Most Violent Cities in the World 2026
City Homicides per 100k
- The following 50 cities have the highest homicide rates in the world of all cities not at war, with a population of at least 300,000 people.
- Additional violent acts such as armed robbery, assault, or gang activity are not shown, but can contribute to the violence level in a city.
- Cities located in current war and conflict zones may temporarily have a higher murder rate, especially if military casualties are included.
- A handful of entries listed by the original source in 2025 do not appear as cities in the WPR database: South African ""district municipality uMgungundlovu (66.25 per 100k) and ""metropolitan municipality"" Nelson Mandela Bay (102.82/100k), and Mexican municipality Cajeme (88.99/100k).
Violent crime is a crime where the perpetrator uses or threatens to use force upon a victim. Murder, assault, rape, kidnapping, manslaughter, homicide, and sexual assault are all violent crimes.
Unfortunately, violent crimes happen every day all over the world. The Citizen Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice, a Mexico City-based advocacy group, reported which cities had the highest murder rates in the world. Cities outside of war zones with populations over 300,000 people were considered. Violent crime rates vary greatly between countries and even regions of the world based on a number of factors.
For example, of the 50 most violent cities in the world, 42 are located in Latin America. Seventeen of these cities are in Brazil, 12 in Mexico, five in Venezuela, three in Colombia, two in Honduras, and one in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Jamaica. This region’s violence can be attributed to drug trafficking and organized crime, especially in Mexico. Additionally, violence in the region is exacerbated by poverty, corruption, political instability, and impunity.
On the other hand, cities with low violent crime rates tend to have effective law enforcement, political stability, strong economies, and stricter gun laws. Some of these countries, such as Austria, have low violent crime rates but higher petty crime rates, such as pickpocketing.
The ten most violent cities in the world are:
- Tijuana, Mexico
- Acapulco, Mexico
- Caracas, Venezuela
- Ciudad Victoria, Mexico
- Ciudad Juárez, Mexico
- Irapuato, Mexico
- Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela
- Natal, Brazil
- Fortaleza, Brazil
- Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela
The top ten cities are all located in Latin America and are either in Mexico, Venezuela, or Brazil.
According to this data, Tijuana Mexico is the most violent city in the world. Tijuana is just 15 miles south of San Diego on the U.S.-Mexico border. In 2018, Tijuana had a total of 2,640 homicides and a homicide rate of 138 incidents per 100,000 people. This is an increase from a homicide rate of 100 in 2017, and 2019 started off with three homicides on New Years’. The violence in Tijuana is mainly caused by the growing local drug trade, with dealers fighting over territory to sell, specifically, methamphetamine (meth). Other Mexican cities on the list are experiencing similar issues with the same drug.
It’s important to note that tourists in these cities with the highest violent crime rates are not particularly at a larger risk of being victims of violent crimes. In fact, locals are by far the most targeted people of these crimes. As always, tourists should do their research and use caution when traveling to any foreign country.
