20 Most Violent Cities in the World

Los Cabos, in Mexico it is the most dangerous city in the world, with a homicide rate of 111.33 per 100,000 people. This city's position on the list is indicative of the increase in crime that Mexico has experienced over the last year.

In 2017 and 2018, the resort town of Los Cabos made headlines for a series of alarming murders. Most of the violence in Los Cabos has been primarily related to drug trafficking, and tourists are not targeted.

However, instances of violence are still drastic and have gained notoriety in the popular international holiday destination, pushing it to the top of the list of the most dangerous cities in the world.

Caracas, Venezuela is the second most dangerous city in the world. With 111.19 murders per 100,000 people, it previously held the top spot. In third place is Acapulco, Mexico, with 106.63 murders per 100,000 people.

Violence provoked by drug trafficking and organized gangs has been responsible for the relentless violence in these cities, although the factors in general are quite complicated.

Unfortunately, none of these cities are strangers to the top three positions, except perhaps for the tourist city of Acapulco, as violence in other regions of the country has been increasing in recent years.

latin american cities

Of the entries on this list, many cities can be found in a region of the world known as Latin America. Latin America generally refers to countries in Central and South America where the predominant language is Spanish (or, in the case of Brazil, Portuguese).

The factors for these countries' dominance are varied and complicated. Violence related to drug trafficking and income inequality and residues from a history of brutal colonialism have been pointed out as factors that encourage violence. That is why Brazil is listed numerous times in the ranking of the most violent cities.

The most violent cities in the world

1. Los Cabos – Mexico – 111.33 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
2. Caracas – Venezuela – 111.19 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
3. acapulco – Mexico – 106.63 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
4. Christmas – Brazil – 102.56 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
5. Tijuana – Mexico – 100.77 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
6. La Paz – Mexico – 84.79 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
7. Strength – Brazil – 83.48 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
8. victoria – Mexico – 83.32 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
9. guayana – Venezuela – 80.28 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
10. Bethlehem – Brazil – 71.38 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
11. Victory of the Conquest – Brazil – 70.26 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
12. Culiacan – Mexico – 70.10 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
13. St. Louis – United States – 65.83 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
14. maceio – Brazil – 63.94 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
15. cape town – South Africa – 62.25 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
16. kingston – Jamaica – 59.71 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
17. San Salvador – El Salvador – 59.06 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
18. Aracaju – Brazil – 58.88 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
19. Feira de Santana – Brazil – 58.81 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants
20. juarez – Mexico – 56.16 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants