See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.
The World’s Highest Homicide Rates, by Region
This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
A rise in organized crime and the spread of illegal weapons are fueling violent deaths globally.
While there are varying trends across regions, the worldwide homicide rate reached 5.8 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2022. Overall, firearms were the leading cause of these deaths.
This graphic shows the world’s highest homicide rates by region, based on data from UNODC.
Countries With the Highest Homicide Rates
Here are the countries or territories with the highest homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants in each region:
RegionRankCountryHomicide Rate per 100,000 People
South America & Caribbean1 Jamaica53.3
2 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines40.4
3 Trinidad and Tobago39.5
Africa1 South Africa34.0
2 Nigeria21.7
3 Eswatini12.7
North America1 Mexico26.1
2 Bermuda10.9
3 United States of America6.4
Asia1 Iraq (Central Iraq)15.4
2 Mongolia6.2
3 Philippines4.3
Europe1 Russia6.8
2 Liechtenstein5.1
3 Ukraine3.8
Oceania1 Guam4.2
2 Fiji2.2
3 Tonga1.0
World5.8
All data is for 2022 except for South Africa, where data is as of 2020.
The highest homicide rates globally are found in the South America and Caribbean region, with the majority of homicides driven by crime-related activities.
Going further, the region is home to three of the world’s deadliest countries. With a murder rate of 53.3 per 100,000 people, Jamaica’s deadly violence is more than eight times as high as America. In recent years, a surge of illegal firearms have entered the country, with the majority of these weapons smuggled out of the U.S., particularly from Florida.
Following Jamaica are the island nations of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago. These two countries are known hubs for Venezuelan cocaine traffickers that transit illegal drugs to the U.S. and Europe.
Mexico ranks as the most dangerous country in North America, with more than 30,000 murders each year since 2017. The Mexican government has sued seven American gun manufacturers due to their alleged role in selling guns to traffickers, which subsequently reach criminal organizations. Overall, the $10 billion lawsuit is targeting major U.S. manufacturers—including Colt and Smith & Wesson—whose guns often appear at crime scenes.
South Africa, the region’s most industrialized nation, has the highest murder rate in Africa. Amid ongoing violent crime, recorded kidnapping rates increased by 41.7% between 2022 and 2023. Overall, there are 2.4 million illegal guns in the country during a time of record crime rates.
Which Regions Are the Least Violent?
As we can see, the region of Oceania has the lowest murder rate worldwide.
Similarly, Europe has low levels of violence compared to other global hotspots. Across the region, Russia ranks as the deadliest, and concerningly, recent data from the judicial department of Moscow reported that the murder rates of returning soldiers from the Ukraine war surged 900% between 2022 and 2023.
Among the factors driving the the rise in homicide rates are post-traumatic stress disorder and the government of Russia releasing ex-convicts, offering them a pardon to participate in the war.
The post Charted: The World’s Highest Homicide Rates, in Each Region appeared first on Visual Capitalist.