Every country has its cities and every
city has its slums but as we will see in a moment, not all cities are
created equal. Some of the places on this list are so bad that simply
stepping out of your front door
decreases your life expectancy significantly, while in others you may
just want to leave your wallet at home. In certain locales, like
Norilsk, its not the crime that kills but rather the treacherous
environment, and while you may find yourself shaking your head in
agreement to some, prepare to be surprised at others. Without further
ado, we bring you the 25 most dangerous cities on the planet.
25
Lagos, Nigeria
As one of the largest metropolitatn areas in Africa, and the former
capital of Nigeria, Lagos has never been known for a high level of
personal safety. In spite of some very direct measures intended to quell
the rising crime rate, it seems to continue growing, right along with
the population.
24
London, United Kingdom
While violent crime in
most parts of the world involves gunpowder on some level, London’s youth
have gone the way of the blade. Knife related crime has risen
dramatically and in 2008 alone 16 teenagers died within a 6 month period
as a result.
23
Moscow, Russia
According to Mercer, Moscow boasts the lowest level of personal
safety out of any city in Europe, and while most of this is due to petty
crimes the police force here is not known for doing its job.
22
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Although it’s not the most violent city on our list, there has been a sharp increase of petty crime
including muggings and car jacking. Visitors are advised to use caution
and remain aware of potential demonstrations and protests.
21
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Despite its beauty, it’s one of the most dangerous cities in the
world, largely due to a high level of corruption. Most of the city is
covered in drug-infested favelas, or slums, and the underpaid police
force has been known to frame foreigners in order to elicit bribes.
20
Bangkok, Thailand
Although Bangkok has a relatively low level of violent crime as
compared to other Southeast Asian cities, it has a notoriously infamous
criminal underground centered around prostitution and human trafficking. And, like most of the cities on our list law enforcement is nonexistent.
19
Capetown, South Africa
While it is possibly one of the most beautiful cities in Southern
Africa, it is also the most dangerous. Partly, this stems from the fact
that South Africa has large social and economic disparities. As a result, certain parts of the city have a very high rate of kidnapping, murder and robbery.
18
Norilsk, Russia
The northernmost city in the world with over 100,000 residents, it
was founded about a hundred years ago as a slave labor camp. Norilsk
houses the world’s largest smelting complex and due to a lack of
regulation the pollution has brought the life expectancy to a whopping
40 years. Not only that, the average temperature is -10 Celsius and
there is not a single living tree with 30 miles of the city.
17
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
As one of the four most important countries for drug trafficking
into the United States, Haiti has always been home to a vast criminal
underworld. Couple that with a non-existent police force, severe fallout
from the earthquake in 2010, and a high prevalence of disease to
understand exactly why this city is so inhospitable.
16
St. Louis, United States
Right up there with Detroit and New Orleans, St. Louis’ violent
crimes rate is significantly higher than the national average (429.4 per
100,000) coming in at 2070 per 100,000 residents.
15
Bogota, Colombia
While security in Colombia has improved in recent years, violence
continues to plaque the capital. Run by drug lords and with one of the
highest violent crime rates in the world, it has become famous for its
“kidnap culture”.
14
Beirut, Lebanon
Although its been called the Paris of the middle east due to its
beauty, in recent years it has descended into violence and war, being
bombed repeatedly, and now rated by Mercer as one of the least safe
cities in the region.
13
Muzaffarabad, Pakistan
Located in Kashmir, the beauty of the region has led many to call it
“paradise on earth”. Ironically, however, many academics believe this
shatterbelt will be responsible for igniting the next global holocaust.
12
Port Moresby, Papau New Guinea
As the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea there is a high
prevalence of violent crimes including rape and armed robbery. According
to a survey of world cities by the Intelligence Unit of The Economist,
Port Moresby is one of the world’s “least livable cities”.
11
New Orleans, United States
As one of the poorest cities in the country, the murder capital of the United States has 95 murders reported for every 100,000 residents.
10
Johannesburg, South Africa
To South Africans, a major point of contention is whether you are
more likely to get robbed in Johannesburg or in Cape Town. Although most
would probably still point to Johannesburg, after hosting the World Cup
and making several attempts to improve its image, the tide may be
turning.
9
Karachi, Pakistan
As one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the world it has a
history of political and ethnic tension. Suffering heavily from
organized crime there are also significant long-standing differences
between various populations that often lead to tension and violence. Its
also widely known as a human trafficking hotspot and the primary gateway for smuggling sex slaves into the West.
8
Baghdad, Iraq
To the residents of this city, blood is nothing new. According to
Mercer’s 2008 global index this war-torn capital was the most dangerous
place in the world. And with a history of violence and war, Saddam’s execution has done little to improve its condition.
7
Detroit, United States
Topping Forbes list of most dangerous cities in America, “Motor City” averages 1,220 violent crimes per 100,000 residents.
6
Caracas, Venezuela
The Foreign Policy magazine dubbed Caracas as the “Murder Capital of
the World” at the end of 2008. In December of that year alone there were
510 people murdered, and ever since Chavez took the reigns the rate has
allegedly increased by 67%.
5
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Due to a high level of drug violence
accompanied by less than adequate political and legal institutions,
Guatemala City is one of the most volatile in the Western Hemisphere.
Visitors are urged to avoid public transportation and not to look as
though they are lost mainly because of drug related violence that can
potentially affect tourists and a high prevalence of bus-jacking.
4
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
As the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the
Congo it is plagued by internal problems such as gang violence, rape, property damage,
poor sanitation and disease. To make things worse, however, it’s
surrounded by constant civil unrest due to warring rebel factions as
well as a relentless fight to control the nations diamond mines.
3
Grozny, Chechnya
In 2003 Grozny was named “Most Destroyed City on Earth” by the United
Nations. Primarily as a result of two prolonged wars with Russia, most
of its residents have either fled or continue to live in the shells of
their old homes under constant threat from the mafia and local gangs.
2
Mogadishu, Somalia
Although it is considered the capital, since the outbreak of the
Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control
over most of the country’s territory. Characterized as a failed state,
Mogadishu is situated in one of the most lawless parts of the world.
1
Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
The insanely dangerous border town of Juarez lays claim to one of the
highest murder rates in the world. In 2009 2,600 people were killed due
to drug related violence alone. The police force is almost non-existent
as most of its high-ranking members have been assassinated and not even
the military is any match for the powerful drug cartels.
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