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If you stay away from gangs and drug dealers the homicide rate probably won't affect you so much. Countries with high homicide rate still can have a lot of safe areas. My country's homicide rate is higher than 25 per 100k, but it's not like we're almost in a civil war and innocent people are getting murdered everyday while walking to the supermarket (i'm not saying this never happens, but it's rare, no need to panic).
Most of the homicides usually happens in specific problematic areas of the cities, and the people murderd generally were involved with some bad things. Good and innocent people can be victims of homicides too, unfortunately, especially if they're in the wrong place in the wrong time, but with some basic precautions the chances of being murderd drop to low levels.
So i prefer to live in a high-income country, even if it has a high homicide rate.
For example in Curitiba happened 145 murders last year but only 4 happened in stolen and others 4 in domestic fights the other 137 murders happened between drug dealers disputes.
Only Southern Africa (Namibia, Botswana and South Africa) and maybe Ghana keep good homicide statistics. Gang on gang violence in Africa as well as rural or killing of the poor will not get counted as a stat. Botswana, Ghana or Namibia are probably the safest sub-Saharan African countries on the continent. Nigeria's is estimated but the rest of the African nations murder rates are much higher. I will say from traveling in West Africa generally in terms of safety.
Ghana- Is working hard on safety and is probably in the 0-10 murder range. Need to collect statistics though.
Botswana- you have heard right, really developing well.
Namibia- Windhoek slums are carrying the murder rate, otherwise very safe country.
Benin Republic- 20-30 probably slightly more dangerous than Botswana and Namibia .
Togo- same as Benin Republic.
Nigeria- Really depends on the state.
South Africa- Around Nigerias level of Safety. Certain states are safer than others.
Ivory Coast- Very high murder rate.
D.R Congo- If the state were counted likely would be the most dangerous country in the world.
Hmm did you feel particular danger when traveling to DRC? It is an impoverished country with a troubled history so it's not particularly surprising that it would be so dangerous
If I got randomly put into one of the countries based on my selection, then it'd be the high income high crime group as I'd probably be able to choose a decent enough neighborhood based on income and skillset. If I can choose the country though, I'd opt for Vietnam which is in the other groip.
Bahamas
Mexico
Panama
Saint Kitts & Nevis
Antigua & Barbuda
Trinidad & Tobago
Botswana[/quote]
Out of those countries, Vietnam would be at the top of the list followed by Panama, Mexico, Botswana, and then the island countries. All of those countries have nice areas, but also dangerous areas.
I would love to live in a rural part of Vietnam or Botswana. I'm not a city guy...
Hmm did you feel particular danger when traveling to DRC? It is an impoverished country with a troubled history so it's not particularly surprising that it would be so dangerous
I should have put a disclaimer but D.R.C and Ivory Coast is anecdotal evidence. Ivory Coast is from friends of mine and my parents and D.R.C is from a few people who have live in both D.R.C and Nigeria and said things like Port Harcourt isn't even on Kinshasa's level, and Port Harcourt is the most dangerous Nigerian city in the Southern third of the country.
I went to Port Harcourt last year for three weeks and here is what happened:
I saw someone die from getting run over by a large truck in a motorcycle accident- (not really violent, but very traumatic)
I heard gunshots on the only night out.
Went to two churches on three different sundays, and heard stories from at least three people about how they had gotten their houses raided by armed robbers, shot or kidnapped as their testimony on every single Sunday (10 people total).
When my dad was heading back to the United States (only one week of vacation left) he had to divert on a dirt road because the main road erupted into a gun fight less than a mile in front of him between police and robbers.
My mother who was working in Port Harcourt left the city for the second time (left once in 2007) because of how violent it was. My mother has coworkers who's parents were kidnapped and even killed indirectly by the kidnappers. Although not a single violent event happened to her or my immediate family throughout the years we have spent in Port Harcourt. Many aunts, uncles and neighbors have been robbed with weapons.
I cannot find a person who has left Port Harcourt that didn't site out of control violence as a reason. If, Kinshasa is supposed to be at the same level or worse, I don't want to go, just if off word of mouth, you know a place is terrifying when people are relieved they escaped that hellhole to live in Nigeria. Lagos is considered a hellhole by Americans and I was basically kissing the floor of the Lagos Airport when I arrived from Port Harcourt.
Last edited by NigerianNightmare; 06-23-2017 at 05:14 PM..
I'll just add that Senegal is a pretty fantastic place. I'd actually believe the crime stats to some degree there. The economy is doing pretty well, the people are really friendly, the food is great, and the climate is nice. The religiousness isn't to my taste, but probably does a lot for stability and I appreciate that it's a fairly moderate form of Islam and hasn't entrenched itself into legal policy so much. I definitely wouldn't mind living in Dakar in a while and feel that it's overlooked by dint of being in 1) Africa 2) Sub-Saharan Africa and 3) Muslim which all often have pretty negative connotations for many outsiders.
That food though!
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 06-23-2017 at 06:50 PM..
Low Income + Low Homicide Rate:
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Liberia
Sao Tome & Principe
Malawi
Uzbekistan
Tajikistan
India
Nepal
Bangladesh
Vietnam
Timor-Leste
Nauru
Vanuatu
Samoa
High Income + High Homicide Rate:
Greenland
Bahamas
Mexico
Panama
Venezuela
Puerto Rico
Saint Kitts & Nevis
Antigua & Barbuda
Trinidad & Tobago
Guiana
Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Botswana
Seychelles
Russia
A lot of those listed as "high income" I'd have never guessed.
I've traveled in Malawi, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Vietnam out of the low category and only Russia from the high list.
I never felt unsafe in Russia except for one clumsy attempt to jack my wallet in St. Petersburg. It may have helped that I can pass for Russian pretty easily apparently.
Even though the low countries may be safer on paper, as a European I'd still feel like I might be a potential target based on the fact that I stand out and in those countries an average westerner can be considered relatively wealthy. Saying that, I really had good experiences in all of those countries. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are extremely friendly countries and extremely underrated as far as tourism goes. I prefer Vietnam to Thailand in a lot of ways. Malawi is nice as well with really good nature.
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