26 Most Dangerous Cities in the World

Source: Andrevruas / Wikimedia Commons

15. Feira de Santana, Brazil
> Homicides per 100,000: 60.2
> 2016 homicides: 375
> Population: 622,639
> Previous yr. rank 27

A city for travelers seeking festivals and parties, Feira de Santana climbed the list to become one of the top 15 most dangerous cities in the world.

Source: Thinkstock

14. St. Louis, United States
> Homicides per 100,000: 60.4
> 2016 homicides: 188
> Population: 311,404
> Previous yr. rank 15

The most dangerous U.S. city, murder is on the rise in St. Louis. Things have gotten so bad that the state government is intervening. Missouri Governor Eric Greitens recently unveiled a plan to slow violent crime in the city by calling for a special operations unit of the State Highway Patrol to target violent felons on interstate highways, collect better intelligence, and make a push to help local police stop drug trafficking.

Source: Thinkstock

13. Cape Town, South Africa
> Homicides per 100,000: 60.8
> 2016 homicides: 2,434
> Population: 4,005,000
> Previous yr. rank 9

Escaping last year’s ranking among the 10 most dangerous cities, the murder rate in the South African coastal city of Cape Town decreased by more than 7%. To keep things moving in the right direction, Cape Town decided on a new strategy to combat gang and drug-related crime: neighborhood safety teams. By conducting physical and written assessments for recruits, neighborhood safety teams will begin training this month to eventually roll out into crime hotspots in the city.

Source: LeRoc, Flickr

12. Aracaju, Brazil
> Homicides per 100,000: 62.8
> 2016 homicides: 589
> Population: 938,550
> Previous yr. rank 38

One of the training cities for athletes during the 2016 Summer Olympics, Aracaju has faced a steep increase in the homicide rate. It’s gotten to the point where the federal Ministry of Justice and Public Security of Brazil authorized the activation of the National Force to direct policing and provide forensic expertise — with Aracaju selected as one of three cities to be a part of the implementation phase.

Source: Cayambe, WikiMedia

11. Belém, Brazil
> Homicides per 100,000: 67.4
> 2016 homicides: 1,633
> Population: 2,422,481
> Previous yr. rank 26

Another Brazilian city with a drastic increase in homicide is the state of Para’s capital, Belem, where murder rose by nearly 50% between 2015 and 2016. After the jump in homicides, Para’s Governor Simao Jatene announced that to curtail ongoing violence, further crimes would be strictly investigated with the direct involvement of the Civil and Military police.