In 2024, Pietermaritzburg in South Africa ranked first in the crime index among African cities, scoring 82.5 index points. The six most dangerous areas on the continent were South African cities. Furthermore, Pretoria and Johannesburg followed, with a score of 81.9 and 80.8 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 42 percent of households affected by robbery reported it to the police in the fiscal year 2022/2023.

In 2024, Colima in Mexico ranked as the world's most dangerous city with a homicide rate of 140 per 100,000 inhabitants. Seven of the 10 cities with the highest murder rates worldwide are all found in Mexico. The list does not include countries where war and conflict exist. Latin America dominate murder statistics Except for Mandela Bay, all the cities on the list are found in Latin America. Latin America also dominate 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. Crime in South Africa Mandela Bay in South Africa is the only city outside Latin America among the 10 most dangerous cities worldwide. 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.

In 2024, South Africa ranked first in the crime index among African countries, with a score of 74.8 index points. Nigeria was the second most dangerous country on the continent, obtaining 66.7 points. The index evaluates the overall crime levels in a specific country. Several African countries scored between 60 and 80 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 67 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 third highest in organized crime compared to its African counterparts. The continent's most prevalent organized criminal activity was human trafficking and financial crimes. Moreover, from a regional perspective, Southern African countries had the lowest organized crime rate.

Intentional homicides are estimates of unlawful homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control, and predatory violence and killing by armed groups. Intentional homicide does not include all intentional killing; the difference is usually in the organization of the killing. Individuals or small groups usually commit homicide, whereas killing in armed conflict is usually committed by fairly cohesive groups of up to several hundred members and is thus usually excluded.

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.

Saint Kitts and Nevis saw a murder rate of 65 per 100,000 inhabitants, making it the most dangerous country for this kind of crime worldwide as of 2023. Interestingly, El Salvador, which long had the highest global homicide rates, has dropped out of the top 20 after a high number of gang members have been incarcerated. Meanwhile, Celaya 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.

In FY 2022/2023, the township of Inanda in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa had the highest number of recorded rape incidents, with 321 reports. This accounts for almost four percent of all rape cases reported in the province during the observed period. The town of Thohoyandou followed, contributing around seven percent to the overall rape reports in the Limpopo province, with 265 cases.

As of the 2022/2023 fiscal year, close to 53,500 South Africans reported being a victim of a sexual crime. Of those, around 80 percent registered being raped, while close to 7,500 South Africans disclosed being sexually assaulted. In the last decade, the total number of sexual offenses peaked in the FY 2012/2013 at about 60,900 cases.

In 2023, Anchorage, Alaska had the highest rape rate in the United States with 144.6 offenses of rape per 100,000 inhabitants. The St. Joseph metropolitan statistical area, in Missouri and Kansas, had the second-highest rape rate in the country, at 141.4 offenses per 100,000 of the population.

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.