South Africa leads list of African countries with highest crime rates
South Africa has been ranked as the African country with the highest crime rate, according to the Numbeo Crime Index. The country scored 74.7 on the index, placing it at the top of the list for 2024.
South African cities including Pietermaritzburg, Pretoria, Johannesburg, and Durban were highlighted as some of the top areas in the Southern African country where crime is prevalent.
Other African countries in the top 10 with high crime rates were Nigeria, Angola, Cameroon, Somalia, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Libya and Kenya which came in tenth with a crime index score of 56.0.
The survey explains that inequality and unemployment are some of the biggest reasons for high crime rates worldwide.
"Poverty, unemployment, and lack of access to education create conditions where individuals resort to illegal activities for survival," the report says.
Experts say the same factors are driving crime across many parts of Africa, including South Africa. The survey highlights the need for more efforts to tackle social and economic challenges to reduce crime.
Numbeo’s Crime Index collects data from residents to measure perceptions of crime and safety in cities and countries worldwide.
