Ranking the 20 Most Dangerous Countries by Homicide Rates
Americans are fortunate to live in the USA, where our relatively low murder rate is just one of the many advantages of living here. But with that said, some of us choose to vacation in countries with alarmingly high murder rates.
Statista released data in February 2024 on the most dangerous countries in the world by murder rates. They surveyed the number of murders per 100,000 inhabitants to make a more fair comparison among countries.
When looking at this data, it’s important to understand that murders and homicides are different. Whereas “homicide” is an umbrella term that includes murder, murder refers to the unlawful act of taking someone’s life that involves planning prior to the incident.
Breaking Down the Data
If you’re already making a list in your head of the 20 countries you believe have the highest murder rates, consider this: Statista didn’t include fatalities from war or violent conflicts in their data. The reason is that casualties under such circumstances don’t technically classify as murders.
For this reason, you won’t see conflict-torn countries like Afghanistan and Syria on this list. However, you may see your favorite country to take a beach vacation.
These are the countries with the highest murder rates, starting with the country where residents lay the most murder victims to rest.
Regional Woes
Caribbean and Latin American countries made many appearances on this list. Latin America is the most violent region in the world, excluding active war zone areas.
Not all Latin American countries are ultra-dangerous, and safety varies within any given country, depending on the area. Nevertheless, experts point to income inequality as one of the reasons for high murder rates in many Latin American countries; 15 of the 20 countries with the largest differences in income inequality are in Latin America.
Unemployment, low-quality education, high rates of dropping out of school, and low murder conviction rates are some of the other reasons experts give for why many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean struggle with high murder rates.
The El Salvador Difference
El Salvador offers a glimmer of hope for countries struggling with high murder rates: According to Statista, they held the highest global homicide rate title for years. Now, they’re not even in the top 20 for murder rates.
So, what did El Salvador do to help reduce their murder rate? El Salvador’s government declared a state of emergency in March 2022 as a result of gang violence. Nearly two years later, when looking at the government’s strategy, El Salvador’s murder rate had plummeted from 53 fatalities per 100,000 residents in 2018 to 2.4 fatalities per 100,000 in 2023.
As a result, El Salvador now has the highest incarceration rate in the world. It doesn’t come without downsides, though; human rights organizations claim innocent people have been put in jail.
Given that the El Salvadoran government issued a state of exception, which suspended rights such as free speech and protests in the name of incarcerating violent gang members, it’s understandable how innocent people could wrongly get wrapped up in their efforts.
Traveling Safe
While it’s critical to do your due diligence on any destination’s safety before visiting it, there’s a reason many of the countries on this list are popular among tourists. Since murders are pre-planned, they often don’t involve tourists.
Nevertheless, it’s wise to check the U.S. Department of State’s travel advisories page to see which countries — or areas within a country — they recommend travelers visit with extra caution or not visit at all.
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