It is no secret to anyone that the world can be a pretty tough place. Some countries are better off than others in a variety of different ways: money, happiness, health. Yet still other countries are suffering. We decided to look through a list of the different countries in the world with the highest murder rates. Now, we don’t advise taking a cheap flight and snagging a hotel reservation in these places without doing a little research of your own. This can be a morbid topic but an important one when trying to analyze why these countries are so dangerous. Without further ado, listed below are 12 countries with the highest and scariest murder rates in the world.
Honduras – 90.4 murders per 100,000
Sitting at the top of this list is nothing to be proud of but that is where we find the country of Honduras. The Republic of Honduras is located in Central America and it is situated between Guatemala and El Salvador. Honduras isn’t an overly large country as it only has a population of 8 million people but there is a lot going on within its relatively small borders. While Honduras can be a center of beautiful culture and historical artifact, such as the Cathedral of Comayagua, it is more renowned for its exhausting level of crime. Right now Honduras is leading the world in murder rate per 100,000 individuals with an alarming 90.4 number. There are many reasons for this sky high murder rate and most of them have to do with government corruption and gang violence. Honduras saw their murder rate peak in 2012 but little has been done in order to address it. We would avoid visiting the country even with a cheap ticket and quality hotel reservations — not until things are more settled and figured out.
Honduras
Nigeria – 20 murders per 100,000
Make no mistake: Africa is struggling and the continent has been struggling for a long time. People who tend to keep up to date on world issues won’t be surprised that we are kicking off our list with the inclusion of Nigeria. Nigeria is a hugely populated country with over 174 million citizens. Despite these high numbers, or perhaps because of them, crime throughout the country has been astronomical and almost completely beyond comprehension. Nigerian residents experience murder at a rate of 20 people per 100,000 but that really doesn’t tell the whole story. Nigeria suffers from a proverbial plague of dangerous and violent crime: sexual violence, rape, domestic violence and so much more. A corrupt government and a country that hasn’t know peace doesn’t make for a very easy transformation.
Nigeria
Mexico – 22 murders per 100,000
We’ll continue chugging right along with fairly common countries when you think of violence and crime. Mexico comes in at second on our list much to nobody’s surprise. Mexico is the fifth largest country throughout America and it is ravaged head to toe by violent crime, corrupt politicians, and the drug trade. Cartel violence is the most highly publicized reason for the danger that the country is facing but they are far from the only issues. Street level gangs, dirty cops and politicians, and an untrusting population have turned a beautiful country into a proverbial war zone in places. Mexico has always faced issues with violence, looking back to people like El Chapo, but now it appears that the world at large is taking notice. Tourism is plummeting and U.S. politicians are even making part of their platform about keeping Mexicans out of the United States.
Mexico
Saint Lucia – 22 murders per 100,000
So now we have our first surprise of the list: Saint Lucia. Saint Lucia is a gorgeous, tiny, country located out in the Caribbean. Saint Lucia is well regarded for their numerous beautiful beaches and clear ocean water but now things are starting to change. Despite having only a population of 175,000 people the number of homicides has been steadily growing over the last couple of years. In 2007 there were 27 reported murders, a shocking number for a country so small, and by 2012 there had been 50 murders. Gut instinct wants to ascribe the reasons for this growth in violence to the rise in people moving to the country as a result of positive tourism press but we aren’t sure. Perhaps being in such a small amount of land just gets people chafing and looking for a fight. Who knows, it’s sad no matter what.
Saint Lucia
Brazil – 25 murders per 100,000
We are in South America now and looking at Brazil as our next dangerous, homicide heavy country. Brazil is the largest country in all of South and Latin America and it is the fifth largest country on the planet. These rankings are measured by both land area and actual population (200+ million people). Brazil is known for a whole variety of things: the fact that they are the largest Catholic-majority country in the world, their seventh largest GDP, and even the fact that they are the largest producer of coffee on the planet. While these facts show the country in a positive light, the rise in violent crime over the past few decades does anything but. Brazil is a hotbed of criminal activity thanks to an active drug trade and rampant alcoholism. This violence peaked in 2012 when 65,000 people were killed in that single year alone. Saint Lucia looks like paradise now, doesn’t it?
Brazil
Colombia – 31 murders per 100,000
Apparently once you land in South America your odds of getting off of the continent are pretty slim. Next up we look at the dangers lurking in Colombia. Colombia is pretty much world famous thanks to their rampant production and distribution of illicit drugs, most notably cocaine, and this has obviously brought a world of trouble to the majority of Colombian citizens. Colombia has a segregation issue that is also coupled by a huge disparity in wealth and this has led to rampant violence across the country’s major and minor urban centers. Murder, kidnappings, and robberies are all too common inside of what is an otherwise gorgeous country full of great people.
Colombia
Swaziland – 34 murders per 100,000
Swaziland is located in South Africa and it is one of the smallest countries on the continent. Swaziland has a population that hovers around 1 million people but that doesn’t stop violence and disease from being an issue. Most of the largest issues in the country can be traced back to crushing poverty and a lack of social, government created infrastructure to help the people. AIDS is currently destroying the country and homicides have only sped things up. The average life expectancy of locals to Swaziland is a stunning 50 years of age. For comparison, the average life span in the United States is 78 years of age.
Swaziland
Jamaica – 39 murders per 100,000
Jamaica is a tiny country located out in the Caribbean. With a land mass of only 4,250 square miles, Jamaica packs in a ton of people and a whole lot of violence. Kingston, the capital of the country, is borderline non-navigatable by outsiders. Violent crime, including robberies and murder, seem to be common and peace seems to be from a different era. Add in the fact that Jamaica is largely a poor country and one racked by natural disasters and you have a recipe for disaster. Jamaica has been steadfast in their inclusion on lists like this and that doesn’t seem set to change any time soon.
Jamaica
Guatemala – 40 murders per 100,000
Guatemala finds its way to our list from Central America. Guatemala has 16 million people within its borders and it is one of the most highly populated countries in all of Central America. The country sees roughly 100 murders per 30 days and it routinely finds its way to the top 5 spot on most dangerous countries to visit. Things have gotten slightly better in recent years but not by much. In the Guatemalan city of Escuintla, back in the ’90s, there were 165 murders per 100,000 locals — alarming numbers to say the least.
Guatemala
Belize – 45 murders per 100,000
Now we are on to our top 3 murderous countries. Belize is a surprising addition to this list from Central America due to the fact that it is sparsely populated. Belize is a beautiful country known for its wildlife and nature sights to see, the country is violent. Belize suffers from a staggering 45 murders per 100,000 people with the majority of these coming from within the Belize City District. Needless to say, you might be better off skipping this country on your next vacation.
Belize
Venezuela – 54 murders per 100,000
South America hasn’t found itself very well represented on this list, unfortunately. The continent at large is suffering from many similar problems that have swept up the smaller countries across the board. Next up on our list is Venezuela, one of the largest producers of oil in the world. Unfortunately the country hasn’t been able to turn their oil exporting proficiency into stability for citizens of the country. Studies have shown the Venezuelan locals almost overwhelmingly feel unsafe when outside of their home at night. The murder rate in Venezuela is an alarming 50 people per 100,000 and that number is constantly on the rise. Despite how terrible this sounds wait until you get a load of the next country on our list. The next country on our list makes Venezuela look relatively tame, which definitely does not inspire confidence.
Venezuela
