As of 2023, the African country with the highest robbery rate was South Africa. The country reported ****** robbery cases out of 100,000 inhabitants. It is important to note that these statistics reflect reported crime however, not all crime is reported.

The waters in the region of West Africa recorded the highest number of reported acts of alleged piracy and robbery attacks committed against ships in Africa in 2023. That year, a total of ** incidents were reported in West Africa. The majority of those incidents took place in international waters.

In 2023, the number of households that experienced robberies was approximately *** million. The months of June, July, and December experienced the highest theft incidents, with *******, ******* and ******* reports, respectively. June and July are reported as the months which provides the most hours of darkness, and this allows criminals more time to break in and enter homes without being detected so easily. December is the month when most South Africans decide to go away on holiday, leaving their homes at risk for a potential break-in.

In 2023, most of the piracy and armed robbery attacks allegedly committed and attempted in West Africa happened in areas within the ports. The others took place in international waters. Since 2016, piracy and armed robbery events of such nature have been reported in the region.

As of 2023, the majority of the piracy and armed robbery attacks allegedly committed and attempted in West Africa involved *** to **** people. Additionally, ***** of the occurring incidents involved more than ** people. Overall, since 2016, piracy and armed robbery events of such nature have been reported in the region.

In 2024, Pietermaritzburg in South Africa ranked first in the crime index among African cities, scoring **** index points. The six most dangerous areas on the continent were South African cities. Furthermore, Pretoria and Johannesburg followed, with a score of **** and **** points, respectively. The index estimates the overall level of crime in a specific territory. According to the score, crime levels are classified as very high (over 80), high (60-80), moderate (40-60), low (20-40), and very low (below 20). Contact crimes are common in South Africa Contact crimes in South Africa include violent crimes such as murder, attempted murder, and sexual offenses, as well as common assault and robbery. In fiscal year 2022/2023, the suburb of Johannesburg Central in the Gauteng province of South Africa had the highest number of contact crime incidents. Common assault was the main contributing type of offense to the overall number of contact crimes. Household robberies peak in certain months In South Africa, June, July, and December experienced the highest number of household robberies in 2023. June and July are the months that provide the most hours of darkness, thus allowing criminals more time to break in and enter homes without being detected easily. In December, most South Africans decide to go away on holiday, leaving their homes at risk for a potential break-in. On the other hand, only around ** percent of households affected by robbery reported it to the police in the fiscal year 2022/2023.