The United States had, by far, the highest homicide rate of the G7 countries between 2000 and 2023. In 2023, it reached 5.76 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, a decrease from 6.78 in 2021. By comparison, Canada, the G7 nation with the second-highest homicide rate, had 1.98 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023. Out of each G7 nation, Japan had the lowest rate with 0.23 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

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.

In Europe, the Baltic countries of Latvia and Lithuania had the highest and third highest homicide rates respectively in 2022. 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.

The average for 2017 based on 97 countries was 7.4 homicides per 100,000 people. The highest value was in El Salvador: 61.8 homicides per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Japan: 0.2 homicides per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2017. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

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 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.

Background: According to cultivation theory, distorted representations of social reality on television can lead to distorted perceptions of reality among viewers. For example, the death penalty has been abolished in most Western countries a long time ago, but is often portrayed or mentioned in US crime shows, which are very popular outside the United States. Previous research suggests that the amount of television viewing can be associated with erroneous perceptions of the use of the death penalty—even when the death penalty is not used in the respective country. Unfortunately, available evidence on this association is inconclusive.Methods: In a cross-sectional web-based survey, we used quota-based sampling techniques to recruit 1,002 individuals representative of the Austrian population in terms of gender, age, education, and region of residence. We asked about their weekly amount of television viewing and use of US crime dramas and measured their beliefs on the use of the death penalty in Austria.Results: Although television viewing in general was not associated with erroneous perceptions of the death penalty (i.e., no overall across-the-board cultivation effect), data analysis provided supporting evidence for the idea of a genre-specific cultivation effect: The more US crime shows participants watched, the more likely they were to mistakenly believe that the death penalty is used in Austria. This association held true even after controlling for the gender, age, and education of participants.Conclusion: The finding that watching US crime shows, which are based on social reality in the United States, is associated with Austrian viewers' confusion with regards to perceptions of the death penalty is consistent with the genre-specific cultivation hypothesis. Some viewers may be guided more by mediated reality than by actual social reality.

Several countries located in Central America and the Caribbean registered some of the highest homicide rates in the Latin American region in 2022. Jamaica ranked first, with around 53.34 homicides committed per 100,000 inhabitants. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines came second, with 40.41 homicides per 100,000 people. The source defines intentional homicide as the unlawful death inflicted upon a person with the intent to cause death or serious injury. When it comes to the total case count, Brazil was the Latin American country with the largest number of homicide victims. Central America and the falling rates El Salvador was commonly named the murder capital of the world for a few years. The inability of previous governments to control organized crime and gangs resulted in the highest homicide rate in the world for a couple of years. Nonetheless, the current administration and the measures applied during the Emergency State had an incredibly positive impact in terms of the security of the Salvadorean citizens. But not only El Salvador has seen a considerable reduction in its murder rate in Central America. Honduras and Guatemala are also two great examples of crime reduction, introducing new policies, institutions, and changes to their judicial system to achieve better results.
The Caribbean still ridden by crime Some islands in the Caribbean are not only known as tax heavens, as some nations in the region are considered the main enablers of tax evasion in the world, but also for being ridden by crime. Haiti is one example of the still rising levels of criminality. As a country with precarious conditions and extreme food insecurity, the homicide rate has been on the rise for almost four consecutive years. Another one is Jamaica, the top of the Latin American ranking, that has also seen an increase in the youth involved in organized crime due to lack of employment and economic conditions.

In November 2024, the main problem for the country detected by the population in Argentina was poverty with an overall 38 percent answering it as one of the main problems, followed by low wages, crime, and job shortage. During this survey, other issues like climate change dropped to the bottom of the list, with less than one percent of people mentioning them as problem. Inflation in Argentina For the first month of 2023, one of the categories with the highest consumer price index (CPI) was clothing and footwear recording an inflation rate of 120.6. Some basic basket products also recorded high year-on-year price increases, like the food and non-alcoholic drinks sector recorded between 50 and 70 index points increases from January to June 2022. Overall, the price increase has been exponential when considering previous years, for example, the health services industry recorded an increase of 1,231.5 points in approximately six years. Crime in Argentina Other most common worries for the Argentinian population were crime and violence. In 2020, the country registered around 2,416 cases of intentional murders and, in 2022, approximately 212 femicides. Nonetheless, Argentina ranks as one of the Latin American countries with the lowest homicide rate, only with more than its western neighbor, Chile. Property crimes are actually the main concern for the country, only in 2021 more than a quarter of a million thefts were registered.

This table provides an overview of persons registered with Victim Support Netherlands and known in the social statistics files of Statistics Netherlands. The figures are broken down by age, gender, origin, type of client and type of crime. A person may turn to Victim Support Netherlands (SHN) for various offenses or accidents once or more during a reporting year. This person is then counted once in the table, at the first offence. The table also contains relative figures. This means that the number of people who have been in contact with Victim Support is shown per 100,000 inhabitants of the relevant population group. In addition to victims of crimes and accidents, witnesses, those involved, perpetrators or surviving relatives can also be clients of Victim Support Netherlands. Due to a change at Victim Support Netherlands in the allocation of client type, a trend break occurred between 2016 and 2017. In addition, there has been a phasing out of receiving the daily reports of traffic accidents that Victim Support Netherlands received. This mainly resulted in substantially fewer clients with the victim classification 'involved' in 2018. Data available from: 2009. Status of the figures: The figures up to and including 2020 are final. The figures for 2021 have a provisional status. Changes as of November 2022: The provisional figures for 2021 have been added. ​​CBS is switching to a new classification of the population by origin. From now on, where someone was born is more decisive than where someone's parents were born. The word migration background is no longer used. The main division western/non-western is replaced by a division based on continents and common immigration countries. This classification is gradually being introduced in tables and publications with population by origin. It can be decided that the origin classification will be dropped for a StatLine table. When will new numbers come out? The figures for the previous year will be published in November 2023.

Number, percentage and rate (per 100,000 population) of homicide victims, by racialized identity group (total, by racialized identity group; racialized identity group; South Asian; Chinese; Black; Filipino; Arab; Latin American; Southeast Asian; West Asian; Korean; Japanese; other racialized identity group; multiple racialized identity; racialized identity, but racialized identity group is unknown; rest of the population; unknown racialized identity group), gender (all genders; male; female; gender unknown) and region (Canada; Atlantic region; Quebec; Ontario; Prairies region; British Columbia; territories), 2019 to 2023.

In 2024, Pietermaritzburg (South Africa) ranked first in the crime index among African cities, with a rating of roughly 83 index points. The six most dangerous areas on the continent were South African cities. 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). South Africa’s crime situation According to the crime index ranking, South Africa was the most dangerous country in Africa in 2023, followed by Somalia, Nigeria, and Angola. Murder and organized crime are particularly widespread in South Africa. In 2023, the country had one of the highest murder rates globally, registering around 36 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Moreover, South Africa’s crime scene is also characterized by the presence of organized criminal activities, for which the country ranked third in Africa. Reflecting these high levels of crime, a survey conducted in 2023 showed that around 56 percent of South Africans were worried about crime and violence in the country. Crime risks in Africa The African continent hosts some of the most dangerous places worldwide. In 2023, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo were the least peaceful countries in Africa, according to the Global Peace Index. Worldwide, they ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, behind Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria. Terrorism is a leading type of crime perpetrated in Africa. Home to Boko Aram, Nigeria is among the countries with the highest number of terrorism-related deaths globally. Furthermore, Burkina Faso had the highest number of fatalities in the world. Human trafficking is also widespread, predominantly in West Africa. The most common forms of exploitation of victims of trafficking in persons are forced labor and sexual exploitation.

The four Nordic countries Sweden, Iceland, Norway, and Denmark are between the five countries with the highest rate of reported sexual violence in Europe in 2022. More than 200 cases per 100,000 inhabitants were reported in Sweden.Please note that reporting varies from country to country, and the willingness of victims to come forward can vary across regions and cultures, therefore a comparison between the countries should be taken with caution.

This table shows court criminal cases that are registered with a public prosecutor's office, on which the Public Prosecution Service (OM) has taken a decision and cases that have been settled by the court of first instance. The data can be broken down by type of suspect, migration background and age at the time the offense was committed. The decisions taken by the Public Prosecution Service are subdivided according to the type of decision. The settlements by the court are subdivided according to type of final decision and type of sanction. Cases added to another case by the court at the hearing are not counted as settlement. The table concerns personal data on the theme of prosecution and trial. The personal data relate to characteristics of the suspect/convict in a case. The figures therefore also concern the related matters. The table is not unique at the individual level. Firstly, persons can appear in this table several times in a year if they are suspects/convicts in several cases in that year. For example, a person can be a suspect in several cases that are reported to the Public Prosecution Service in a year. Second, it is possible for a person's case to be counted in several stages within a year; for example, if the case enters the Public Prosecution Service in the same year as the Public Prosecution Service takes a decision in the case. Data available from 2001. StatLine table not yet adapted to the new classification of origin: Statistics Netherlands is switching to a new classification of the population by origin. From now on, where someone was born is more decisive than where someone's parents were born. The word migration background is no longer used. The main division western/non-western is replaced by a division based on continents and common immigration countries. This classification is gradually being introduced in tables and publications with population by origin. It can be decided that the origin classification will be dropped for a StatLine table. Status of the figures: The figures are final. Changes as of March 2023. The figures for the year 2021 were delayed and have now been added. When will new numbers come out? The figures for 2022 will be published in the summer of 2023.

Between 2021 and 2023, support for same-sex marriage declined in 14 out of 23 surveyed countries worldwide. The major drops were seen in Canada and Germany, where the share of respondents agreeing with same-sex marriage went down six percentage points. Still, over 60 percent of respondents in those two countries supported it.

The way to legalization

As of 2021, 30 countries have legalized same-sex marriages, most of them located in Western Europe. Switzerland was the latest to do so after a referendum, while the second to last was Costa Rica, as the only Central American country. While most countries have legalized same-sex marriage through legislation, in South Africa and Taiwan, this was enacted via courts' mandates. Taiwan and South Africa are the first and so far only countries in their continent to have legalized same-sex marriage.

Hostility and criminalization

The support and legalization of same-sex marriages is growing, and the acceptance of homosexuality is slowly but steadily increasing in more hostile countries. In Nigeria, for instance, homosexuality is a crime punishable with the death penalty. Despite a small increase, only seven percent of people believe that homosexuality should be accepted by society. Africa, Asia, and the Middle East are still the most dangerous world regions for homosexuals. In fact, 71 countries still criminalize homosexuality, and most of them are located in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

The statistic shows the number of victims of the worst mass shootings in western democratic countries from 1966 to 2012. On December 14, 2012, a gunman killed 26 people - 20 of them children aged 5 to 10 - in a shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. He committed suicide afterwards. Gun policy in the USA Over the last few years, mass shootings and accidents with children at shooting ranges have shaped national debates about the gun laws in the United States.

According to the Gallup survey across the United States in January 2014, 40 percent of the U.S. population stated they are totally satisfied with the existing gun laws in the United States, while 31 percent of the respondents stated they are dissatisfied, they want stricter laws.

The survey among American adults, which was conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2012 shortly after the Aurora movie theater shooting, on what they consider more important – the right to bear arms or controlling gun ownership, shows that 47 percent of the participants said the control of gun ownership is more important than the protection of the right to own guns.

The attitude towards gun control varies from generation to generation, 55 percent of the Millennials stated that controlling gun ownership is more important than protecting the gun rights, while 44 percent of the Silent generation stated the same.

The number of homicides by firearms has decreased over the last few years, 11,040 homicides by firearm were counted in 2003, while 9,960 homicides by firearm were counted in 2010. Homicide takes several forms, for example murder but homicide is not always a crime, it also includes affirmative defense, insanity, self-defense or the execution of convicted criminals.

America’s gun policy makes it possible for the American population to have a gun in their home on their own property, all U.S. states have imposed their own firearm restrictions. The percentage of Americans who have a gun in their home shifted from 40 percent in 1996 to 47 percent in 2011.

Coercion/threat made up the highest number of recorded criminal offenses with an extremist background based on religious ideology in Germany. In total, there were 57 of these recorded in 2023. Number of Islamists and Salafists There have been various terror attacks in Germany during the second half of the twentieth century. Although often associated with, terrorism is not connected exclusively to religious ideology. Such attacks can also be part of politically motivated crime. However, the same as in other countries in Western Europe, religiously fueled terrorism is still a concern for German authorities, which is the reason for the number of Islamists and Salafists living in Germany being monitored. Based on recent figures, however, both the number of Islamists on German soil (though this was recorded among non-violent groups), as well as the number of Salafists is beginning to slowly decrease. Terror attacks in Europe Based on a recent survey, the German population considers terrorist attacks a real possibility for the country. Of terror attacks that happened in Europe in 2021, France and Germany were the primary targets.

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.

As of 2022, Gambia counted some of the highest number of drug possession and use crimes in West Africa, with a total of 650. Togo registered nearly 370 of such offenses. Most of the perpetrators of this type of offense were men.

As of 2022, drug related offenses in West Africa were predominant in Nigeria, with over 14,000 of such cases. This comprised events of drug possession or use, drug trafficking, and other drug-related crimes. Specifically, more than 13,000 of the offenses in the country were carried out by men, while the rest were done by women. As with Nigeria, the majority of the perpetrators of drug crimes in the region are men.