Murder Rate by Country

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Living in a country with the highest murder rate is, well, murder to many people.

However, to travel to a country with a high murder rate may not even be possible.

Prepare for a visit or move, or reinvent your current life, if you are about to reside in a country with a lot of murder reports.

Keep in mind, that every country on this list, including South Africa and the United States, has cities that are equally murder-free.

Consider how to live in the countries with the highest murder rate safely, before deciding to give up and go back home.

Murder Rate by Country

Am I Living in a High Murder Rate Country?

There are several ways to learn if your country has a high rate of murders.

First, there is the count of murders.

For example, in Nigeria, where there are the most murders per year, 64,201 people were murdered in one year.

That is a lot of people.

Many countries, including Dominica and the Marshall Islands, have about 60,000 for a total population.

If the entire population of Dominica was murdered in a year, that would be the same as how many people are murdered annually in Nigeria, where the population is 225 million.

Understanding the Murder Rate

The murder rate is another measurement to determine if a country has a lot of murders happening per population.

This statistical rate is calculated by the number of individual murders per 100,000 people.

As a result, this rate is more comparable between larger countries and smaller and less populated countries.

The murder rates vary from 52.01893 to 0 in Andorra, Isle of Man, San Marino, and Monaco.

When Murder Rates are Skewed

Sometimes the murder rate is skewed when comparing two countries.

This has to do with the land size along with the total population count.

For example, the murder rate of Singapore was 0.15632 compared to the murder rate of Japan, which is 0.26257.

However, Singapore is 283 square miles compared to more than 5,000 square miles of Japan.

Therefore, the number of murders in Japan–334–is much higher than the murder count of Singapore at 9 bodies in 2018.

As a result, the country of Japan has many more murders compared to the safer country of Singapore.

But you wouldn’t know this just by looking at the murder rate.

You also need to see the total count of murders and the land size for comparison purposes.

What Countries Have the Most Murders Per Year?

Nigeria, Brazil, India, Mexico, and South Africa, in order from the most, have the highest murder rates.

Nigeria experienced 64,201 murders in one year, while South Africa suffered 21,036 murders in that same year.

The United States is next on the list at #6 with 16,214 murders.

Can I Travel to an Unsafe Country from the US?

Not likely.

The US Department of State maintains a list of travel advisories.

This list includes those countries that are levels 1 to 4:

• Level 1 Exercise normal precautions
• Level 2 Exercise increased caution
• Level 3 Reconsider travel
• Level 4 Do not travel

For example, Belarus is ranked Level 4 for Americans to not travel there.

Belarus has a murder count of 226 as of 2018 and a murder rate of 2.39 per 100,000 people.

However, Belarus is way down on the list from the top country, which is El Salvador, with a murder rate of 52 per 100,000.

The US Department of State ranks El Salvador as a Level 3 country and suggests you reconsider travel.

At the same time, you will need to do your research to determine whether the country you are visiting will be on the unsafe travel advisories list by the US Department of State.

It is advised to prevent arriving at the airport and being detained due to adverse travel conditions.

How Can I Protect Myself When Living in a Country With a High Murder Rate?

Besides moving, if you are forced to live in a country like Jamaica, which has the second-highest murder rate, you will need to be proactive for safety.

Understand the local laws, and be aware of the types of crime that are the most prevalent.

Keep you and your household safe by avoiding any criminals or illegal activities.