The 16 most dangerous cities in the world

With 109.39 homicides for every 100,000 inhabitants, Celaya has the highest murder rate in the world, according to the Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice. Violence is spiraling in the region and the government isn’t doing much. To illustrate, in March of 2023, six women who were walking together on the outskirts were kidnapped and they were all found burned a few days later.

After Hamas forces killed around 1,400 Israelis, Israel responded by besieging and attacking the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of thousands of residents were displaced by bombings or other attacks, which in the first month killed 0.5% of the population. With struggles to get clean water, medicine, food, internet, and electricity, the United Nations warned of a dire humanitarian crisis.

Afghanistan is ranked last in the 2023 Global Peace Index and the Terrorism Index. Now under Taliban control, the city is one of the most dangerous in the world, with its population facing terrorist attacks, oppression, and hunger. Women especially have to follow extremely strict rules or face brutal punishment. Kabul, the capital, is at the center of the Taliban's influence.

Capital of the state of West Darfur, this city and region has seen a recent resurgence of ethnically-driven killings after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took over. The Masalit ethnic group has been targeted, with more than 200 people killed in just four days in Nov. 2023, according to the Red Cross.

With 105.15 homicides per year, Tijuana, on the US border, has the second highest murder rate, according to the citizen council. It is on an important drug trafficking route, and while it was long controlled by the Arellano Felix cartel, it is now believed to become a battleground for rival gangs.

Located in northwestern Syria, the country’s most volatile area, what was once a thriving city has been devastated by intense urban warfare as well as a recent devastating earthquake. In late 2023, there was an uptick in hostilities when increased shelling and airstrikes intensified across western Aleppo and the nearby city of Idlib, according to the UN.

With 100 homicides per 100,000, the Venezuelan capital is the most dangerous city in South America, according to Amormax. With large amounts of gang violence and organized crime, residents and visitors are at high risk for anything from petty crime to kidnapping and other violent crimes.

The New York Times described this city as one trapped in purgatory. This city was captured by Russia early in the war but liberated by Ukraine months later. It is now in the precarious position of being free of Russian troops but in range of the Russian arsenal across the river. Random violence began common, though there were hopes to push Russian forces further away.

Yemen is in the middle of a civil war and rated second-last in the Global Peace Index. The US travel advisory pleads Americans not to go due to the very high risk of kidnapping, which rebel groups have done in Sana’a. If you go to Yemen, the United States says to make sure you’ve discussed funeral wishes with your loved ones.

In 2023, the US ordered non-emergency Americans to leave Haiti due to the security situation and infrastructure challenges. Kidnapping for ransom and other violent crimes are common, the government says and demonstrations can be unpredictable and turn violent. In the first part of 2023, the violent crime rate doubled to its highest level since 2005.

In Oct. 2023, UN peacekeeping forces pulled out of two bases in northern Mali, where Timbuktu is located, amid increasing insecurity and a rise in terrorist attacks. The peacekeeping operation in Mali has been one of the most dangerous in the world, with 150 peacekeepers killed since 2013. Meanwhile, violence is spiking between Tuareg rebels and Mali’s military, and in August, Jihadists blocked all the roads to Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While governments like the US and UK emphatically advise against traveling to Iraq due to the security situation, the UNESCO-designated city of Samarra faces a special risk. It sits on the flood path of the Mosul Dam, which experts argue could collapse and kill hundreds of thousands and wipe out some of humanity’s most important archaeological sites.

The DRC is the fifth-lowest ranked country on the Global Peace Index and violence has again been spiking in the latter months of 2023, according to the Global Conflict tracker. To secure the city of Goma, UN peacekeepers launched a fresh operation against the M23 militia and armed groups in the North Kivu Province.

While Mogadishu has seen some improvements in recent years, Somalia is still the eighth-lowest on the Global Peace Index, third-lowest on the Terrorism Index and travel advisories remain in place. According to the US government, violent crimes like kidnapping and murder remain common throughout Somalia.

With a murder rate of 75 per 100,000, the Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice ranks this as the eighth-most violent city in the world. While it is a big tourist destination in Brazil, the worsening rate of criminal activity has caused significant concern among locals and visitors.

Following a military coup in 2022, the political situation in Burkina Faso deteriorated. The British government advises against all travel, except essential travel to the capital Ouagadougou, due to the possibility of another coup or terrorist attacks. Seytenga has been witness to many of the worst, including when more than 100 were killed in 2022 and in 2023 when assaults on nearby towns killed 44. Burkina Faso is ranked second last on the Global Terrorism Index.

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