7 of the World’s Most Dangerous Countries to Visit

9 January 2013

dangerous places

If you do travel to these countries, you’re probably best taking out premium travel insurance and sticking to the safer areas. You certainly don’t want to “get off the beaten track” here.

Honduras

Figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, show that the Central American nation has the highest rate of murder in the world, with just under one in 100 people being killed. In a country with a population the size of London’s, a person is killed every 74 minutes. The rate of murders has risen dramatically in the past five years, while activists, journalists and public officials tend to be common targets of organised crime.

Brazil

Around 40,000 people are killed each year in Brazil. Although it has one of the highest counts of murder, its population of 193 million drops its murder rate to around 20 in every 100,000 - but it still sits within the top twenty murder capitals on the planet. With the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics landing in Brazil, the country’s officials are trying hard to control crime and ensure safety for the millions of tourists that will visit in the coming years.

El Salvador

Next door to Honduras sits El Salvador, another country synonymous with crime and murder. In early 2012, an average of 16 people were murdered each day, but authorities cracked down hard and lowered the numbers to an average of five by March 2012. April 4 of last year was the first day in three years where no murders were committed.

Somalia

Flickr, Albany Associates

Somalia has been riddled with conflict for several decades. Without any real governmental system, the country is mainly run by warlords and militias. Many of the lands are run by organised crime groups and the seas run by pirates. There is a genuine high level of threat towards tourism and despite an official tourism board existing, very few travellers dare go.

Ivory Coast

The West African country has the continent’s highest murder rate, with around 50 murders per 100,000 citizens. The ex-French nation has struggled politically since its independence in the 1960s, with corruption and political unrest still prevalent today.

Jamaica

Despite being a major tourism player, Jamaica has had a reputation of crime and murder for many years, with its capital, Kingston, being one of the most dangerous places. The country is notorious for its violent crimes against LGBT community members and Jamaica - where homosexuality is illegal - is often said to be the most homophobic nation in the world. Before the recent rise in murder rates, Jamaica held the record for the highest in the world.

Mexico

While Mexico doesn’t statistically top the chart for the most dangerous countries, five of its cities take their place in the 10 most dangerous cities in the world. This means that while the country has many dangerous places, the non-dangerous places balance out the statistics for the country on the whole. Juarez, Acapulco, Torreon, Chihuahua and Durango make up Mexico’s murder capitals.