In 2024, South Africa ranked first in the crime index among African countries, with a score of **** index points. Nigeria was the second most dangerous country on the continent, obtaining **** points. The index evaluates the overall crime levels in a specific country. Several African countries scored between ** and ** points, indicating high crime levels. Escalating concerns: South Africans worry about crime and violence In 2024, South Africa had one of the highest proportions of respondents expressing concerns about crime and violence compared to other countries participating in an online study. Throughout the period examined, the percentage of participants worried about violence peaked at ** percent in March 2023. The escalating levels of violent crime currently witnessed in the country has caused this significant rise in concerned respondents. South Africa's organized crime landscape In 2023, South Africa ranked the ************* in organized crime compared to its African counterparts. The continent's most prevalent organized criminal activity was **************************************. Moreover, from a regional perspective, Southern African countries had the lowest organized crime rate.

In 2024, Rwanda was the safest country in Africa. It had a score of roughly **** points in the safety index, making it the African nation with the lowest crime incidents and the only country with high safety levels - over 60 index points. In several other countries in Africa, the level of safety was considered moderate (40 to 60 index points).

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.

In 2023, the Democratic Republic of the Congo had Africa's highest organized crime index in Africa, scoring 7.35 points. Nigeria ranked second with a total of 7.28 points. To follow, other African countries with significant criminality levels were South Africa, Kenya, Libya, and the Central African Republic. Main criminal markets in Africa Human trafficking is the main type of crime perpetrated in Africa. In 2022, over 21,700 human trafficking victims were identified in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most victims of trafficking in persons on the continent are girls and women, who are predominantly victims of forced labor and sexual exploitation. Other common forms of criminality in Africa are financial crimes, as well as arms trafficking, which include the illegal trade of unauthorized small arms, ammunition, and explosives. Terrorism across Africa In recent years, terrorism has spread at particularly high levels in some African countries. Nigeria, headquarter of the Boko Haram terrorist group, has been facing high levels of crime, violence, and poor national security, and ranked among the highest 10 countries in the global terrorism index in 2022. However, Nigeria and Niger have seen improvements between 2020 and 2022, with the hot spot area in the region moving more towards the border area between Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Furthermore, terrorism tends to have adverse effects on the economy. For example, the economic impact of terrorist acts between 2007 and 2019 in Nigeria amounted to around 142 billion U.S. dollars.

As of 2024, Libya was the North African country with the highest crime index, achieving **** index points. The index measures the level of crime in a given country or city. Algeria followed with a score of **** (moderate level). In contrast, Tunisia registered the lowest crime index in North Africa in that year.

This statistic shows the most dangerous destinations worldwide in 2015. During the survey, 15 percent of respondents said they thought Africa was the most dangerous travel destination in the world.

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 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.

Several violent extremist organizations are active in West Africa, causing battles, explosions, violence against civilians, and counter-terrorism actions. In this region, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Mali are the most impacted countries by extremist and terror events. Among the deadliest groups, there are Boko Haram, JNIM, ISIS in the Greater Sahara, and ISIS-West Africa. Boko Haram is based in Nigeria, a jihadist terrorist organization. This group is also the most active violent extremist organization in Cameroon. In Mali, the al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM has conducted various deadly attacks. Moreover, an ongoing war started in Mali after a coup d'état in 2012 has caused a thousand fatalities, has displaced people, and caused high levels of chronic malnutrition and poverty.

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.

Community level characteristics of the respondent in East African countries (n = 44,837).

As of February 21, 2025, Africa recorded slightly over ***** new violent attacks against civilians. Over ****** cases of this nature were recorded on the continent in full year 2024, which was a peak considering the period reviewed. In contrast, the lowest number of violent events against civil citizens occurred in 2006, at ***.

Burkina Faso is one of the countries with the highest terrorism threat levels in the world. In 2023, the terrorism index in this West-African country stood at around 8.6, the highest in Africa. Furthermore, it recorded the largest number of deaths related to terrorism worldwide, followed by Mali, Somalia, and Pakistan, with some of the highest terrorism threat indexes in the world. Jihadist fundamentalism in Africa In Africa, several militant groups are active, leading to attacks on both civilian and military targets. In West Africa, among the deadliest groups, there are Boko Haram, JNIM, ISIS in the Greater Sahara, and ISIS-West Africa. The militant group of Al-Shabaab, a jihadist fundamentalist group as well, was responsible for 89 percent of all terror-related deaths in Somalia in 2021. Somalia has the third-highest number of terror-related deaths in the world and ranked second in Africa regarding threat level. Boko Haram Boko Haram, an affiliate of the Islamic State, has been responsible for thousands of deaths in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger. Nigeria is the country most affected by the terrorist group's attacks. The terrorist groups aim to establish the Islamic State in Nigeria and to cancel Western education and influence in the country. Among the news on attacks mostly present in the media, the kidnapping of 276 female students from a secondary school in Borno in 2014 received a global response. As of January 2021, 112 girls were still missing, and six students were believed to have died. However, every month dozens of deaths are attributed to the brutality of Boko Haram.

In 2024, South Africa had a crime index of 75.4, which is to be considered high. However, this was one of the lowest indexes recorded in the country since 2017. Over the observed period, the value continuously fluctuated between 75 and 77. South Africa has the highest crime index in Africa and ranks as the fifth most dangerous country globally according to the same index.

In the years between 2010 and 2021, the African country that experienced the highest number of violent protests was Somalia, with approximately ***** cases of such protests. Somalia has been experiencing political unrest as the state attempted to hold its first democratic elections and restore control over rebel-held areas. Conversely, the country with the lowest levels of violent protests was São Tomé and Príncipe, reporting *** demonstration that turned violent.

Nigeria and Somalia are the countries most affected by terrorism in Africa in terms of attacks and life losses. Between 2007 and 2019, Nigeria recorded 4,383 terrorist attacks, while Somalia counted 1,923. Several militant groups are active in Nigeria, with Boko Haram being the deadliest terrorist group, an affiliate of the Islamic State. In Somalia, the militant group of Al-Shabaab, also a jihadist fundamentalist group, is responsible for a very large part of all terrorist attacks carried out in the country. Despite counter-terrorism efforts, Al-Shabaab retains control over 20 percent of the country.

According to the Global Peace Index 2024, Yemen was the least peaceful country in the world with an index value of 3.45. The Middle Eastern country has been plagued by civil war for over a decade between Houthi rebels and the government, backed by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. All the countries with the lowest scores in the Global Peace Index are ridden by war and violence. The Russia-Ukraine war While most of the countries on the list of the least peaceful countries are found in the Global South, the Russia-Ukraine war, together with the war in Gaza, has probably received the highest attention, at least in Western countries. The full-scale war started in February 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Many Western countries responded by implementing sanctions on Russia. Russia and Ukraine are the 7th and 5th least peaceful countries in the world, respectively. Conflicts around the world Though one might get the impression that the number of conflicts worldwide is increasing, it actually declined somewhat since 2013. Today, most of the conflicts are defined as violent crises, whereas 16 of the 21 conflicts defined as wars are ongoing in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The deadliest state-based conflict in Africa in 2023 was the civil war in Sudan between the Sudanese government and the rebel group Rapid Support Forces (RSF). It is estimated that more than 5,000 people were killed in the conflict that year. By comparison, nearly 3,900 were killed in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia in the conflict between the Government of Somalia and Al-Shabaab. The war in Sudan has seen millions of people displaced, and many face hunger and starvation. Rising terrorism in Africa In recent years, some African states have been suffering from increasing terrorist activity due to a weak state and a poor security apparatus. For instance, Burkina Faso and Mali made up two of the four countries ranked highest on the global terrorism index in 2023, and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the number of terrorist attacks rose from less than 200 in 2018 to around 900 in 2021. Many of the state-based conflicts on the continent are between a state and a terrorist organization. Increasing number of coups The poor state infrastructure in some African states has led to a surge in coup d'états on the continent since 2020, especially in Western Africa, where there have been successful coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guinea, and Gabon in recent years. Worldwide, Thailand is the country with the highest number of successful coup d'états since the Second World War.

The most common country of origin of refugees in Nigeria is Cameroon. As of August 2021, about 67 thousand refugees in Nigeria came from this country. Cameroonians flee from violence ongoing between security forces and armed groups. In the last three years, the number of refugees from Cameroon arriving in Nigeria has increased considerably.

Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria

With almost two thousand kilometers in length, Cameroon's longest border is with Nigeria. The majority of Cameroonian refugees in Nigeria are in the states of Cross River, Benue, and Taraba, the states at the borders with Cameroon. The territories the two countries are also highly impacted by the terrorism of Boko Haram. The violence in this region continues to push people out of their homes and seek safety in neighboring countries.

Deadly migration routes

The migration routes taken by African migrants are among the deadliest in the world. In the attempt to reach other African or European countries, more than ten thousand migrants lost their lives on the African continent between 2014 and 2021. Some of the most dangerous routes include the West African Atlantic route, from West Africa to the Canary Islands, and the Mediterranean routes, from North Africa to South Europe. The latter registers the highest number in the word of deaths and missing people who try to migrate.

In 2021, the leading causes of death in Africa were lower respiratory infections, malaria, and stroke. That year, lower respiratory infections resulted in around 65 deaths per 100,000 population in Africa. Leading causes of death in Africa vs the world Worldwide, the top three leading causes of death in 2021 were heart disease, COVID-19, and stroke. At that time, some of the leading causes of death in Africa, such as lower respiratory infections and stroke, were among the leading causes worldwide, but there were also stark differences in the leading causes of death in Africa compared to the leading causes worldwide. For example, malaria, diarrheal disease, and preterm birth complications were among the top ten leading causes of death in Africa, but not worldwide. Furthermore, HIV/AIDS was the eighth leading cause of death in Africa at that time, but was not among the top ten leading causes worldwide. HIV/AIDS in Africa Although HIV/AIDS impacts every region of the world, Africa is still the region most impacted by this deadly virus. Worldwide, there are around 40 million people currently living with HIV, with about 20.8 million found in Eastern and Southern Africa and 5.1 million in Western and Central Africa. The countries with the highest HIV prevalence worldwide include Eswatini, Lesotho, and South Africa, with the leading 20 countries by HIV prevalence all found in Africa. However, due in part to improvements in education and awareness, the prevalence of HIV in many African countries has decreased. For example, in Botswana, the prevalence of HIV decreased from 26.1 percent to 16.6 percent in the period from 2000 to 2023.