Most Violent Countries 2022

In the globe, which nation is the most violent? Depending on whatever sort of violence one is evaluating, the answer to that question might vary greatly.




The murder rate of any nation may be determined by analyzing data such as the number of murders, mass shootings, and stabbing fatalities, among other things. Another option is to compare the number of terrorist attacks or violent crimes committed in each nation.

Rape data for each nation might also be used to identify the most unsafe places for women to live. A list of nations presently engaged in conflict with drug traffickers, insurgents, or each other may also be useful.

Using each of these parameters will provide a different list of nations deemed to be the most violent. When enough data is examined, it becomes clear that certain nations have a higher level of continuing violence than others.

Every year, the Institute for Economics and Peace publishes its Global Peace Index, which tracks progress toward peace and tracks progress toward the exact opposite of peace: violent conflict.

Ongoing domestic and international conflict (six indicators), societal safety and security (ten indicators), and militarization (seven indicators) comprise the 23 categories in this study, which are then classified into three domains: (7 indicators).

These statistics cover many different subjects, from military conflicts and political instability to murder rates and violent crime.




According to the World Peace Index, only thirteen nations scored 2.9 or higher, which indicates that they are the least peaceful/most violent countries on Earth. Iceland, the most tranquil nation in the world in 2021, had an overall rating of 1.1. (low scores are better).

The national cost of violence

The most evident consequence of violence is the possibility of harm or death being inflicted on individuals. There are numerous more ways in which violence may harm a nation and its people that are less evident or straightforward.

Persistent violence has the potential to have far-reaching effects on the economy and infrastructure, including decreased tourism revenue, an unproductive industrial sector, lower wages, increased poverty, and a lack of access to basic public services such as access to safe drinking water, basic education, and basic medical treatment.

Even if the current trend continues, the nation will eventually become one of the world’s worst places to live (or, for foreigners, the worst counties to visit). Consequently, people will experience a significant drop in their overall quality of life.

The following are the world’s top 13 most violent nations, according to the 2021 Global Peace Index:




  1. Afghanistan – 3.631 (higher scores indicate less peace)
  2. Yemen – 3.407
  3. Syria – 3.371
  4. South Sudan – 3.363
  5. Iraq – 3.257
  6. Somalia – 3.211
  7. Congo (Dem. Rep of) – 3.196
  8. Libya – 3.166
  9. Central African Republic – 3.131
  10. Russia – 2.993
  11. Sudan – 2.936
  12. Venezuela – 2.934
  13. North Korea – 2.923

Global Peace Index data shows that most of the world’s most violent nations are concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America.

For the most part, violence occurs in these areas because of persistent poverty and other circumstances such as authoritarian or exploitative regimes; civil wars or armed insurrections; or conflicts between various races, ethnic groups, or religious groups.

Additional research on violence in each nation will be conducted.

Studies, measurements, and other methods that measure violence in more nations throughout the globe may help us better understand how different countries deal with violence. Many of these assessments come to similar, if not identical, findings to those of the Global Peace Index.

When it comes to political, medical, environmental, infrastructure, and security risks in a certain country or region, the risk management business Drum Cusac produced a report.




According to these statistics, Afghanistan, Burundi, Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Iraq, Congo, and Libya were the 10 most violent nations in the world. Burundi is the only one that doesn’t make it into the GPI’s top 13, but it’s still the 35th most violent country in the world.

As for 2021’s “Travel Risk Map,” it included information on political instability and small-time criminal activity to medical services.

To summarise, the highest-risk areas included Afghanistan (no particular order), Yemen (no particular order), Somalia (no particular order), Syria (no particular order), South Sudan, Central African Republic (no particular order), Libya, Mali (no particular order), and areas of Nigeria and Egypt near Gaza (no particular order).

Research on various types of violence might provide different findings in other research. The Igarape Institute, a Brazilian think tank, studies the number of killings in countries throughout the globe to identify the most violent.

Latin America has 17 of the world’s 20 nations with the highest murder rates, according to this study’s 2019 findings.




There are seven of these nations in the top 20 for murder deaths: Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Although Latin America and the Caribbean account for just 8% of the global population, they account for 33% of all murders.

According to a separate study by the World Economic Forum, the most hazardous countries in the world were countries such as Yemen and Pakistan, as well as El Salvador, Nigeria, and El Salvador.

Using statistics on crime and political instability, Insider Monkey has ranked the following nations as the most hazardous (in decreasing order): Syria, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Central African Republic.

  1. World’s Peaceiest Countries (Global Peace Index 2021)
  2. Iceland – 1.100 (Lower scores are better)
  3. New Zealand – 1.253
  4. Denmark – 1.256
  5. Portugal – 1.267
  6. Slovenia – 1.315
  7. Austria – 1.317
  8. Switzerland – 1.323
  9. Ireland – 1.326
  10. Czech Republic – 1.329
  11. Canada – 1.330

On the other hand, Iceland, New Zealand, and Portugal were three of the world’s four most peaceful nations in 2021, making them the world’s safest countries. The crime rates of Qatar, the UAE, and Taiwan are among the lowest in the world.




CountryPeace Index 20212022 Population
Afghanistan3.631040754.3880
Yemen3.407031154.8670
Syria3.371019364.8090
South Sudan3.363011618.5110
Iraq3.257042164.9650
Somalia3.211016841.7950
DR Congo3.196095240.7920
Libya3.16607040.7450
Central African Republic3.13105016.6780
Russia2.9930145805.9470
Sudan2.936045992.0200
Venezuela2.934029266.9910
North Korea2.923025990.6790
Pakistan2.8680229488.9940
Turkey2.843085561.9760
Mali2.813021473.7640
Lebanon2.79706684.8490
Nigeria2.7120216746.9340
Cameroon2.700027911.5480
Colombia2.694051512.7620
Israel2.66908922.8920
Ukraine2.660043192.1220
Iran2.637086022.8370
Mexico2.6200131562.7720
Ethiopia2.6130120812.6980
Palestine2.61005345.5410
Niger2.589026083.6600
Eritrea2.55503662.2440
India2.55301406631.7760
Burkina Faso2.527022102.8380
Zimbabwe2.490015331.4280
Chad2.489017413.5800
Myanmar2.457055227.1430
Nicaragua2.44506779.1000
Burundi2.434012624.8400
Brazil2.4300215353.5930
Philippines2.4170112508.9940
Egypt2.3970106156.6920
Saudi Arabia2.376035844.9090
Honduras2.371010221.2470
South Africa2.344060756.1350
United States2.3370334805.2690
Azerbaijan2.334010300.2050
Algeria2.310045350.1480
Republic of the Congo2.29105797.8050
Mauritania2.29004901.9810
Belarus2.28509432.8000
Kenya2.254056215.2210
Togo2.23908680.8370
Uganda2.219048432.8630
Thailand2.205070078.2030
Lesotho2.20202175.6990
Guatemala2.195018584.0390
El Salvador2.18406550.3890
Turkmenistan2.15406201.9430
Haiti2.151011680.2830
Papua New Guinea2.14909292.1690
Djibouti2.14601016.0970
Bolivia2.140011992.6560
Ivory Coast2.123027742.2980
Mozambique2.123033089.4610
Bahrain2.12101783.9830
Guyana2.1140794.0450
China2.11401448471.4000
Guinea-Bissau2.11302063.3670
Tunisia2.108012046.6560
Tajikistan2.09509957.4640
Benin2.093012784.7260
Sri Lanka2.083021575.8420
Armenia2.07502971.9660
Gabon2.07402331.5330
Guinea2.069013865.6910
Bangladesh2.0680167885.6890
Uzbekistan2.062034382.0840
Georgia2.05403968.7380
Ecuador2.044018113.3610
Cuba2.042011305.6520
Trinidad and Tobago2.02901406.5850
Rwanda2.028013600.4640
Dominican Republic2.024011056.3700
Angola2.017035027.3430
Morocco2.015037772.7560
Cambodia2.008017168.6390
Liberia1.99805305.1170
Kyrgyzstan1.99806728.2710
Paraguay1.99707305.8430
Jamaica1.99202985.0940
Oman1.98205323.9930
Bosnia and Herzegovina1.97003249.3170
Zambia1.964019470.2340
Madagascar1.963029178.0770
Eswatini1.95501184.8170
Argentina1.945046010.2340
Kazakhstan1.936019205.0430
Greece1.932010316.6370
Namibia1.92702633.8740
Panama1.91904446.9640
Jordan1.916010300.8690
Equatorial Guinea1.91501496.6620
Cyprus1.91201223.3870
Moldova1.90904013.1710
Malawi1.909020180.8390
Tanzania1.892063298.5500
South Korea1.877051329.8990
Timor-Leste1.87301369.4290
France1.868065584.5180
Senegal1.864017653.6710
Gambia1.85302558.4820
United Arab Emirates1.848010081.7850
Montenegro1.8470627.9500
Vietnam1.835098953.5410
Chile1.831019250.1950
Albania1.82402866.3740
Uruguay1.81703496.0160
Sierra Leone1.81308306.4360
Laos1.80907481.0230
Serbia1.79708653.0160
Mongolia1.78303378.0780
Indonesia1.7830279134.5050
Botswana1.75302441.1620
North Macedonia1.74402081.3040
Costa Rica1.73505182.3540
Ghana1.715032395.4500
Lithuania1.68902661.7080
Kuwait1.68804380.3260
Latvia1.68601848.8370
Taiwan1.662023888.5950
United Kingdom1.658068497.9070
Italy1.652060262.7700
Spain1.621046719.1420
Estonia1.61201321.9100
Qatar1.60502979.9150
Mauritius1.59201274.7270
Bulgaria1.57706844.5970
Slovakia1.55705460.1930
Romania1.530019031.3350
Poland1.524037739.7850
Malaysia1.515033181.0720
Bhutan1.5100787.9410
Netherlands1.506017211.4470
Belgium1.496011668.2780
Hungary1.49409606.2590
Croatia1.48004059.2860
Germany1.480083883.5960
Australia1.470026068.7920
Sweden1.460010218.9710
Norway1.43805511.3700
Finland1.40205554.9600
Japan1.3730125584.8380
Singapore1.34705943.5460
Canada1.330038388.4190
Czech Republic1.329010736.7840
Ireland1.32605020.1990
Switzerland1.32308773.6370
Austria1.31709066.7100
Slovenia1.31502078.0340
Portugal1.267010140.5700
Denmark1.25605834.9500
New Zealand1.25304898.2030
Iceland1.1000345.3930




Also See: School Shootings by Country 2022

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