From 2015 data, the global average is about 7 (6.7) murders per 100,000 people every year. The details per country and city vary greatly. Also, the devil is in the details. In Latin American as a whole, murder ranks higher than the United States, especially in countries like El Salvador, Honduras, and Venezuela. But, either for lack of reporting or because dead men tell no tales, many Latin America countries have fewer violent crimes. Then there are outliers, like Chile, which has fewer than 3 murders per 100,000 in a year. What’s even more concerning, however, is the violent crime rates in some U.S. cities. Despite Latina America’s reputation as “most murderous,” most cities there would lose their collective minds if the following data belonged to them. These are the bottom 25 cities in the U.S., the worst offenders of violence, measured by violent crimes per 100,000 people.
25. Atlanta, Georgia—1,119 per 100,000
One-quarter of the residents in Atlanta live below the poverty line. With almost six million people in this big city, that means 1.5-million human beings live in poverty. It’s a wonder the city only suffered 94 murders in 2015. The violent crime in Atlanta is on the mend, though, cut in half from the 2001 data.
24. Toledo, Ohio—1,128 per 100,000
If one-quarter of the people in Atlanta living below the poverty line sounds bad, understand there are 30 percent in Toledo. That’s what it takes to beat out Atlanta for the 24th spot on this list. Some say Toledo has never recovered from the decline of steel mills and manufacturing plants. The recession didn’t help, either. Assault and robbery rank high on the list of violent crimes in this city.
