The latest report from the Mexican Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice shows that Cape Town has retained its position as South Africa’s most violent city – and is among the top 10 most violent cities in the world.
The report lists the 50 most violent cities in the world by the number of murders per 100,000 people.
The rankings only consider cities with populations exceeding 300,000, where murder statistics are made available.
The Western Cape city has fallen an alarming five positions on the annual ranking, entering the top 10 most violent cities at number nine.
In 2015, Cape Town registered 2,451 homicides among a population of 3.74 million people, giving it a rate of 65.53 per 100,000 people.
South Africa’s other ranked cities, Nelson Mandela Bay and Durban dropped down the ranking despite murder rates getting worse.
Durban has now overtaken Nelson Mandela Bay as the country’s second most violent city, dropping to 41st position (2014: 38th) while Nelson Mandela Bay dropped to 42nd (2014: 35th).
Durban registered 1,237 homicides in a population of 3.44 million people, giving it a rate of 35.93 per 100,000 people.
Nelson Mandela Bay registered 413 homicides in a population of 1.15 million people, giving it a rate of 35.85 per 100,000 people.
Johannesburg, which has avoided the top 50 for three years, has re-entered the list as the world’s 47thmost violent city. Johannesburg was last ranked by the group in 2011 in 50th position.
Johannesburg registered 1,344 homicides in a population of 4.43 million people, giving it a rate of 30.31 per 100,000 people.
Most violent cities in South Africa (murder rate)
| City | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town | 51.0 | 60.0 | 65.5 |
| Durban | 32.4 | 34.7 | 35.9 |
| Nelson Mandela Bay | 35.7 | >34.9 | 35.8 |
| Johannesburg | - | - | 33.3 |
Most violent cities in South Africa (ranking)
| City | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town | 34th | 27th | 20th | 14th | 9th |
| Durban | 49th | 46th | 48th | 38th | 41st |
| Nelson Mandela Bay | 41st | 38th | 41st | 35th | 42nd |
| Johannesburg | 50th | - | - | - | 47th |
Most violent cities in the world
While Cape Town’s entry into the top 10 is alarming, it sits among the champions of violence.
Of the 50 cities in the ranking, 21 are located in Brazil, 8 in Venezuela, Mexico 5, 4 in South Africa, 4 in the United States, 3 in Colombia and 2 in Honduras.
The overwhelming majority of the 50 most violent cities in the world are in Latin America (41 cities).
For the first time in five years, San Pedro Sula in Honduras didn’t top the list – the region was trumped by former number two, Caracas, Venezuela, with a rate of 119.87 homicides per 100,000 citizens.
San Pedro Sula still took second spot, having seen its homicide rate drop from a massive 171.20 homicides per 100,000 in 2014, to a rate of 111.03 in 2015.
These are world’s most violent cities:
| City | Country | Homicides | Population | Rate per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caracas | Venezuela | 3 946 | 3 291 830 | 119.87 |
| San Pedro Sula | Honduras | 885 | 797 065 | 111.03 |
| San Salvador | El Salvador | 1918 | 1 767 102 | 108.54 |
| Acapulco | Mexico | 903 | 862 176 | 104.73 |
| Maturin | Venezuela | 505 | 584 166 | 86.45 |
| Central District | Honduras | 882 | 1 199 802 | 73.51 |
| Valencia | Venezuela | 1125 | 1 555 739 | 72.31 |
| Palmira | Colombia | 216 | 304 735 | 70.88 |
| Capetown | South Africa | 2451 | 3 740 026 | 65.33 |
| Cali | Colombia | 1523 | 2 369 821 | 64.27 |