Most Dangerous Cities On Earth

Every country has its cities and every city has its slums but as we will see in a moment, not all cities are created equal. Some of the places on this list are so bad that simply stepping out of your front door decreases your
life expectancy significantly, while in others you may just want to leave your wallet at home. In certain locales, like Norilsk, its not the crime that kills but rather the treacherous environment, and while you may find yourself shaking your head in agreement to some, prepare to be surprised at others. Without further ado, we bring you the 25 most dangerous cities on the planet:

Lagos, Nigeria

As one of the largest metropolitatn areas in Africa, and the former capital of Nigeria, Lagos has never been known for a high level of personal safety. In spite of some very direct measures intended to quell the rising crime rate, it seems to continue growing, right along with the population. 

London, United Kingdom

While violent crime in most parts of the world involves gunpowder on some level, London’s youth have gone the way of the blade. Knife related crime has risen dramatically and in 2008 alone 16 teenagers died within a 6 month period as a result.

Moscow, Russia

According to Mercer, Moscow boasts the lowest level of personal safety out of any city in Europe, and while most of this is due to petty crimes the police force here is not known for doing its job.

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Although it’s not the most violent city on our list, there has been a sharp increase of petty crime including muggings and car jacking. Visitors are advised to use caution and remain aware of potential demonstrations and protests.

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Despite its beauty, it’s one of the most dangerous cities in the world, largely due to a high level of corruption. Most of the city is covered in drug-infested favelas, or slums, and the underpaid police force has been known to frame foreigners in order to elicit bribes.

Bangkok, Thailand

Although Bangkok has a relatively low level of violent crime as compared to other Southeast Asian cities, it has a notoriously infamous criminal underground centered around prostitution and human trafficking. And, like most of the cities on our list law enforcement is nonexistent.

Capetown, South Africa

While it is possibly one of the most beautiful cities in Southern Africa, it is also the most dangerous. Partly, this stems from the fact that South Africa has large social and economic disparities. As a result, certain parts of the city have a very high rate of kidnapping, murder and robbery.

Norilsk, Russia

The northernmost city in the world with over 100,000 residents, it was founded about a hundred years ago as a slave labor camp. Norilsk houses the world’s largest smelting complex and due to a lack of regulation the pollution has brought the life expectancy to a whopping 40 years. Not only that, the average temperature is -10 Celsius and there is not a single living tree with 30 miles of the city.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti

As one of the four most important countries for drug trafficking into the United States, Haiti has always been home to a vast criminal underworld. Couple that with a non-existent police force, severe fallout from the earthquake in 2010, and a high prevalence of disease to understand exactly why this city is so inhospitable.

St. Louis, United States

Right up there with Detroit and New Orleans, St. Louis’ violent crimes rate is significantly higher than the national average (429.4 per 100,000) coming in at 2070 per 100,000 residents.
Bogota, Colombia

While security in Colombia has improved in recent years, violence continues to plaque the capital. Run by drug lords and with one of the highest violent crime rates in the world, it has become famous for its “kidnap culture”.
Beirut, Lebanon

Although its been called the Paris of the middle east due to its beauty, in recent years it has descended into violence and war, being bombed repeatedly, and now rated by Mercer as one of the least safe cities in the region.
Muzaffarabad, Pakistan

Located in Kashmir, the beauty of the region has led many to call it “paradise on earth”. Ironically, however, many academics believe this shatterbelt will be responsible for igniting the next global holocaust.
Port Moresby, Papau New Guinea

As the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea there is a high prevalence of violent crimes including rape and armed robbery. According to a survey of world cities by the Intelligence Unit of The Economist, Port Moresby is one of the world’s “least livable cities”.