Violence and peace most certainly do not co-exist and criminal acts are a potential threat to the fabric of any city in the world – for both tourists and locals.
Where stats are available, most of the world’s most dangerous cities are said to be in the Latin American region. Drug and weapons trafficking – which involve gangs and cartels – were said to be responsible for nearly 38,000 deaths in Mexico alone, between 2007 and 2012.
Outside of that pocket, St. Louis in the US ranks in the top 15 most dangerous cities worldwide, and recorded a murder rate of 60.59 per 100,000 inhabitants four years ago.
Whether you travel a lot or occasionally, it is important to assess the risks involved in the cities you’re travelling to. The following cities are deemed the most dangerous, based on their homicide ratings per 100,000 people.
1. Tijuana, Bajwa California, Mexico
Situated in the Mexican State of Baja California, Tijuana is the second-largest and the westernmost city in Mexico. It shares 24km of border land with San Diego, and is largely regarded as the most-visited border in the world.
Tijuana is also, statistically, the most dangerous city in the world with 138 homicides per 100K people as of 2021. More than five people are killed in this city, on average. This city is notorious for poverty and violent crime, with the main reasons behind the violence are human trafficking and drug trades by different gangs.
The Tijuana and Sinaloa cartels – as shown in pop cultural rehashes – are responsible for many abrupt violent outbreaks in the city. The Tijuana cartel is considered the most dangerous and violent criminal group, making the city one of the most dangerous places in the world.
2. Acapulco, Mexico
Acapulco is one of Mexico’s oldest beach resorts located on the Pacific coast, 240 miles south of Mexico City. Sounds pleasant, right?
Except it is also one of the most dangerous places in the world. This city used to be popular for Hollywood sets but is now riddled with drug wars on the streets.
Its hillside neighbourhoods are the stronghold of gangs like 221 or Los Locos, which include kidnappers, assassins, extortionists, car thieves, and killers. The city records a staggering 111 homicides per 100k people.
3. Yangon, Myanmar
Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar formerly known as Rangoon reached a crisis point in February 2021, and the Myanmar military declared a state of emergency and assumed control. At the moment, it is ranked among the world’s most dangerous. Yangon has been in a long drawn out civil war for the best part of 2 decades now, and clashes are expected to continue as protests and demonstrations against military rule are ongoing.
Myanmar, on the whole, had begun to look upwards when they overthrew a 60-yearlong authoritarian rule. After 2010, Yangon became an emerging international city and commercial hub. Travellers were drawn to the city to see the Buddhist sculptures and temples along with the high concentration of Victorian and Edwardian buildings constructed after the British had colonized the region.
But the silver lining didn’t really last, as genocide and then a coup in 2021 threw the country many, many steps backwards.
4. Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town is the second-largest city in South Africa, and its legislative capital. It could well make it to a list of the most beautiful cities in the world, but with a homicide rate of about 64 per 100,000 inhabitants, it also makes it to our list of the most dangerous cities in the world.
The reputation for safety in Cape Town has been poor to say the least. Marred by theft, muggings, assaults, and gang violence – that are more often than not, fuelled by poverty – this city is a real catch-22 when it comes to South African traveling plans.
5. Caracas, Venezuela
Venezuela’s capital city, Caracas is located along the Guaire River and is a picturesque mountain location, which is in close proximity to the Caribbean coast.
However, Caracas has found its way to multiple lists across many years, as one of the most dangerous cities in the world. A murder rate of 100 murders in 100,000 residents makes it one of the deadliest cities in the world. The main cause for violence is poverty and a crippled law and order situation in the city, as well as a tragically crumbling economy.
6. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
Commonly known as Juarez, this city is the most populous one in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. With a homicide rate of 103 per 100k residents, this city usually finds its way to the top 10 in any list of dangerous cities in the world. It is known to be the worst city for women in all of Mexico as the violent crime rates against women here make for dire reading.
Car-jacking, burglary, theft and murder are abundant in this city, often as a consequence of gang wars that plague much of Mexico to this day. Gang-related violence and government corruption continue to be characteristic features of this city, which once used to have a thriving nightlife and often attracted weekend tourists from the US. Over the last decade or so, that has gone drastically down and there seems to be no chance of an upward tick any time soon.
7. Irapuato, Mexico
In 2018, this city had the dubious distinction of being the sixth deadliest city in the Western Hemisphere. In its most recent estimates, close to 2018, Irapuato was found to have close to 95 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
This is another city that struggles for reputation. On the one hand, it is known in some quarters as the strawberry capital of the world. On the other, it is the hub for a thriving black market for oil, controlled by…you guessed it, cartels who steal from national pipelines. Beneath the surface of charm and light and sound and history, is a parallel economy run entirely from the profits of this oil market. And by parallel economy, we mean illegal and criminal ones.
8. Fiera De Santana, Brazil
Brazil is a country usually associated with pristine beaches, historical monuments and beautiful landscapes, – not to forget, the night-life and party culture. However, it is also home to some of the most dangerous cities in the world. The most dangerous of them all being Fiera De Santana.
Fiera de Santana is the second-most populous city in the state of Bahia, and is said to have close to 650,000 locals. Though the city has an airport and a few historic buildings, it is not a particularly famous tourist destination and for all the right reasons. Earlier mostly known for its cattle fair, the city now serves as a major commercial center in Bahia. This unfortunately has led to it becoming a high drug trafficking activity centre in Brazil.
The various violent activities include murder, assaults, scams, vandalism, armed robbery, car theft, drug dealing and drug abuse among others. These crimes have had an understandably horrible impact on the lives of the residents, making it a very uncertain city to live in. It has also proved dangerous to tourists on many occasions and continues to be one of the less frequented cities in Brazil.
As many of these cities linger as the most insecure and dangerous places in the world, travellers must certainly take precautions while visiting these places or even avoid travelling there if possible.
Featured Image by: Matthias Mullie – @matthiasmullie – unsplash.com
