A world of crime

Mit einer Übersicht über die Mordrate in verschiedenen Ländern beginnen wir unsere Sonderausgabe über Verbrechen.

Murder, terrible as it is, captivates us. Think of all the novels, movies and TV series devoted to the subject. Our fascination with it is undeniable.

This world map shows murder rates in a selection of countries, as well as the number of victims in each country per year, according to the most recent data. Regionally, the Americas are the worst, with 16 murders per 100,000 people (157,000 victims per year), followed by Africa at 12.5 murders per 100,000 people (135,000 victims per year).

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) publishes murder rates and victim counts in its “Global Study on Homicide”. Its use of the term “intentional homicide” places the onus for a murder squarely on the individual perpetrator, excluding deaths due to war, negligence or self-harm. A grey area is civil unrest, some of the deaths from which may be included in the count.

UNODC currently provides figures on murder rates in 219 countries, with data collected from police and national health systems.