So, let’s say you had a good year. You spent wisely and saved plenty so you can
finally take that well-earned vacation. You may dream of devouring creamy chocolates
and cheeses in Switzerland, of diving into the shimmering blue waters of Hawaii, or tranquility
on the sandy beaches of the Bahamas. Well, we’re here to tell you a few places
you may not want to go and check off your list of possibilities. Or at the very least use an abundance of caution
while visiting. We’ll explain why you should be picky about
some Latin American destinations on this episode of The Infographics Show, Most Violent Places
in the World. Business Insider recently published a series
of statistics from the Citizens’ Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice. It ranked cities worldwide and came up with
the 50 most violent in 2018. Almost all were in Latin America, which is
considered an area particularly plagued by crime, poverty, and corruption. Five of the top six are in Mexico as well
as 15 of the total 50. This is more than any other country. Here we will focus on the top ten violent
cities in the world and explore why these areas are so dangerous and what kinds of crimes
are common there. Number ten is the city of Ciudad Bolivar in
Venezuela which averaged 69.09 homicides for each group of 100,000 residents. That means that in 2018, with a population
of 382,095 people, 264 of them came to a violent end. Unsurprisingly, the United States Overseas
Security Advisory Council, or OSAC, has warned citizens to reconsider travel to the area. Or the country. It is considered a critical-threat location
and one of the world’s most violent places. It’s important to note that data is not
freely offered by government officials and so figures are calculated by other methods
such as police or media reports. In fact, the government often tries to reject
claims that there have been any recent escalations in murder or crime at all. However, those with first-hand experience
either living or traveling to Venezuela tell a far different story. For instance, in 2017, the rates of crime
appeared to increase in almost every area. Unofficial statistics revealed that 73 or
more Venezuelans were killed each and every day as a consequence. This includes numbers from our 3rd and 7th
most dangerous cities on this list that are also in Venezuela. Believe it or not, this was actually an improvement
from the prior year due to increased security between the months of April and August. However, fighting crime in the country is
not without consequences. In 2017, 236 police officers and other members
of law enforcement were murdered. Number nine is Fortaleza in north-eastern
Brazil with 69.16 homicides for every 100,000 residents. 2,724 of its 3,939,460 people were killed
deliberately in 2018. Many of its problems are due to gang activity
which has only gotten worse with the passing years. There have been endless conflicts between
Fortaleza’s Guardians of State, Amazona’s Northern Family, the First Capital Command
from Sao Paulo, and the Red Command from Rio de Janeiro as territories of some trespassed
on the strongholds of others. The First Capital Command and Red Command
are also at war over the sale of drugs and consider Fortaleza a prime location with its
port to Africa and Europe. Brazilian security forces have struggled to
maintain any type of order and were responsible for the deaths of an average of 14 citizens
each day in 2017. Recently gangs have come together to create
mass mayhem all at once. In the beginning of 2019 this chaos was caused
because of a proposal to no longer separate gangs inside of prisons. Hearing this news, three gangs made over 160
attacks, most of which took place in Fortazela. Vehicles went up in flames, government buildings
and businesses were bombed, and a telephones exchange was demolished, leaving many without
service. They even damaged an overpass and a bridge. There were shootouts in the streets and many
in fear for their lives stayed inside their homes. This seemed a direct challenge to the new
rule of president Jair Bolsonaro. His plans on which he rose to power included
military force and lethal force. In response to this latest Fortaleza upheaval
500 national guard troops were used, 148 arrests made, and 20 people suspected of masterminding
the events transferred to the federal prison system. Despite it all, the government still planned
to abolish gang separation in prisons. It remains to be seen if fighting violence
with Bolsonaro’s current strategies will bring any lasting change to the region. Number 8 is another city in Brazil, known
as Natal, with 74.67 murders per each 100,000 residents or 1,185 homicides among its 1,587,055
2018 population. Already in 2016, the area had the distinction
of the highest increase in homicides within the span of a decade, and unfortunately, this
upwards trend seems to be continuing. While Brazil in general is plagued by drugs,
gangs, poverty, and wide-spread corruption, Natal in particular has lots of problems. Armed robberies are common for both pedestrians
and motorists and commonly targeted areas include the red-light districts, downtown,
and just inside the city limits. Those who eat out late at night on into the
morning in nicer areas are also frequently attacked. It is recommended not to use an ATM unless
in a secure facility and to avoid buses at any time. It is also best to avoid staying out at night
or going to isolated locations. Your life may depend on it. Number 7 is the city of Ciudad Guayana in
Venezuela which averaged 78.30 murders for every 1000,000 members of its population. This amounted to 645 of its 823,722 people
in 2018. As we mentioned in our discussion of the city
of Ciudad Bolivar, or our number 10 dangerous city, Venezuela is an unstable country where
many citizens are killed routinely. A lot of its problems are tied to its ongoing
civil unrest that is triggered for any of several reasons. It seems unable to provide for its people. In 2016, many Venezuelans crossed over the
Colombia border because they were starving and desperate for food. This only became more of a problem the following
year. In 2017 the area experienced a record number
of protests, or a minimum of 9,787 of them, due to three main problems. These were political disagreement about the
introduction of democratic ideas, limited resources, and inflation. The result was 160 dead and many more jailed
or injured. Government corruption and a lack of rights
or freedoms hardly help either. Then there are the collectivos, or gang-militias
that are also pro-government and have been known to intimidate the opposition during
elections. This, for obvious reasons, prevents change. Collectivos have been known to murder protestors
as well as clash with the police. Problems are ongoing and new ones occur to
make things even worse. In March of 2019 an alert was issued citing
planned demonstrations to protest the failed electricity grid of the country. A majority of citizens were without power
starting on March 26. This was not only an inconvenience due to
loss of Internet and cell phone function but also dangerous as it impacted public sources
of water. It also prevented several hospitals from helping
prospective patients. In other words, they were protesting for their
lives and wellbeing. Numbers 6 through 4 on this list are all in
Mexico. Number 6 is Irapuato. There were 81.44 homicides for every 100,000
people in Irapuato, a city within Guanajuato state. This meant that 473 people out of 580,808
died in 2018. An example of the type of violence prevalent
in the area made headlines in May of 2018. 46 people in Guanajuato were brutally killed
between a Monday and Thursday with 13 additional bodies discovered the next day. Of the victims in Irapuato, most were targets
of hired assassins funded by groups fighting for stolen gasoline. This, unfortunately, is a source of a lot
of conflict in the city. Number five is the city of Ciudad Juarez near
Mexico’s northern border. The area averages 85.56 homicides per 100,000
residents for a total of 1,251 dead out of 1,462,133 in 2018. At one point the violence in the city seemed
to be improving, but as with other areas escalated again. In both June and July 177 people were killed
and in August 35 died in a single weekend. The 11 who died on the Friday were first tortured. Drug cartels along with an absence of quality
employment or education that lead to gang involvement are blamed for this violence. Number 4 is Ciudad Victoria, also in Mexico’s
northern region. Here there were 86.01 murders per 100,000
people with 314 dead of 365,089 in 2018. Much of this is the work of rival gangs like
the Los Ciclones, Los Rojos, Metros, Scorpions, and Cartel del Noreste. In the summer of 2016, 11 people of one family
were shot dead which was followed by eight others in nearby areas either wounded or killed. In 2018 cartel gunmen began surprising and
shooting their victims at their homes in the early morning hours. In one week a 52 year old woman and three
men were shot in and outside their homes, many execution style and some with machine
guns. Here we will also mention that later on in
this list there are two more Mexican cities as well that are even more dangerous than
these. So, you may be wondering why are many areas
in Mexico so incredibly violent, and why aren’t they doing anything about it. It’s countless cartels that bring chaos
to the region and that have the ability to pay off members of law enforcement and the
judicial system with their billions in drug-based profits. Historically, the government even offered
them protection under the single Institutional Revolutionary Party system before 2000. Under new leadership it has since tried to
fight back with a cartel-targeted approach but has often had mixed results. This is because Mexico has used military strength
in efforts to squash criminal activities. This began back in 2006 when the president
at the time used marines, soldiers, and police to fight cartels busy trafficking drugs. Unfortunately, while it did bring down some
it also created new ones that happily claimed the newly available space and expanded their
activities. Mexican cartels remain the largest foreign
suppliers of many drugs to the United States, including heroin cocaine, and fentanyl, a
man-made opioid. Their production of just heroin increased
by 37% from 2016 to 2017. Mexico’s new president, Andres Manuel Lopez
Obrador, plans to do things a bit differently from those before him. Obrador campaigned to focus on the real cause
of the problems in Mexico which fueled the formation of cartels to begin with through
economic-based programs. He plans to end the militaristic war that
turned the country into a virtual border to border graveyard. He assumed office near the end of 2018 so
it remains to be seen what impacts his policies will have. Hopefully he can break the vicious cycle. It’s now been over a decade since cartels
have been targeted by the government and they continue to do well. Homicides have doubled during the past three
years. Number 3 is Caracas in Venezuela with 99.98
murders for every 100,000 residents which means that 2,980 of its 2,980,492 people died
in 2018. Though Venezuela as a whole is anything but
safe, Caracas is considered its most dangerous location. Most of the problems in Caracas are linked
to the actions of street gangs and organized crime. These groups do not work surreptitiously in
the dead of night but visit violence on the population at all times, including in the
light of day. This includes not only murder but also robbery
and kidnapping and no neighborhood is safe. Neither are foreigners. Due to many owning vehicles as well as the
low cost of fuel, criminals now enjoy a larger area of activity than ever before. The wealthier areas of El Hatillo, Baruta,
and Chacao where members of the government and business professionals live are targeted
for kidnapping and robbery. Those invading homes pose as salesmen or follow
close behind residents to bypass their security systems, often with lethal consequences. People on the streets are also prime targets,
whether pedestrians on the sidewalks or those sitting in traffic. These individuals are frequently approached
by a criminal on a motorcycle wielding a firearm. ATMs are also quite dangerous and people have
been killed even after withdrawing large sums of cash from inside banks, hinting at corruption
within the financial institutions. Pickpockets target those in the city with
a focus on public transit and downtown areas. Any who try to fight back are almost always
brutally murdered. Number 2 is Acapulco, Mexico which nearly
tops the charts with 110.5 homicides for each of its 100,000 residents. In 2018, 948 of its 857,833 people were killed. Somewhat surprisingly, it is a resort destination
despite these alarming statistics. However, some call it a violent paradise and
with good reason. In fact, those on vacation there in 2018 witnessed
two men gunned down right in front of them. Apparently, it was nothing new as the tourists
then continued to eat their food or sunbathe on the beach while the bodies lay on the ground
nearby. In April of that year the body of a man washed
up on the shoreline among those enjoying the water who continued to stand there. April was also when 16 people were gunned
down in a half-an-hour-long confrontation. The state of Guerrero, where Acapulco is located,
struggles to accommodate the bodies from makeshift graves or off the streets. Morgues can hardly find room. But there are plenty of resources for tourism. In 2017 Mexico was the sixth most popular
tourist destination around the world and 39 million people visited from other locations. In 2017 Acapulco actually experienced a 7
percent increase in visits. It takes 1,740 police officers, two helicopters,
and drones to keep its beaches even remotely safe. Though, as those who continued to enjoy the
scenery despite murder have shown, tourists don’t seem to care what happens one bit. That is, as long as the gun’s pointing in
a different direction. First on the list of violent places is another
city in Mexico, specifically Tijuana. It had 138.26 murders per 100,000 residents
which meant that out of its 2018 population of 1,909,424, 2,640 people died. This averages out to 7 dead each day. Many problems stem from the actions of local
gangs fighting over drugs. It seemed not long ago that things were getting
better in the area, but lately, violence has gone from lower numbers to higher ones, the
likes of which have never been seen before. In 2018 almost seven times the people were
killed than in 2012. This is due to deadly changes. When Guzman of the Sinaloa cartel was arrested
in 2014, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel tried to take its place leading to endless
conflicts. Also, in the past, drug cartels warred over
the best ways to get drugs into the United States. Then, after 9/11 the US tightened border security,
which had them digging underground tunnels and encouraging them to find new markets locally. This included Tijuana. Now, conflicts, while still related to drugs,
are also focused on local sales. Sometimes dealers are killed so that someone
else can sell on a certain street corner. Addicted assassins will murder for a bit of
meth. The value of life in this area is small if
nonexistent. Morgues are so packed that employees use incense
and air purifiers as well as offer masks for those that visit. However, there are times when bodies pile
up across the floor and there’s nothing that can mask the scent of death. When it gets really bad, anyone who lives
nearby can also smell it. Even the new Mexican president with his anti-militaristic
agenda found himself deploying a battalion of soldiers to the Tijuana area. He’s also formed a national guard that’s
70,000 people strong. However, he claims it is a bit different from
the past because the national guard can help carry out criminal investigations. Up until this point only 7% of Mexican crimes
were properly investigated and 2% had convictions. With statistics like these, it is easy to
see that there is next to no deterrent for those who engage in criminal activities. Knowing what you know now, would you consider
a trip to Brazil, Venezuela, or Mexico? And, if so, would it bother you if you saw
people gunned down in front of you? Let us know in the comments! Also, be sure to check out our other video
called Most Dangerous Places In The World! Thanks for watching, and, as always, don’t
forget to like, share, and subscribe. See you next time!
