The World Health Organization has released its latest statistical update for global health around the world – which includes data on the global homicide rates.<\/p>\n
According to the group’s data, with a homicide rate of 35.7 murders per 100,000 population, South Africa is the 9th most violent country in the world – and the second most violent in Africa below only Lesotho (37.5).<\/p>\n
The WHO tracked homicide rates across 194 countries, and found only 16 were in the “most violent” category – with more than 20 murders per 100,000 population. Aside from South Africa and Lesotho,\u00a0all of\u00a0the most violent countries were in South America.<\/p>\n
A crime and safety report on Lesotho in 2015 noted that criminal behaviour within the land-locked country were starting to mimic that of the surrounding South Africa.<\/p>\n
Endemic poverty and widespread unemployment continued\u00a0to contribute to an increase in criminal activity, which the report labeled as at “critical” levels.<\/p>\n
“Criminals are generally well-armed and are not averse to using violence in order to achieve their objective, especially when they encounter any type of resistance from a would-be victim,” the report said.<\/p>\n
“Crimes committed at knifepoint have increased and are the most common force used; however, crimes committed at gunpoint are becoming more common as well.”<\/p>\n
Guns are smuggled in from South Africa, the report said.<\/p>\n
These are the 16 most violent countries in the world<\/strong><\/p>\n South Africa’s crime problems are well known and well documented, with the SAPS tracking of all reported violent crimes in the country.<\/p>\n A report compiled by the Mexican\u00a0Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice in January 2016, found that four South African cities had cracked the list of the 50 most violent places in the world.<\/p>\n Cape Town is South Africa’s most violent city, with\u00a065.53 murders per 100,000 people – the 9th most violent city in the world.<\/strong><\/p>\n Durban is the second most violent city in the country, with\u00a035.93 murders per 100,000 people,<\/strong> followed by\u00a0<\/strong>Nelson Mandela Bay (35.85 per 100,000 people<\/strong>) and Johannesburg (30.31 per 100,000 people<\/strong>).<\/p>\n Cape Town’s high murder rate is tied to gang violence which is endemic in many of the city’s poorer regions.<\/p>\n Cape Town is now among the 10 most violent cities in the world<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The most feared crimes in South Africa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n How many crimes in South Africa led to arrests<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
\n #<\/th>\n Country<\/th>\n Homicide rate (per 100,000 people)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n \n 1<\/td>\n Hondurus<\/td>\n 103.9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 2<\/td>\n Venezuela<\/td>\n 57.6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 3<\/td>\n Jamaica<\/td>\n 45.1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 4<\/td>\n Belize<\/td>\n 44.7<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 5<\/td>\n El Salvador<\/td>\n 43.9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 5<\/td>\n Colombia<\/td>\n 43.9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 7<\/td>\n Guatemala<\/td>\n 39.9<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 8<\/td>\n Lesotho<\/td>\n 37.5<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 9<\/strong><\/td>\n South Africa<\/strong><\/td>\n 35.7<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 10<\/td>\n Trinidad and Tobago<\/td>\n 35.3<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 11<\/td>\n Brazil<\/td>\n 32.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 12<\/td>\n Bahamas<\/td>\n 32.1<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 13<\/td>\n Haiti<\/td>\n 26.6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 14<\/td>\n Dominican Republic<\/td>\n 25.4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 15<\/td>\n Mexico<\/td>\n 22.0<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 16<\/td>\n Guyana<\/td>\n 20.2<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n More on crime<\/h3>\n