World's most dangerous countries 2022, by homicide rate

In 2022, Jamaica was the second most dangerous country worldwide, with the homicide rate of 43.85 per 100,000 people living in the country.

The most dangerous country worldwide

El Salvador saw a murder rate of 52.02 per 100,000 inhabitants, making it the most dangerous country for this kind of crime worldwide in 2022. Its capital, San Salvador, was the 28th most dangerous city for murders, behind several Latin American cities, St. Louis, U.S., and Cape Town, South Africa.

Violent conflicts worldwide

Notably, these figures do not include deaths that resulted from war or a violent conflict. While there is a persistent number of conflicts worldwide, resulting casualties are not considered murders. Partially due to this reason, homicide rates in Latin America are higher than those in Afghanistan or Ethiopia. A different definition of murder in these circumstances could change the rate significantly in some instances.

Causes of death

Also noteworthy is that murders are usually not random events. In the United States, the circumstances of murders are most commonly arguments, followed by narcotics incidents and robberies. Additionally, murders are not a leading cause of death. Heart diseases, strokes and cancer pose a greater threat to life than violent crime.