The 15 most violent and dangerous countries in the world

The world can be a very hostile place. That is why, every year, the Institute for the Economy and Peace produces the Global Peace Index, which aims to determine the state of violence and the level of peace in the 194 countries of the world.

In this article you will find a list of the 15 most violent and dangerous countries on our planet, those in which living carries greater risks due to wars or the high crime rate.

How the Global Peace Index works

It is not easy to determine which are the most violent, dangerous and most peaceful countries in the world. In 2017, the number of countries in the world amounted to 194. The process of measuring the tranquility and danger of a country is complex, and it is necessary to evaluate a series of indicators, among which it is possible to find: the amount of internal and external conflicts, the peaceful relations or not with neighboring countries, political instability, the presence of terrorism, the number of homicides that occur per 100,000 inhabitants, etc.

The ranking of quieter or more dangerous countries has been taking place since 2007 and, since then, Iceland has always been the safest and most peaceful country in the world. Last year, the top 5, in addition to Iceland, was completed by Denmark, Austria, New Zealand and Switzerland, the vast majority of which are European countries.

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The 15 most violent and dangerous countries in the world

But which countries are at the other extreme? What are the most hostile and violent countries? Below you can find a list of the 15 most dangerous countries in the world.

15. Zimbabwe

Violence is a serious problem in most African countries, and Zimbabwe is no exception. A large part of the conflicts in this territory are generated due to the deterioration of the economy from the country. Although most crimes in Zimbabwe are not as violent as those in other countries in this continent, violent people are often armed with firearms and commit acts violent

14. Israel

Despite the fact that Israel is one of the most developed countries in the world, it is in a very conflictive area in the Middle East. It is for that reason that armed conflicts are common, which makes it an unsafe country due to the confrontation between Israel and Palestine. It is frequent the fight between Israelis and Palestinians that began in the middle of the 20th century and lasts until the present. Recently, conflicts in the Gaza Strip have restarted and terrorism is part of the day in the Holy Land.

13. Colombia

Colombia, like many Latin American countries, has evolved into a very unequal society: 10% of the population over The country's wealthiest earns four times more than the poorest 40%, according to the United Nations Human Development Index (UN). In fact, Colombia is considered one of the most dangerous countries in Latin AmericaHowever, other institutions affirm that Honduras is more dangerous than Colombia.

12. Nigeria

Nigeria on a social level has many problems and conflicts. Regarding the issue of human rights, it continues to be a country that is not very advanced. Corruption in government it is the dominant trend in a country in which officials take advantage of their position to enrich themselves. Rape cases are not unusual, and neither are torture and other cruel acts of prisoners or detainees. Discrimination based on sex, ethnicity, religion are common.

11. Russia

A considerably high crime rate is probably why Russia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. This country is marked by drug trafficking, money laundering, human trafficking, extortion, fraud and even murder for hire. Many criminal gangs are involved in corruption, the black market, terrorism, and kidnapping. In 2011, Russia was ranked among the leading countries in homicides by the United Nations.

10. North Korea

Few countries have the human rights compliance figures like North Korea. The population strictly controlled by the state and all aspects of the daily life of its population are subordinate to the planning of the Kim Jong-un regime. Amnesty International also reports severe restrictions on the freedom of its people, where arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment that ends in death and executions.

However, the scarcity of reliable data obtained about this country means that much of the news and data about of North Korea are contaminated by propaganda from South Korea or the United States, a country with which it continues to war.

9. Pakistan

Pakistan's post-independence history has been characterized by periods of military rule, political instability, and conflict with neighboring India. The country continues to face challenging problems, such as overpopulation, terrorism, poverty, illiteracy or corruption, and it is among the countries with the greatest inequality among its inhabitants.

8. Democratic Republic of Congo

This country is extremely rich in natural resources, but political instability, lack of infrastructure and a culture of corruption have historically limited efforts to develop, extract and exploit such resources. Since the Congo's first civil war in 1996, the country has been devastated. The armed conflicts in this territory in recent years have caused the death of 5.4 million people since 1998, with more than 90% of deaths from malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia and malnutrition.

7. Central African Republic

After gaining independence from France in 1960, the Central African Republic was ruled by a series of dictators. The first multi-party democratic elections were held in 1993, when Ange-Félix Patassé was elected president.

The period of peace did not last long, as the war in the Central African Republic began in 2004. Despite a peace treaty in 2007 and another in 2011, clashes broke out in December 2012 between Muslim and Christian government factions, which led to ethnic and religious cleansing and massive population displacement in 2013 and 2014.

6. Sudan

Sudan is a country that lives submerged in violence. For much of Sudan's history, the nation has been plagued by internal conflict and has suffered many ethnic conflicts, including two civil wars and the war in the Darfur region. Sudan does not take human rights into account as it has engaged in ethnic cleansing many times and slavery remains a part of the country. The Sudanese legal system is based on strict Islamic law.

5. Somalia

The Somali civil war is a continuing conflict that began in 1991. It developed out of resistance to the Siad Barre regime during the 1980sBut over time, many armed rebel groups have joined the conflict, vying for power in the country. The war has caused hundreds of thousands of casualties so far.

4. Iraq

Iraq has been affected by a war that has lasted almost 9 years. It was officially finished in December 2011, but the country has been experiencing various conflicts up to the present. Currently, the main problem in Iraq is the Islamic State which continues to expand and take over large areas of the north of the country, including the provincial capitals of Mosul or Tikrit.

3. South Sudan

Since July 2011, when South Sudan became an independent state, it has suffered from internal conflicts. Ethnic violence It began as part of the Sudanese conflicts between rival nomadic tribes, which has resulted in a large number of victims and has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

2. Afghanistan

The war in Afghanistan began in 2001 and continues to the present. Refers to the intervention of NATO and allied forces in the current Afghan civil war. The war arose after the September 11 attacks and its public goals were to dismantle Al Qaeda and deny it a secure base of operation in this country by removing the Taliban from power. Tens of thousands of people have died in the war.

1. Syria

The main reason why Syria was ranked as the most dangerous country in the world is the Syrian Civil War that is so widely talked about today. This armed conflict started in early spring 2011 with nationwide protests against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, whose forces responded with violent repression measures.

The conflict gradually transformed from popular protests to an armed rebellion after months of military sieges. The armed opposition consists of several groups that were formed during the course of the conflict, including the Free Syrian Army or the Islamic Front. Estimates of deaths in the conflict vary widely, but range from 110,000 to almost 200,000.

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