Be extra careful if you have plans of visiting any of the countries in the list below…
via HuffingtonPost
Everyone wants to live in a safe neighborhood. In many parts of the world, however, that’s a luxury some people just don’t have.
A new report released by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime on Thursday serves as a stark reminder of how drastically murder rates vary from country to country. TheGlobal Study on Homicide 2013 found that nearly half a million people were intentionally murdered in 2012, and killings were largely concentrated in two regions: the Americas and Africa.
UNODC defines homicide as ” an unlawful death purposefully inflicted on a person by another person,” not directly related to an armed conflict. The data is collected from each country’s law enforcement or health authorities, or where this is not available, from World Health Organization estimates.
According to the study, almost half of the 437,000 murders took place in countries with just 11 per cent of the global population. In 2012, the Americas overtook Africa as the region with the highest rate of killings.
Take a look below for the countries with the highest homicide rates in the world, and find out which country recorded the most murders in 2012.
10. Colombia
As Colombia struggles to end a 50-year internal conflict, the murder rate in the country remains high, at 30.8 per 100,000 in 2012.
9. South Africa
South Africa is still one of the most dangerous countries in the world, but it has almost halved its murder rate in recent decades. In 2012, South Africa’s homicide rate stood at 31 per 100,000 people, compared to 64.5 per 100,000 in 1995.
8. Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis has a high proportion of murders relative to its tiny population, 33.6 per 100,000 in 2012. The actual number of homicides recorded was 18.
7. Swaziland
Swaziland also has a high proportion of murders relative to its small population, 33.8 per 100,000 in 2012.
6. Jamaica
Jamaica’s fight against drugs and organized crime has reduced the country’s homicide rate since 2009, but it remains one of the world’s most dangerous countries, with 39.3 murders per 100,00 in 2012.
5. Guatemala
Guatemala, with 39.9 murders per 100,000 in 2012, still struggles to contain the violent legacy of a 36-year civil war.
4. El Salvador
El Salvador’s murder rate in 2012 was 41.2 per 100,000, the fourth largest in the world.
3. Belize
Crime-torn Belize had a murder rate of 44.7 per 100,000 in 2012, the third highest in the world.
2. Venezuela
Venezuela’s soaring murder rate — which stood at 53.7 per 100,000 in 2012 — was one catalyst behind the swell of anti-government protests that have rocked the country since early 2014.
1. Honduras
Honduras’ homicide rate of 90.4 per 100,000 is the highest in the world … by far. The country’s gang violence and penetration by drug cartels puts its murder rate at almost double th