In this article, we will be taking a look at the 30 most dangerous countries in the world in 2023. To skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to see the top 5 most dangerous countries in the world in 2023.
War, crime and violence have existed ever since the first human civilization, and will probably continue till the end of time. While you might think that with exponential development in the past several decades, and with ever-increasing prosperity, peace would reign but unfortunately, the opposite is the truth. According to the Global Peace Index Report 2023, global peace has deteriorated in 13 out of the last 15 years, even though peace in more countries continues to improve as opposed to countries which have faced further deterioration, but the level of deterioration is higher than the level of improvement.
In just the past year, one of the biggest wars in recent times between two major countries erupted after Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. It has now been one year and despite significant support from Ukrainian allies and pressure against Russia, the war has continued unabated and there seem to be no signs of an end in sight. While many conflicts, especially internal conflicts in the most dangerous countries in the world, have a limited impact on the global economy, the Russia-Ukraine was has had an outsized impact, mainly because of the fact that Russia is home to some of the biggest oil and gas deposits in the world, while Ukraine is a major wheat supplier, and resulted in a massive crisis, including one of the biggest refugee crises of all time, which has contributed to Ukraine being one of the countries with the most refugees in the U.S. The economic impact of the war has been felt across the world, from food prices because of wheat production and supply constraints to a major energy crisis in Europe, to impacting the price of oil globally. Even then, Ukraine is not among the list of the most dangerous countries in the world, despite being the second-worst country in the Global Peace Index, though it is among the most dangerous countries in Europe.
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While external wars contribute hugely to a country being considered as dangerous due to the major threat to life, civil wars can have an even bigger impact as the affect is contained entirely within the country’s borders, hence providing a greater threat to life. This is why we have several African countries which are either engaged in outright civil war or terroristic / militant movements which are wreaking havoc to safety and security in the world. Of course, internal crime is also another major contributor and crime is generally high in countries where there is a lack of check and balances but most importantly, where poverty is high and opportunities are low, leading to people engaging in crime to earn a living. In many of the most dangerous countries in the world, gangs, mafia, crime bosses and cartels exist because they can earn more money in a month than the average person can in a lifetime and are willing to shed blood and engage in violence for the promise of money.
Where crimes are high, tourism numbers will always be impacted. This is why if you look at the most visited countries in the world, you will notice how most of the countries in the list are incredibly safe where tourists don’t have to worry while visiting. In fact, a study by Auburn University shows that if a country with a population of 25 million people sees crime increase by 10%, the country will lose around $225 million from tourism, adjusted for inflation. Unsurprisingly, higher violence also threatens direct foreign investment (DFI) and a study conducted by the EGADE Business School of Mexico discovered that for every 1% increase in the homicide rate, foreign investment fell by 0.28%, while robberies surprisingly had a bigger impact than homicide, resulting in foreign investment falling by 0.33%, all of which spells disaster for the most dangerous countries in 2023, as these countries need more investment and a fast-growing economy to be able to implement programs which will reduce violence. Additionally, people move from such countries, through both legal and illegal means, depriving the country of the talent it needs to go grow, which is why you will see a lot of commonalities in our list and the countries with the highest number of emigrants.
Considering how violence is present not just in the most dangerous countries, but also in some of the safer countries, many companies, especially startups, are focusing on combatting crime. While some of the biggest defense contractors in the world including Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), L3Harris Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:LHX) and RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX) are involved in providing defensive capabilities to allies of the U.S., and have seen a major boost in revenue thanks to their supply of weapons to Ukraine, many startups are attempting to fight crime at a much smaller scale. One such example is a startup backed by the University of Cincinnati Venture Lab called Peel9, which is a software tech company and uses data analytics to better manage and share data, including identifying problem crime areas. Another startup, which is based in India, is actually utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) with the app called Artificial Intelligence Based Human Efface Detection. The app is currently working with law enforcers to digitize all criminal records and also retrieving data in real-time.
Methodology
To determine the most dangerous countries in the world in 2023, we used multiple sources to come up with realistic rankings and take into account any biases that a single source might have. We initially considered the ranking of each country based on their score in the latest Global Peace Index (the higher the score, the higher the ranking for our calculation) and the Global Terrorism Index. We then considered the average homicide rate of each country from 2006 to 2021 with data from the World Bank. We then assigned 40% weightage to the first two criteria, and 20% to the homicide rate criteria. Where homicide rates weren’t available for a country, we calculated their ranking solely on the first two criteria. This is why despite Ukraine being the second-worst country in the Global Peace Index, it is still extremely safe in terms of crime and terrorism, which is why it isn’t in the most dangerous countries in the world right now. It is also important to remember that often, there is little correlation between terrorism and homicides so both need to be considered to get a true picture of danger. This explains why some of the countries with the highest homicide rates in the world, most of which are located in South and Central America including Honduras, El Salvador and Venezuela, are not among the most dangerous countries in the world because of their high ranking in the Global Peace Index and low ranking in the Global Terrorism Index. Even the United States, considered to be the most advanced country in the world, barely missed out on our list, ranking 33rd based on our criteria and showcasing how improvements in safety are necessary in the country.
30. South Africa
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 79
Global Peace Index Ranking: 43
Homicide rate per capita: 8
Despite terrorism not being a major threat in South Africa, it has one of the highest global homicide rates in the world with violent crime very commonplace in the country.
29. Burkina Faso
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 2
Global Peace Index Ranking: 14
Homicide rate per capita: 217
Ranking 2nd in the Global Terrorism Index shows how much of an issue terrorism is in Burkina Faso, with deaths increasing by more than 50% in 2022 and was the only country in the world where more than one thousand people were killed in terrorist attacks.
28. Burundi
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 39
Global Peace Index Ranking: 32
Homicide rate per capita: 103
Burundi’s human right abuses are well-known across the world, and extrajudicial killings are commonplace in the country.
27. South Sudan
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 93
Global Peace Index Ranking: 12
Homicide rate per capita: 30
South Sudan is known for abuses committed by its national security agency, while homicide rates in the nation are particularly high as well.
26. Mozambique
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 12
Global Peace Index Ranking: 40
Homicide rate per capita: 129
Deaths in Mozambique increased by 66% in 2022 as terrorist activity in the region has continued to increase.
25. Kenya
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 20
Global Peace Index Ranking: 34
Homicide rate per capita: 117
Al-Shabaab is a terrorist group based in Kenya and Somalia, and terrorist deaths because of attacks by Al-Shabaab increased in Kenya, even though most attacks were in Somalia.
24. India
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 13
Global Peace Index Ranking: 31
Homicide rate per capita: 137
Despite a very low homicide rate when compared to most other countries, India’s ranking has actually improved as a result of a lower number of cross border ceasefire violations and violence with Pakistan and China.
23. Iran
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 21
Global Peace Index Ranking: 13
Homicide rate per capita: 154
While there have been improvements in relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which could result in less violence, tensions have increased between Syria and Iran as Israel has attacked Syrian forces which were provided with backing by Iran.
22. Togo
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 27
Global Peace Index Ranking: 52
Homicide rate per capita: 63
Togo’s economic impact because of of violence is one of the highest in the world.
21. Mexico
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 72
Global Peace Index Ranking: 24
Homicide rate per capita: 18
Mexico might be a top tourist destination but threats to safety remain high mainly due to cartel operations in the country, and lack of law and order in many provinces.
20. Turkiye
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 23
Global Peace Index Ranking: 10
Homicide rate per capita: 143
The most dangerous country in Europe, Turkiye obtained its lowest score since the creation of the Global Peace Index, with higher deaths from external conflicts as well as greater incarceration rates contributing to its lower ranking.
19. Ethiopia
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 56
Global Peace Index Ranking: 7
Homicide rate per capita: 66
Ethiopia has been in the midst of a brutal conflict in the Tigray region and a final ceasefire was only agreed in November 2022; if it lasts, then there’s a chance that Ethiopia could drop out of this list.
18. Venezuela
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 51
Global Peace Index Ranking: 42
Homicide rate per capita: 5
Venezuela’s homicide rate is the reason why it is among the most dangerous countries in the world, with an average murder rate of 45.7 homicides per 100,000 people, even though the rate has declined significantly in recent years.
17. Syria
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 5
Global Peace Index Ranking: 3
Homicide rate per capita: 167
Syria is home to the biggest refugee crisis in the world and is among the nations with the most refugees in the U.S., with parties involved in the brutal conflict in the country giving little attention to human rights while administering brutality at any opportunity.
16. Philippines
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 18
Global Peace Index Ranking: 35
Homicide rate per capita: 75
Despite fewer deaths in 2022 as compared to 2021, violence is still a big issue in the Philippines especially because of the “war on drugs” conducted by the country’s President from 2016-2019.
15. Cameroon
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 11
Global Peace Index Ranking: 18
Homicide rate per capita: 122
Both armed groups and government forces have had a severe impact on peace in Cameroon, which has continued to deteriorate with Boko Haram increasing terrorist attacks in the region.
14. Myanmar
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 9
Global Peace Index Ranking: 21
Homicide rate per capita: 115
After a coup by Myanmar’s military, brutal repression has been carried out by the army against civilian protestors, and with no action taken from international superpowers and support from China, Myanmar’s brutal violence has continued unimpeded.
13. Central African Republic
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 55
Global Peace Index Ranking: 20
Homicide rate per capita: 23
A high homicide rate combined with a lower ranking in the Global Peace Index has resulted in Central African Republic being considered among the most dangerous countries in the world.
12. Niger
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 10
Global Peace Index Ranking: 15
Homicide rate per capita: 116
Niger is likely to slide further down this list considering the coup that was executed by its military recently which resulted in the U.S. and Europe-backed President being deposed.
11. Pakistan
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 6
Global Peace Index Ranking: 16
Homicide rate per capita: 106
Terrorism has been a problem in Pakistan mainly since the creation of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an offshoot terrorist group of Afghan Taliban. While operations by the Pakistani military have reduced terrorism significantly in the last decade, it has increased in the last couple of years and according to the World Terrorism Index, the worst terrorist attack in 2022 took place in Pakistan resulting in the deaths of 195 people.
10. Russia
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 45
Global Peace Index Ranking: 4
Homicide rate per capita: 50
Russia had the fifth largest deterioration in the Global Peace Index as a result of its invasion of Ukraine, and hence has slide further among the most dangerous countries in the world. Its repression of locals has further added to this stigma.
9. Yemen
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 22
Global Peace Index Ranking: 1
Homicide rate per capita: 98
Yemen is currently facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern history, but it is interesting to see that despite ranking as the worst country in the Global Peace Index, still has a homicide rate lower than nearly 100 countries.
8. Chad
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 19
Global Peace Index Ranking: 22
Homicide rate per capita: 59
Violence has been commonplace in Chad for a long time, especially following President Déby’s death in uncertain circumstances in 2021.
7. Colombia
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 15
Global Peace Index Ranking: 41
Homicide rate per capita: 13
Despite a peace accord signed between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in 2016, violence has continued unabated in Colombia, especially in rural areas, condemning Colombia to being counted among the most dangerous countries in the world in 2023.
6. Iraq
Global Terrorism Index Ranking: 7
Global Peace Index Ranking: 17
Homicide rate per capita: 68
When the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 on the pretext of the country hosting weapons of mass destruction, the country’s economy suffered a devastating blow from which is never recovered. It is also home to one of the most notorious terrorist organizations in history in ISIS, which has carried out major terrorist attacks both in and outside of the country.
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Disclosure: None. 30 most dangerous countries in the world in 2023 is originally published on Insider Monkey.
