World's most dangerous cities, by murder rate 2023

In 2023, Celaya in Mexico ranked as the world's most dangerous city with a homicide rate of 109.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. The six cities with the highest murder rates worldwide are all found in Mexico. The list does not include countries where war and conflict exist.

Latin America dominate murder statistics

Most of the cities on the list are found in Latin America. Latin America also dominate the list of the world's most dangerous countries. Violence in Latin America is caused in great part by drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and gang wars. For instance, more than 28,000 homicides related to organized crime were registered in Mexico in 2020.

Homicides in the U.S.

St. Louis, Missouri in the United States was the city with the highest homicide rate in the world outside Mexico. The city is struggling with high poverty rates and drug-related crimes. In terms of violent crimes, Memphis, Tennessee recorded the highest rate in 2020, with St. Louis in third.