In February 2024, the most common crimes in Cancún, Mexico were robberies with 26.94 percent of the total documented crimes, domestic violence, and property damage both with over 10 percent of cases. Other crimes such as drug dealing, homicides, and sexual abuse were also among the most reported types of felonies.

Historical chart and dataset showing Mexico crime rate per 100K population by year from 1990 to 2021.

In 2025, Pietermaritzburg in South Africa ranked as the world's most dangerous city with a crime rate of 82 per 100,000 inhabitants. Five of the 10 cities with the highest crime rates worldwide are found in South Africa. The list does not include countries where war and conflict exist. South Africa dominates crime statistics When looking at crime rates, among the 10 most dangerous cities in the world, half of them are found in South Africa. The country is struggling with extremely high levels of inequality, and is struggling with high levels of crime and power outages, harming the country's economy and driving more people into unemployment and poverty. Crime in Latin America On the other hand, when looking at murder rates, Latin America dominates the list of the world's most dangerous countries. Violence in Latin America is caused in great part by drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and gang wars.

The rate of crime prevalence in Quintana Roo decreased to 22.19 thousand people per 100,000 inhabitants compared to the previous year. Therefore, the rate in Quintana Roo saw its lowest number in that year with 22.19 thousand people per 100,000 inhabitants. For more insights about the rate of crime prevalence consider different countries: In 2023, in comparison to Quintana Roo, the rate in Mexico as well as in Campeche was higher.

The abduction of people is a recurring security problem in Mexico. In 2023, a total of 463 cases of kidnapping were registered in the country, down from 506 cases reported a year earlier. The number of kidnappings in the Latin American country remained steady around 1,300 cases per year previous to 2020.

Port-au-Prince had the highest number of homicides in 2023 in Latin America. This Haitian city registered 3,502 homicides that year. It was followed by Guayaquil, in Ecuador, with 2,807 deaths. Overall, Mexican cities ranked among the top of highest homicide rates in this region.