | Brazil | 2,724 | 69 |
| 10 | Ciudad Bolívar | Venezuela | 264 | 69 |
| 11 | Cape Town | South Africa | 2,868 | 66 |
| 12 | Belém | Brazil | 1,627 | 65 |
| 13 | Cancun | Mexico | 547 | 64 |
| 14 | Feira de Santana | Brazil | 386 | 63 |
| 15 | St. Louis | United States | 187 | 61 |
| 16 | Culiacán | Mexico | 585 | 61 |
| 17 | Barquisimeto | Venezuela | 683 | 57 |
| 18 | Uruapan | Mexico | 189 | 55 |
| 19 | Kingston | Jamaica | 639 | 54 |
| 20 | Obregón | Mexico | 179 | 52 |
| 21 | Maceió | Brazil | 521 | 51 |
| 22 | Vitória da Conquista | Brazil | 172 | 51 |
| 23 | Baltimore | United States | 309 | 51 |
| 24 | San Salvador | El Salvador | 906 | 50 |
| 25 | Aracaju | Brazil | 463 | 49 |
Frequently Asked Questions of Top Most Dangerous Cities in the World
The most crime-ridden cities in the world were Caracas, Venezuela; San Pedro Sula, Honduras; and San Salvador, El Salvador.
The most dangerous cities in the world in 2020 were Los Cabos (Mexico), Caracas (Venezuela), Acapulco (Mexico), Natal (Brazil) with a murder rate per 100,000 people.
The Maine state of the US has the lowest crime rate. 1,360 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants.
El Salvador is the country that has the most murders. According to Statista, 83 per 100,000 inhabitants murder rate says it is the most murderous country in the world.
Belém in Brazil was the most dangerous city in the world in 2020 according to murder rate per 100,000 inhabitants.
The most dangerous city in the world for 2019 was Tijuana, Mexico. This city has an adjusted homicides rate of 138 homicides per 100K inhabitants.
The most dangerous city in the world in 2021 is Tijuana in Mexico according to the highest murder rates.
In conclusion, in all of these cities, the number one option for tourists is to stay within their comfort zone and travel in a group. If you’re a seasoned traveler, then venturing into some of the world’s most dangerous cities can be a challenge that you will remember for the rest of your life.
Note: We have collected all data from various websites. This report doesn’t give an accuracy guarantee.
