10 Most Dangerous Cities in the World

Can you imagine being a citizen or even a police officer in a city where there is at least one murder every second day? Or even multiple murders every single day of the year? The inhabitants of the 10 most dangerous cities in the world, unfortunately, don’t have to imagine that as it is their city’s harsh reality. Murder and crime rates fluctuate and can quickly change from year to year. But there have been certain cities around the world where murders have been a consistent problem for years or even decades now.

The following Ranking of the 10 most dangerous cities in the world shows you the most dangerous cities in the world by the latest available crime data (meaning for the past year of 2019), by looking at the per capita murder rate for each city. Sadly, Latin America dominates the ranking with 8 cities, while one country, in particular, includes all of the 4 most dangerous cities in the world right now.

The 10 Most Dangerous Cities in the World

top 10 most dangerous cities in the world

1. Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

115 murders per 100,000 people

Population of city: 1.9 million
Number of annual murders in city (last year): 2,185

2. Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico

juarez mexico - second of the most dangerous cities in the world — Juarez, Mexico (left) at the border crossing with El Paso, USA (on the right)

111 murders per 100,000 people

Population of city: 1.3 million
Number of annual murders in city (last year): 1,449

3. Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico

Image result for acapulco — View of the Las Playas district of Acapulco, Mexico

103 murders per 100,000 people

Population of city: 690,000
Number of annual murders in city (last year): 711

4. Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico

Main square and Cathedral of Irapuato, Mexico

98 murders per 100,000 people

Population of city: 530,000
Number of annual murders in city (last year): 517

5. Guayana, Bolivar, Venezuela

Aerial view of the Puerto Ordaz district in Guayana, Venezuela

93 murders per 100,000 people

Population of city: 750,000
Number of annual murders in city (last year): 700

6. Caracas, Capital District, Venezuela

Image result for caracas — Aerial view of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela
Credit: Fernando Flores / CC BY-SA 2.0

76 murders per 100,000 people

Population of city: 1.9 million
Number of annual murders in city (last year): 1,443

7. Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Image result for cape town table mountain — View at downtown Cape Town, South Africa, with the Table mountain in the left background
Credit: Mikael Colville-Andersen / CC BY-SA 2.0

75 murders per 100,000 people

Population of city: 3.8 million
Number of annual murders in city (last year): 2,868

8. Mossoro, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

View at downtown Mossoro, Brazil
Credit: davi99 / CC BY-SA 4.0

75 murders per 100,000 people

Population of city: 295,000
Number of annual murders in city (last year): 222

9. Bolivar City, Bolivar, Venezuela

View at the historic center of Bolivar City (Ciudad Bolivar) in the Venezuelan State of Bolivar

66 murders per 100,000 people

Population of city: 400,000
Number of annual murders in city (last year): 264

10. St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Image result for st louis — View at downtown St. Louis, USA with the Gateway Arch in front
Credit: Sam Valadi / CC BY-SA 2.0

65 murders per 100,000 people

Population of city: 300,000
Number of annual murders in city (last year): 194

The 10 Most Dangerous Cities in the World 2020

(as of March 2020)

The 10 Most Dangerous Cities in the World:
1. TIJUANA, Mexico 115 murders per 100,000 people
2. JUAREZ, Mexico 111 murders per 100,000 people
3. ACAPULCO, Mexico 103 murders per 100,000 people
4. IRAPUATO, Mexico 98 murders per 100,000 people
5. GUAYANA, Venezuela 93 murders per 100,000 people
6. CARACAS, Venezuela 76 murders per 100,000 people
7. CAPE TOWN, South Africa 75 murders per 100,000 people
8. MOSSORO, Brazil 75 murders per 100,000 people
9. BOLIVAR, Venezuela 66 murders per 100,000 people
10. ST. LOUIS, United States 65 murders per 100,000 people

Most dangerous cities in the world based on the most currently publicized homicide rates per 100,000 people for cities with populations over 100,000. Tiebreaker: Higher total number of murders.