The Country with the Highest Murder Rate in the World

Most first time visitors don’t want to arrive in San Salvador late at night. It has a very bad reputation, especially after dark. “The U.S. Embassy warns its personnel to drive with their doors locked and windows raised, to avoid travel outside of major metropolitan areas after dark, and to avoid travel on unpaved roads at all times because of random banditry, carjackings, kidnappings, criminal assaults and lack of police. Most fatal traffic accidents or robberies and assaults occur during the evening or early morning hours. Travelers with conspicuous amounts of luggage, late-model cars or foreign license plates are particularly vulnerable.

The U.S. Embassy considers El Salvador a critical crime threat country. Violent and petty crime are prevalent throughout El Salvador and U.S. citizens are often victims. Travelers should avoid carrying valuables in public places. Armed assaults and carjackings take place both in San Salvador and in the interior of the country. Criminals have been known to follow travelers from the international airport to private residences or secluded stretches of road where they carry out assaults and robberies. Criminals often become violent quickly, especially when victims fail to cooperate immediately in surrendering valuables. Frequently, victims who argue with assailants or refuse to give up their valuables are shot.”

The Australian Government advises its citizens,“Violent crime including armed robbery, banditry, assault, kidnapping, sexual assault, and carjacking is common, including in the capital, San Salvador. Downtown San Salvador is dangerous, particularly at night. Criminals are known to target the road between San Salvador and the international airport.”

The violence is the legacy of a 12-year-long civil war, poverty and the deportation of thousands of Salavadoran gang members from Los Angeles back to San Salvador. There are now 25,000 gang members active in El Salvador, many of whom belong to MS-13, considered by the FBI to be the most dangerous gang in America.

The UK Government's Foreign & Commonwealth Office warns, "You should take great care travelling anywhere in El Salvador at night. You should take particular care if you need to travel to downtown San Salvador."

So, as I looked out from the plane window at the sparse lights of El Salvador, the country with the highest murder rate in the world, I gave more than a passing thought to how I was going to get from the airport to downtown San Salvador along the infamous dark road targeted by carjackers and armed gangs. One of the things you notice on arrival in a poor country is the darkness.

The plane touched down just before 9pm. All of my fellow passengers appeared to be Salvadorans. The airport was poorly lit and surrounded by a black night. This was where my journey began.

The top 20 countries listed by annual murder rate per 100,000 inhabitants. I was about to visit half of them:

Country	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	Most recent
El Salvador	37.3	34.6	31.1	32.7	41.0	54.9	55.3		55.3
Venezuela	37	40	49	59	45	42	49		49
Jamaica	34	44	40	36	54	64	49		49
Guatemala	25.8	25.2	30.7	35.0	36.3	42.0	45.2		45.2
Honduras	49.92	53.72	55.89	33.57	31.89	35.06	42.91		42.91
South Africa	49.6	47.8	47.4	42.7	40.3	39.6	40.5	38.6	40.5
Colombia	62.7	64.6	65.8	51.8	44.6	39.3	37.3		37.3
Belize								30.8	30.8
Trinidad and Tobago	10.0	12.58	14.33	20.69	20.07	29.69	28.53	30.38	30.38
Brazil	26.7	27.8	28.4	28.9	27				27
Ecuador				15.07	18.33				18.33
Russia	19.80					18.0	16.5		16.5
Swaziland	88.61			13.05	13.63				13.63
Mexico	14.11	13.94	13.04						13.04
Mongolia				13.51	12.81				12.81
Paraguay	12.05								12.05
Haiti								11.5	11.5
Suriname				15.10	10.30				10.30
Panama		10.56	9.56						9.56
Argentina

To be contd.