The streets of Caracas are an urban jungle full of dangers. According to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory, there were 76 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020, ten times the U.S. average. There are several cities that are less extreme than Caracas, yet are among the most dangerous in the world.
Numbeo compares crime data for cities and ranks them on a scale of 0 to 100 so that they can be easily understood. The result is disturbing: 11 of the 50 most dangerous cities in the world are in the United States. Just the News reported that all of them are governed by Democrats.
Caracas and South Africa lead the way
Topping the 2023 Numbeo Crime Index list is Caracas, with a crime rate of 83.6 out of 100. It is followed by two South African cities: Pretoria and Durban. Johannesburg is in fifth place and Port Elizabeth in 11th place, also in South Africa.
The fourth city in the world in the crime index is Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, with 80.7 points. Rounding out the top ten are San Pedro Sula (Honduras) with 80.5 points, Kabul, Afghanistan (79.8) and three Brazilian cities: Rio de Janeiro (77.6), Fortaleza (77.3) and Natal (77.2).
11 cities among the 50 most dangerous cities in the world
Eleven U.S. cities made the top 50. The first of these is Baltimore. The city that inspired the series The Wire has a crime rate of 75.5 points, and is the 15th most dangerous city in the world. Above 70 points are four other American cities: Memphis (ranked 18th, 74.8 points), Detroit (19th. 74.1), Albuquerque (23rd, 71.5), and Saint Louis (27th, 70.6 points).
Memphis is now making headlines for the fatal beating of a black man by six black police officers following an arrest for an alleged traffic violation. Albuquerque is the setting for another crime-based series, Breaking Bad. All of the U.S. cities listed above, with the exception of St. Louis, have a higher rate than Tijuana, the most dangerous city in Mexico.
There are still six other U.S. cities in the top 50. New Orleans ranks 35th, with 67.6 points, and Oakland 38th, with 67.4. Behind are Milwaukee (40th, 67.1), Chicago (43rd, 66.1), Philadelphia (46th, 64.9), Cleveland (48th, 64) and Houston (50th, 63.8 points). All of the above cities are governed by democratic mayors.
Among the top 100 cities in the world are eight other American cities: Atlanta, Anchorage, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Indianapolis, Kansas City (MO), Louisville and Jacksonville.
