The world can be a very hostile place. That is why, every year, the Institute of Economics 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 entails greater risks due to wars or high crime rates.

How the Global Peace Index works

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

The ranking of more peaceful or dangerous countries has been made 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 European countries.

The 15 most violent and dangerous countries in the world

But which are the countries at the other end? Which 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. Many of the conflicts in this territory are generated by the deterioration of the country’s economy . Although most of the crimes in Zimbabwe are not as violent as those in other countries of this continent, violent people are often armed with guns and commit violent acts.

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. The struggle between Israelis and Palestinians, which began in the mid-twentieth century and continues to the present day, is frequent. Recently, conflicts have resumed in the Gaza Strip 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: the richest 10% of the country’s population earns four times more than the poorest 40%, according to the United Nations’ Human Development Index. In fact, Colombia is considered one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America , however, other institutions claim that Honduras is more dangerous than Colombia.

12. Nigeria

Nigeria at the social level has many problems and conflicts. On the issue of human rights, it is still a country that has made little progress. Corruption in government is the dominant trend in a country where officials take advantage of their position to enrich themselves. Cases of rape are not uncommon, nor are cases of torture and other cruel acts against prisoners or detainees. Discrimination based on sex, ethnicity and religion is commonplace.

11. Russia

A considerably high crime rate is probably the reason 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 on demand . 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 as North Korea. The population strictly controlled by the state and all aspects of the daily life of its population are subordinated to the planning of Kim Jong-un’s regime. Amnesty International also reports severe restrictions on the freedom of its people, where arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment leading to death and execution prevail.

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

9. Pakistan

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

8. Democratic Republic of the 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 these resources. Since Congo’s first civil war in 1996, the country has been devastated. The warlike conflicts in this territory in recent years have caused the death of 5.4 million people since 1998, with more than 90% of the deaths due to 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 democratic multi-party 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 one in 2011, in December 2012 clashes broke out between government, Muslim and Christian factions, which led to ethnic and religious cleansing and massive population displacement in 2013 and 2014.

6. Sudan

Sudan is a country that lives in violence. For much of Sudan’s history, the nation has been plagued by internal conflicts 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 been ethnically cleansed many times and slavery is still part of the country. The Sudanese legal system is based on strict Islamic law.

5. Somalia

The Somali civil war is an ongoing conflict that began in 1991. It developed out of resistance to the Siad Barre regime during the 1980s , but over time, many armed rebel groups have joined the conflict, competing 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 officially ended in December 2011, but the country has been suffering from various conflicts until now. Currently, the main problem in Iraq is the Islamic State that 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 conflict. The ethnic violence began as part of Sudanese conflicts between rival nomadic tribes , which has resulted in a large number of victims and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

2. Afghanistan

The war in Afghanistan began in 2001 and lasts until the present. It refers to the intervention of NATO and allied forces in the current Afghan civil war . The war emerged after the attacks of September 11 and its public objectives 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 talked about so much today. This armed conflict began in early spring 2011 with nationwide protests against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, whose forces responded with violent repression.

The conflict was gradually transformed from popular protest to armed rebellion after months of military siege. The armed opposition consists of several groups that formed during the course of the conflict, including the Syrian Free 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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