There isn't one single answer as rankings fluctuate, but recent data (2023-2024) often points to cities in Mexico and Ecuador having the highest homicide rates (per capita), with Colima, Mexico, often cited as the highest, while cities in South Africa like Pietermaritzburg also rank very high on overall danger indices due to violent crime, often driven by drug cartels and gang conflicts.
Cities reporting the highest homicide rates per 100,000 are found in Brazil (13), Mexico (11) and South Africa (6), the United States (7), Ecuador (5), Colombia (3), followed by Venezuela, Guatemala, Jamaica, Haiti, and Lesotho with one apiece (see Figure 1).
There's no single "highest crime rate" city globally due to varying metrics (homicide vs. overall crime) and data collection, but Pietermaritzburg (South Africa), Caracas (Venezuela), and Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) consistently rank high for overall danger/crime index in 2025. In the U.S., Memphis, Tennessee, leads in violent crime rates for cities over 100k population. Globally, Latin American cities like Tijuana (Mexico) also appear frequently on lists for homicide rates.
Iceland is consistently ranked as the #1 safest country in the world by the Global Peace Index (GPI), a position it has held for over a decade due to extremely low crime, no standing army, high social cohesion, and minimal conflict, though some other reports might place Switzerland or the Netherlands first based on different survey criteria.
Crime rate by country 2025: 10 countries with the highest crime...
There are many safe cities in the U.S. Large cities like Irvine, CA and Virginia Beach, VA rank among the lowest (83.97 and 92.28 per 100,000, respectively). Other sizable cities, such as Gilbert, AZ, Plano, TX and Honolulu, HI also report crime rates well below the national average of 361 per 100,000.
1. Afghanistan: The Most Dangerous Country for 2025. Afghanistan continues to hold the position as the most dangerous country in the world. Persistent terrorism, rampant political instability, and large-scale displacement have left the nation in a state of severe unrest and a highly dangerous place.
The World's Safest Havens: A Look at Countries with the Lowest Homicide Rates When it comes to personal safety, some countries stand out for their remarkably low homicide rates. According to 2024 data, Vatican City and Tuvalu share the top spot, both reporting a homicide rate of 0 per 100,000 people yearly.
The U.S. leads the rest of the world in documented serial killers, with a whopping 3,613 serial killers as of 2020 (England is not-so-close second, with known 176 serial killers as of 2020).
The top 10 safest cities in the United States, according to WalletHub, are:
Quick Summary / Key Takeaways
Considering all the above-mentioned factors, Wallethub determined the following rankings for the most dangerous states in 2023, starting with the most dangerous.
Iceland. Ranked number one since 2008, Iceland remains the world's most peaceful nation, leading across all three domains: safety and security, ongoing conflict and militarisation. It even recorded a 2% improvement this year, widening the gap from the second-place country on the list.
Australia crime rate per 100K population for 2021 was 0.74, a 13.52% decline from 2020. Australia crime rate per 100K population for 2020 was. Australia crime rate per 100K population for 2019 was 0.89, a 0.29% increase from 2018. Australia crime rate per 100K population for 2018 was 0.88, a 4.6% increase from 2017.
Iceland remains the most peaceful country in the world in 2021, a position it has held since 2008. It is joined at the top of the index by New Zealand, Denmark, Portugal, and Slovenia.
Homicide rate - Country rankings
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.
Memphis, Tennessee, consistently ranks as having one of the highest violent crime rates in the U.S., particularly for larger cities, with rates around 2,500 per 100,000 people, followed by cities like Detroit and Oakland. Globally, cities in South Africa (Pietermaritzburg, Durban) and Latin America (Caracas, San Pedro Sula, Tijuana) frequently top lists for violent crime or homicide rates, driven by factors like organized crime and poverty, though data varies by source and year.
Australia ranks as the 2nd safest country in the world for 2026 🇦🇺✨ New global safety findings highlight Australia's strong healthcare system, low crime levels, political stability, and high quality of life.
According to the latest 2025 CEOWORLD Health Care Index, Taiwan once again ranks as the country with the best healthcare in the world, maintaining its top position with an overall score of 78.72. South Korea (77.7) and Australia (74.11) remain in second and third place, respectively.
Russia is the largest country in the world by far, with a total area of just over 17 million square kilometers. After Antarctica, the next three countries are Canada, the U.S., and China; all between 9.5 and 10 million square kilometers.