In 2023, around 3,640.56 violent crimes per 100,000 residents were reported in Oakland, California. This made Oakland the most dangerous city in the United States in that year. Four categories of violent crimes were used: murder and non-negligent manslaughter; forcible rape; robbery; and aggravated assault. Only cities with a population of at least 200,000 were considered.

In 2022, the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area recorded the highest homicide rate of U.S. cities with a population over 250,000, at **** homicides per 100,000 residents, followed by the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area. However, homicide data was not recorded in all U.S. metro areas, meaning that there may be some cities with a higher homicide rate. St. Louis St. Louis, which had a murder and nonnegligent manslaughter rate of **** in 2022, is the second-largest city by population in Missouri. It is home to many famous treasures, such as the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, Washington University in St. Louis, the Saint Louis Zoo, and the renowned Gateway Arch. It is also home to many corporations, such as Monsanto, Arch Coal, and Emerson Electric. The economy of St. Louis is centered around business and healthcare, and boasts ten Fortune 500 companies. Crime in St. Louis Despite all of this, St. Louis suffers from high levels of crime and violence. As of 2023, it was listed as the seventh most dangerous city in the world as a result of their extremely high murder rate. Not only does St. Louis have one of the highest homicide rates in the United States, it also reports one of the highest numbers of violent crimes. Despite high crime levels, the GDP of the St. Louis metropolitan area has been increasing since 2001.

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.

Turks and Caicos Islands saw a murder rate of ***** per 100,000 inhabitants, making it the most dangerous country for this kind of crime worldwide as of 2024. Interestingly, El Salvador, which long had the highest global homicide rates, has dropped out of the top 29 after a high number of gang members have been incarcerated. Meanwhile, Colima in Mexico was the most dangerous city for murders. Violent conflicts worldwide Notably, these figures do not include deaths that resulted from war or a violent conflict. While there is a persistent number of conflicts worldwide, resulting casualties are not considered murders. Partially due to this reason, homicide rates in Latin America are higher than those in Afghanistan or Syria. A different definition of murder in these circumstances could change the rate significantly in some countries. Causes of death Also, noteworthy is that murders are usually not random events. In the United States, the circumstances of murders are most commonly arguments, followed by narcotics incidents and robberies. Additionally, murders are not a leading cause of death. Heart diseases, strokes and cancer pose a greater threat to life than violent crime.

Number and rate (per 100,000 population) of homicide victims, Canada and Census Metropolitan Areas, 1981 to 2024.

In 2024, the highest homicide rate among 22 Latin American and Caribbean countries surveyed was in Haiti, with around 62 murders committed per 100,000 inhabitants. Trinidad and Tobago came in second, with a homicide rate of 46, while Honduras ranked seventh, with 25. In the same year, the lowest rate was recorded in El Salvador, with a homicide rate of 1.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. A violence-ridden region Violence and crime are some of the most pressing problems affecting Latin American society nowadays. More than 40 of the 50 most dangerous cities in the world are located in this region, as well as one of the twenty countries with the least peace in the world according to the Global Peace Index. Despite governments’ large spending on security and high imprisonment rates, drug and weapon trafficking, organized crime, and gangs have turned violence into an epidemic that affects the whole region and a solution to this issue appears to be hardly attainable. The cost of violence in Mexico Mexico stands out as an example of the great cost that violence inflicts upon a country, since beyond claiming human lives, it also affects everyday life and has a negative impact on the economy. Mexicans have a high perceived level of insecurity, as they do not only fear becoming victims of homicide, but also of other common crimes, such as assault or rape. Such fear prevents people from performing everyday activities, for instance, going out at night, taking a taxi or going to the movies or the theater. Furthermore, the economic toll of violence in Mexico is more than considerable. For example, the cost of homicide and violent crime amounted to 2099.8 and 1778.1 billion Mexican pesos in 2023, respectively.

In 2023, the District of Columbia had the highest reported violent crime rate in the United States, with 1,150.9 violent crimes per 100,000 of the population. Maine had the lowest reported violent crime rate, with 102.5 offenses per 100,000 of the population. Life in the District The District of Columbia has seen a fluctuating population over the past few decades. Its population decreased throughout the 1990s, when its crime rate was at its peak, but has been steadily recovering since then. While unemployment in the District has also been falling, it still has had a high poverty rate in recent years. The gentrification of certain areas within Washington, D.C. over the past few years has made the contrast between rich and poor even greater and is also pushing crime out into the Maryland and Virginia suburbs around the District. Law enforcement in the U.S. Crime in the U.S. is trending downwards compared to years past, despite Americans feeling that crime is a problem in their country. In addition, the number of full-time law enforcement officers in the U.S. has increased recently, who, in keeping with the lower rate of crime, have also made fewer arrests than in years past.

The average for 2017 based on 79 countries was 105 robberies per 100,000 people. The highest value was in Costa Rica: 1587 robberies per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Oman: 1 robberies per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 2003 to 2017. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In Europe, the Baltic countries of Latvia and Lithuania had the highest and third highest homicide rates respectively in 2023. Latvia had the highest rate at over four per 100,000 inhabitants. Meanwhile, the lowest homicide rate was found in Liechtenstein, with zero murders The most dangerous country worldwide Saint Kitts and Nevis is the world's most dangerous country to live in in terms of murder rate. The Caribbean country had a homicide rate of 65 per 100,000 inhabitants. Nine of the 10 countries with the highest murder rates worldwide are located in Latin America and the Caribbean. Whereas Celaya in Mexico was listed as the city with the highest murder rate worldwide, Colima in Mexico was the city with the highest homicide rate in Latin America, so the numbers vary from source to source. Nevertheless, several Mexican cities rank among the deadliest in the world when it comes to intentional homicides. Violent conflicts worldwide Notably, these figures do not include deaths that resulted from war or a violent conflict. While there is a persistent number of conflicts worldwide, resulting casualties are not considered murders. Partially due to this reason, homicide rates in Latin America are higher than those in countries such as Ukraine or the DR Congo. A different definition of murder in these circumstances could change the rate significantly.

In 2022, the Detroit metro area GDP amounted to ****** billion U.S. dollars, an increase from the previous year. Detroit's GDP Between 2001 and 2022, the GDP of the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro area rose from ****** billion U.S. dollars in 2001 to ****** billion U.S. dollars in 2021, dipping in 2009 to ****** billion U.S. dollars. Despite a rise in GDP, the city of Detroit filed for bankruptcy in July 2013 with debts of approximately ** billion U.S. dollars. Detroit was the largest municipality to file for bankruptcy since 1953. Second largest was Jefferson County, Alabama, which filed in 2011 with debts of approximately *** billion U.S. dollars. In 2021, the Detroit metro area had a population of around 4.36 million inhabitants. City of Detroit Detroit was once a major production hub of the American automobile industry, but has since suffered decline as car manufacturers faced international competition and automobile production was moved out of the city. As a result, workers left Detroit and the population fell. In 2019, Detroit had a resident population of roughly ******* people, ranking **** on the list of largest U.S. cities, but has since fallen off the list of the ** most populous cities in the U.S. Poverty remains a problem for the city and many buildings remain empty and derelict. Crime rates also indicate the extent of Detroit’s decline. Detroit was the second most dangerous city in America in 2022, with ***** crimes per 100,000 residents.

In 2024, there were nearly 26.20homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in the country, down from a homicide rate of 26.8 a year earlier. Since 2017, when it peaked, the homicide rate in Venezuela has been decreasing year after year.

Falling homicide rate but still higher than the Latin American average The country held the fifth position for the highest homicide rate in Latin America, recording 26.2 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024, even after experiencing a steady decrease in the rate over the years. In line with this alarming rate, the Venezuelan city of Cumana was ranked as the 11th most dangerous city in the world in 2023, reporting a rate of 62.42. Among these homicide cases, the majority, approximately 5,800, are still under investigation, while the remainder falls into categories of closed cases, those resisting authority, or have been categorized as disappearances, painting a grim picture of the challenges faced in addressing violent crime.

Corruption in Venezuela In the corruption index, which ranges from 0 representing the worst case to 100 signifying no corruption, Venezuela has earned the unfortunate distinction of being the most corrupt country in Latin America, with a meager score of 10 in 2024. Moreover, the estimated corruption control score has been steadily declining, reaching -1.69 in 2024, where lower numbers indicate a higher degree of corruption, painting a worrisome picture. To compound matters, the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing has persistently remained at a high level, recording a score of 7.59 during 2024.

The homicide rate in Iceland varied between 2010 and 2022, from roughly 0.3 murders per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019, to 1.37 in 2020. In real figures, the total number of homicides reached five in 2020, an unusually high number for Iceland; since 1994 there were six years where no intentional homicides were committed in Iceland, although the last of these was in 2008. Iceland generally has one of the lowest homicide rates in Europe. The most dangerous countries in Europe and worldwide In Europe, Latvia had the highest murder rate in 2021 with 5.1 per 100,000 inhabitants. Malta had the lowest with 0.39. Worldwide, Saint Kitts and Nevis is the world's most dangerous country to live in in terms of murder rate. The Caribbean island country had a homicide rate of 65 per 100,000 inhabitants. Nine of the 10 countries with the highest murder rates worldwide are located in Latin America and the Caribbean. Celaya in Mexico was the city with the highest homicide rate worldwide. Victims of homicides In most of the European countries, a higher share of the victims of homicides are men. France was the country with the highest number of homicides on the continent, whereas Malta and Iceland had the lowest. France both had the highest number of female and male victims.

Alaska saw the highest rape rate in the United States in 2023, with 118.4 rapes per 100,000 inhabitants. The lowest rate was found in New Jersey, with 17.9 rapes per 100,000 inhabitants. Sexual assault in Alaska Fighting sexual assault in Alaska is particularly difficult due to small, isolated, close-knit communities who can be wary of airing their dirty laundry to outsiders, as well as a low number of law enforcement employees in the state. In addition, Alaska’s low population is spread out over a large land area, meaning that in the event of an assault being reported to police, it can take law enforcement hours, or even days, to reach the most isolated communities. The victims of sexual assault There tends to be more reported female victims of sexual assault than male victims. However, since sexual assault is typically an underreported crime, especially among males, these figures could be, and probably are, much higher. In addition, many victims of sexual offenses tend to be young, although sexual assault can occur at any age.