Caracas - the most dangerous city in the world

Photo: SaulB

When it comes to ranking cities around the world, cost and living quality are normally the most common, as people want to know where they can afford to live and where it is worth relocating to. Another factor that can often be overlooked, though, is safety. Enter the Mexico Citizens Council for Public Security, which has determined the 50 cities across the globe that suffer the most violence.

Caracas tops the list of cities with 300,000 or more inhabitants, with a rate of 119.87 intentional homicide per 100 thousand people. Caracas replaced former number one San Pedro Sula (111.03), which was knocked into second place, thanks to a significant decline in the number of homicides. San Salvador was ranked third (108.54), followed by Acapulco (104.73) and Maturin (86.45).

Out of the 2015 ranking, there are eight cities that figured in 2014: Belo Horizonte (Brazil); Medellin and Cucuta (Colombia); Chihuahua, Cuernavaca, Juarez, Nuevo Laredo and Torreon (Mexico).

Mexico accounted for the largest number of cities, with five out of the 15 (down from 12 in 2011), while Latin America is home to a total of 41 cites.

San Salvador saw the worst increase in violence in the last 12 months, with the number rising from 61.21 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2014 to 111.03 in 2015 - a rise of over 80 per cent.

Four of the top 50 are located in the USA: Detroit, Baltimore, St. Louis and New Orleans.

The research follows a study by ECA International, which found that Caracas was the most expensive place to live for expats.http://www.themovechannel.com/news/stories/caracas-voted-most-expensive-place-to-live-943/