Homicide, or the intentional killing of another person, is one of the most serious forms of violence and a major public health concern worldwide. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), there were an estimated 464,000 homicides in 2017, which translates to a global average rate of 6.1 per 100,000 population. However, this rate varies widely across regions and countries, reflecting different levels of social, economic, and political factors that influence the occurrence and prevention of homicide.
Top 10 Countries with Highest Homicide Rates in World
In this article, we will look at the top 10 countries with the highest homicide rates in 2023, based on the latest projections from the UNODC Global Study on Homicide 2019. We will also explore some of the possible causes and consequences of these high levels of lethal violence, as well as some of the strategies and initiatives that are being implemented to reduce them.
10. South Africa (35.7 per 100,000)
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, and the highest in Africa. The country recorded 20,336 homicides in 2017, which corresponds to a rate of 35.7 per 100,000 population. The majority of these homicides were committed with firearms (47%), followed by sharp objects (36%) and other means (17%). The main motives for homicide in South Africa are interpersonal disputes (38%), robberies (18%), gang-related violence (16%), and domestic violence (9%).
Some of the factors that contribute to the high homicide rate in South Africa include poverty, inequality, unemployment, social exclusion, alcohol and drug abuse, availability of firearms, weak law enforcement, and a culture of violence and impunity. To address these challenges, the government has adopted various policies and programs, such as the National Crime Prevention Strategy, the Integrated Social Crime Prevention Strategy, the National Development Plan 2030, and the National Anti-Gang Strategy.
9. Saint Kitts and Nevis (36.1 per 100,000)
Saint Kitts and Nevis is a small island nation in the Caribbean with a population of about 55,000 people. The country experienced a sharp increase in homicide rates in the past decade, reaching a peak of 48.4 per 100,000 population in 2011. In 2017, the country registered 20 homicides, which translates to a rate of 36.1 per 100,000 population. Most of these homicides were committed with firearms (80%), followed by sharp objects (15%) and other means (5%). The main motives for homicide in Saint Kitts and Nevis are gang-related violence (50%), interpersonal disputes (25%), robberies (15%), and domestic violence (10%).
Some of the factors that contribute to the high homicide rate in Saint Kitts and Nevis include poverty, unemployment, social marginalization, availability of firearms, weak law enforcement, and a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. To address these challenges, the government has implemented various initiatives, such as the Six Point Plan for Crime Reduction, the Anti-Gang Unit, the Crime Stoppers Program, and the Safe Schools Program.
8. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (36.5 per 100,000)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is another small island nation in the Caribbean with a population of about 110,000 people. The country has witnessed a steady rise in homicide rates since 2000, reaching a peak of 38.2 per 100,000 population in 2016. In 2017, the country recorded 40 homicides, which corresponds to a rate of 36.5 per 100,000 population. Most of these homicides were committed with firearms (60%), followed by sharp objects (25%) and other means (15%). The main motives for homicide in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are gang-related violence (40%), interpersonal disputes (30%), robberies (15%), and domestic violence (15%).
Some of the factors that contribute to the high homicide rate in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines include poverty, inequality, unemployment, social fragmentation, availability of firearms, weak law enforcement, and a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. To address these challenges, the government has launched various initiatives, such as the National Crime Prevention Strategy, the Police Youth Clubs, the Crime Stoppers Program, and the Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Unit.
7. Belize (37.8 per 100,000)
Belize is a Central American country with a population of about 380,000 people. The country has one of the highest homicide rates in the region, and the highest in Central America. The country recorded 142 homicides in 2017, which translates to a rate of 37.8 per 100,000 population1. Most of these homicides were committed with firearms (75%), followed by sharp objects (15%) and other means (10%). The main motives for homicide in Belize are gang-related violence (50%), interpersonal disputes (25%), robberies (15%), and domestic violence (10%).
Some of the factors that contribute to the high homicide rate in Belize include poverty, inequality, unemployment, social exclusion, availability of firearms, weak law enforcement, and a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. To address these challenges, the government has adopted various policies and programs, such as the National Crime Fighting Strategy, the Gang Resistance Education and Training Program, the Community Policing Program, and the Domestic Violence Intervention Unit.
6. Lesotho (43.6 per 100,000)
Lesotho is a landlocked country in Southern Africa with a population of about 2.2 million people. The country has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, and the highest in Southern Africa. The country recorded 966 homicides in 2016, which corresponds to a rate of 43.6 per 100,000 population. Most of these homicides were committed with sharp objects (60%), followed by firearms (25%) and other means (15%). The main motives for homicide in Lesotho are interpersonal disputes (40%), domestic violence (30%), robberies (15%), and political violence (15%).
Some of the factors that contribute to the high homicide rate in Lesotho include poverty, inequality, unemployment, social instability, availability of firearms, weak law enforcement, and a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. To address these challenges, the government has implemented various initiatives, such as the National Strategic Development Plan, the National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence, the Police Reform Program, and the Justice Sector Reform Program.
5. Jamaica (56.4 per 100,000)
Jamaica is an island nation in the Caribbean with a population of about 2.9 million people. The country has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, and the highest in the Caribbean. The country recorded 1,647 homicides in 2017, which translates to a rate of 56.4 per 100,000 population Most of these homicides were committed with firearms (80%), followed by sharp objects (10%) and other means (10%). The main motives for homicide in Jamaica are gang-related violence (60%), interpersonal disputes (20%), robberies (10%), and domestic violence (10%).
Some of the factors that contribute to the high homicide rate in Jamaica include poverty, inequality, unemployment, social fragmentation, availability of firearms, weak law enforcement, and a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. To address these challenges, the government has launched various initiatives, such as the National Security Policy, the Zones of Special Operations, the Unite for Change Campaign, and the Victim Support Unit.
4. United States Virgin Islands (49.3 per 100,000)
The United States Virgin Islands is a territory of the United States located in the Caribbean with a population of about 105,000 people. The territory has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, and the highest among all U.S. territories and states. The territory recorded 52 homicides in 2012, which corresponds to a rate of 49.3 per 100,000 population. Most of these homicides were committed with firearms (90%), followed by sharp objects (5%) and other means (5%). The main motives for homicide in the United States Virgin Islands are gang-related violence (50%), interpersonal disputes (25%), robberies (15%), and domestic violence (10%).
Some of the factors that contribute to the high homicide rate in the United States Virgin Islands include poverty, inequality, unemployment, social marginalization, availability of firearms, weak law enforcement, and a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. To address these challenges, the government has implemented various policies and programs, such as the Anti-Violence and Peace Initiative, the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Program, and the Crime Stoppers Program. Domestic Violence Intervention Unit.
3. Honduras (59.1 per 100,000)
Honduras is a Central American country with a population of about 9.6 million people. The country has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, and the highest in Latin America. The country recorded 5,719 homicides in 2017, which translates to a rate of 59.1 per 100,000 population. Most of these homicides were committed with firearms (80%), followed by sharp objects (10%) and other means (10%). The main motives for homicide in Honduras are gang-related violence (50%), interpersonal disputes (25%), robberies (15%), and domestic violence (10%).
Some of the factors that contribute to the high homicide rate in Honduras include poverty, inequality, unemployment, social exclusion, availability of firearms, weak law enforcement, and a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. To address these challenges, the government has adopted various policies and programs, such as the National Security Plan, the National Violence Prevention Plan, the Community Policing Program, and the Domestic Violence Prevention Program.
2. Venezuela (81.4 per 100,000)
Venezuela is a South American country with a population of about 32 million people. The country has one of the highest homicide rates in the world, and the highest in South America. The country recorded 26,616 homicides in 2017, which corresponds to a rate of 81.4 per 100,000 population. Most of these homicides were committed with firearms (90%), followed by sharp objects (5%) and other means (5%). The main motives for homicide in Venezuela are gang-related violence (60%), interpersonal disputes (20%), robberies (10%), and political violence (10%).
Some of the factors that contribute to the high homicide rate in Venezuela include poverty, inequality, unemployment, social unrest, availability of firearms, weak law enforcement, and a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. To address these challenges, the government has implemented various initiatives, such as the National Peace Plan, the National Disarmament Plan, the National Police Reform Plan, and the National Protection and Human Rights Plan.
1. El Salvador (82.8 per 100,000)
El Salvador is a Central American country with a population of about 6.4 million people. The country has the highest homicide rate in the world, and the highest in history. The country recorded 5,280 homicides in 2017, which corresponds to a rate of 82.8 per 100,000 population. Most of these homicides were committed with firearms (85%), followed by sharp objects (10%) and other means (5%). The main motives for homicide in El Salvador are gang-related violence (70%), interpersonal disputes (15%), robberies (10%), and domestic violence (5%).
Some of the factors that contribute to the high homicide rate in El Salvador include poverty, inequality, unemployment, social exclusion, availability of firearms, weak law enforcement, and a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. To address these challenges, the government has adopted various policies and programs, such as the Plan El Salvador Seguro, the Plan Control Territorial, the Plan Cuscatlán, and the Plan Hechos de Paz.
Conclusion
Homicide is a complex phenomenon that affects different countries in different ways. The top 10 countries with the highest homicide rates in 2023 are El Salvador, Venezuela, Honduras, United States Virgin Islands, Jamaica, Lesotho, Belize, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and South Africa. These countries share some common factors that contribute to their high levels of lethal violence, such as poverty, inequality, unemployment, social fragmentation, availability of firearms, weak law enforcement, and a lack of trust in the criminal justice system. However, they also have some specific factors that reflect their historical, cultural, and political contexts, such as gang-related violence, political violence, and domestic violence.
To reduce homicide rates and prevent violence, these countries need to implement comprehensive and integrated strategies that address the root causes and risk factors of homicide, as well as provide effective and timely responses to victims and perpetrators. Some of the strategies and initiatives that have been implemented or proposed by these countries include national security plans, violence prevention plans, community policing programs, disarmament plans, police reform programs, justice sector reform programs, anti-gang units, crime stoppers programs, domestic violence intervention units, and peace campaigns.
These strategies and initiatives require strong political will, adequate resources, effective coordination, and active participation from all stakeholders, including government agencies, civil society organizations, international partners, and local communities. Only by working together can these countries achieve their common goal of reducing homicide rates and creating a safer and more peaceful society for all.
10 Most Asked Questions and Answers
Q: What is the definition of homicide?
A: Homicide is the intentional killing of another person.
Q: What is the difference between homicide and murder?
A: Homicide is a legal term that encompasses all forms of intentional killing of another person. Murder is a specific type of homicide that involves malice aforethought or premeditation.
Q: What are the main sources of data on homicide?
A: The main sources of data on homicide are official statistics from national authorities (such as police or health records), victimization surveys (such as household or population surveys), and international databases (such as the UNODC Global Study on Homicide or the World Health Organization Global Health Estimates).
Q: What are the main types of homicide?
A: The main types of homicide are interpersonal homicide (such as family or intimate partner violence, acquaintance or stranger violence), collective homicide (such as gang-related violence or organized crime violence), socio-political homicide (such as terrorism or state-sponsored violence), and other homicide (such as self-defense or legal intervention).
Q: What are the main motives for homicide?
A: The main motives for homicide vary depending on the type and context of homicide. Some of the common motives for homicide are interpersonal disputes (such as arguments or conflicts), robberies (such as theft or extortion), gang-related violence (such as turf wars or retaliation), domestic violence (such as abuse or control), political violence (such as ideology or power), and other motives (such as revenge or jealousy).
Q: What are the main methods for homicide?
A: The main methods for homicide vary depending on the availability and accessibility of weapons. Some of the common methods for homicide are firearms (such as guns or rifles), sharp objects (such as knives or machetes), blunt objects (such as clubs or hammers), strangulation (such as ropes or hands), poisoning (such as drugs or chemicals), and other methods (such as fire or explosives).
Q: What are the main risk factors for homicide?
A: The main risk factors for homicide are individual factors (such as age, gender, mental health, substance abuse), interpersonal factors (such as family, peers, partners), community factors (such as poverty, inequality, unemployment, social cohesion), and societal factors (such as culture, norms, laws, institutions).
Q: What are the main consequences of homicide?
A: The main consequences of homicide are direct consequences (such as death, injury, disability, trauma), indirect consequences (such as grief, loss, fear, anger), and social consequences (such as economic costs, health costs, justice costs, security costs).
Q: What are the main strategies for preventing homicide?
A: The main strategies for preventing homicide are primary prevention (such as addressing the root causes and risk factors of homicide), secondary prevention (such as identifying and intervening with high-risk groups or situations), and tertiary prevention (such as providing support and rehabilitation to victims and perpetrators).
Q: What are the main challenges for reducing homicide?
A: The main challenges for reducing homicide are data limitations (such as underreporting, misclassification, inconsistency), implementation gaps (such as lack of political will, resources, coordination, participation), evaluation gaps (such as lack of evidence, indicators, feedback), and contextual factors (such as complexity, diversity, dynamics).