Travel involves taking into consideration a lot of things, one being the safety aspect. It’s always better to assess before-hand, rather than facing issues later on. In this context, understanding global crime trends might help one to make informed decisions for sure. This index involves looking at multiple indicators rather than a single number. Crime Index and Safety Index scores, are compiled semi-annually by statistics platform Numbeo, with range from 0 to 100, where lower Crime Index scores and higher Safety Index scores are preferable. Another major tool is the Global Organised Crime Index (GOCI), which uses data across three subcategories: Criminal Markets, Criminal Actors, and Resilience. These include everything from financial and cyber crimes to trafficking networks and the strength of a country’s judiciary and policing systems. (Data sourced from: Worldpopulationreview)
Before labeling any country with numbers, it’s pertinent to understand that crime levels around the world are shaped by a multitude of factors like poverty, unemployment, political instability, and law-enforcement efficiency. Countries like Venezuela, Papua New Guinea, and South Africa thereby show high crime rates for varied reasons like corruption, economic pressures, and deep social challenges.
Meanwhile, nations such as Switzerland and Japan maintain very low crime rates thanks to strong policing, social cohesion, and, in some cases, strict gun laws.
Globally, crime rates are typically calculated by dividing the total number of reported crimes by the population and multiplying the result by 100,000. Young adults between 20–30 years old are statistically more likely to be involved in violent crime. In the United States, the overall crime rate stands at 49.2, though states vary widely, with Alaska and New Mexico reporting significantly higher crime than Maine or Vermont. Some of the world’s lowest crime rates are recorded in Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Japan, and New Zealand.
So, here are 10 countries with the highest crime rates in 2025, based on Crime Index data by Numbo.
About the Author
