At Visual Capitalist, Niccolo Conte and Dorothy Neufeld detail the ten most dangerous countries by homicide rate. Many of the countries are not so far from one another in the Caribbean and Central America. They write:
With a murder rate that is almost 10 times higher than the global average, Jamaica ranks first.
In January alone, there were 65 killings across the country, leading the State Department to heighten travel warnings for Americans. Not only that, homicides are even becoming more common in all-inclusive resorts. Often, police action is lackluster in response to the ongoing deadly incidents, and prosecution is slow.
Along with Jamaica, island nations Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas fall on this list.
Ranking sixth globally is South Africa, with a homicide rate of 34 per 100,000 people. Last year, 75 people on average were killed each day, while robberies averaged 400 daily. One part of the problem is that the country is known to have widespread criminal activity across mining, construction, and taxi industries. Another major factor is that the country serves as a transit hub for illicit drugs that are transported from Afghanistan to Europe.
In South America, Ecuador ranks as the most dangerous country, driven by escalating gang violence. While the country had some of the lowest homicide rates in the region in 2019, drug gangs have increasingly gripped the country.
In January, gang members stormed a news station, detonated bombs through the streets, and kidnapped policemen when the president issued a state of emergency after a notorious cartel leader escaped from prison. More recently, an Ecuadoran mayor was found dead amid the country’s third month in emergency lockdowns.
| Rank | Country | Homicide Rate per 100,000 People |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Jamaica |
53.3 |
| 2 |  St. Vincent and the Grenadines |
40.4 |
| 3 |  Trinidad and Tobago |
39.5 |
| 4 |  Saint Lucia |
36.7 |
| 5 |  Honduras |
35.1 |
| 6 |  South Africa |
34.0 |
| 7 |  Bahamas |
31.2 |
| 8 |  St. Kitts and Nevis |
29.4 |
| 9 |  Belize |
27.9 |
| 10 |  Ecuador |
27.0 |
 World |
5.8 |
Action Line: Take special care when planning travel to any of these destinations or others. Your family’s safety is, in large part, reliant on making good choices, including where you spend vacation. Click here to subscribe to my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter.
