Source: Fernando Sandoval Martínez, Flickr 
 
 5. Victoria, Mexico 
 
 > Homicides per 100,000:84.67 
 
 > 2016 homicides: 293 
 
 > Population: 346,029 
 
 > Previous year rank: 46 
 
 Worsening from the 46th worst to fifth worst, Victoria is the most shocking entry on this list of violent cities. Facing the steepest increase in murder of all other cities, Victoria is a city ravaged by the drug war with a murder rate that almost tripled in a single year. 
 
 Source: Nan Palmero, Flickr 
 
 4. Distrito Central, Honduras 
 
 > Homicides per 100,000: 85.09 
 
 > 2016 homicides: 1,027 
 
 > Population: 1,206,897 
 
 > Previous year rank: 6 
 
 While homicides have increased since last year, expect the capital of Honduras to be shaken up again. Wilter Ruiz, one of Honduras’ most notorious drug kingpins, has agreed to cooperate with U.S authorities to potentially implicate high-ranking members of the security forces — or possibly a member of President Juan Orlando Hernandez’s family. 
 
 Source: Gervaldez / Wikimedia Commons 
 
 3. San Pedro Sula, Honduras 
 
 > Homicides per 100,000: 112.09 
 
 > 2016 homicides: 845 
 
 > Population: 753,864 
 
 > Previous year rank: 2 
 
 Honduras’s highest ranked city on the list with a homicide rate of over 100 per 100,000 people, San Pedro Sula has yet to see a change in the right direction. This may be in part due to the country’s role as a transit nation for the transnational drug trade. The city has also struggled with large unemployment and skyrocketing poverty since the 2009 Honduran military coup. 
 
 Source: Thinkstock 
 
 2. Acapulco, Mexico 
 
 > Homicides per 100,000:113.24 
 
 > 2016 homicides: 918 
 
 > Population: 810,669 
 
 > Previous year rank: 4 
 
 Mexico’s most violent city and the second most dangerous place in the world is the coastal tourist destination of Acapulco. President Enrique Nieto said that 42% of all homicides were concentrated in just 2% of all municipalities and were rooted in organized crime. This prompted the government to launch a security strategy in its 50 most violent cities, but as the data shows, the violence has only got worse. 
 
 Source: Thinkstock 
 
 1. Caracas, Venezuela 
 
 > Homicides per 100,000: 130.35 
 
 > 2016 homicides: 4,308 
 
 > Population: 3,305,204 
 
 > Previous year rank: 1 
 
 The perennial homicide capital of the world, Caracas tops the list because of its mobile street gangs and organized crime groups. Caracas is notorious for its high-profile violent crimes committed in neighborhoods across the city, at all hours. And with widespread political and economic unrest, the possibility for any change seems like a major uphill battle. ||||| Source: Andrevruas, WikiMedia 
 
 15. Feira de Santana, Brazil 
 
 > Homicides per 100,000: 60.2 
 
 > 2016 homicides: 375 
 
 > Population: 622,639 
 
 > Previous yr. rank 27 
 
 A city for travelers seeking festivals and parties, Feira de Santana climbed the list to become one of the top 15 most dangerous cities in the world. 
 
 Source: Thinkstock 
 
 14. St. Louis, United States 
 
 > Homicides per 100,000: 60.4 
 
 > 2016 homicides: 188 
 
 > Population: 311,404 
 
 > Previous yr. rank 15 
 
 The most dangerous U.S. city, murder is on the rise in St. Louis. Things have gotten so bad that the state government is intervening. Missouri Governor Eric Greitens recently unveiled a plan to slow violent crime in the city by calling for a special operations unit of the State Highway Patrol to target violent felons on interstate highways, collect better intelligence, and make a push to help local police stop drug trafficking. 
 
 Source: Thinkstock 
 
 13. Cape Town, South Africa 
 
 > Homicides per 100,000: 60.8 
 
 > 2016 homicides: 2,434 
 
 > Population: 4,005,000 
 
 > Previous yr. rank 9 
 
 Escaping last year’s ranking among the 10 most dangerous cities, the murder rate in the South African coastal city of Cape Town decreased by more than 7%. To keep things moving in the right direction, Cape Town decided on a new strategy to combat gang and drug-related crime: neighborhood safety teams. By conducting physical and written assessments for recruits, neighborhood safety teams will begin training this month to eventually roll out into crime hotspots in the city. 
 
 Source: LeRoc, Flickr 
 
 12. Aracaju, Brazil 
 
 > Homicides per 100,000: 62.8 
 
 > 2016 homicides: 589 
 
 > Population: 938,550 
 
 > Previous yr. rank 38 
 
 One of the training cities for athletes during the 2016 Summer Olympics, Aracaju has faced a steep increase in the homicide rate. It’s gotten to the point where the federal Ministry of Justice and Public Security of Brazil authorized the activation of the National Force to direct policing and provide forensic expertise — with Aracaju selected as one of three cities to be a part of the implementation phase. 
 
 Source: Cayambe, WikiMedia 
 
 11. Belém, Brazil 
 
 > Homicides per 100,000: 67.4 
 
 > 2016 homicides: 1,633 
 
 > Population: 2,422,481 
 
 > Previous yr. rank 26 
 
 Another Brazilian city with a drastic increase in homicide is the state of Para’s capital, Belem, where murder rose by nearly 50% between 2015 and 2016. After the jump in homicides, Para’s Governor Simao Jatene announced that to curtail ongoing violence, further crimes would be strictly investigated with the direct involvement of the Civil and Military police.
– Caracas, Venezuela, has the unwanted distinction of being the most dangerous city in the world in a new survey. The report by 24/7 Wall St takes a look at global homicide rates and finds that the city's mix of gang warfare and political unrest puts it at the top of the list. Here are the 10 worst: Caracas, Venezuela; homicides per 100,000: 130.35 Acapulco, Mexico; 113.24 San Pedro Sula, Honduras; 112.09 Distrito Central, Honduras; 85.09 Victoria, Mexico; 84.67 Maturín, Venezuela; 84.21 San Salvador, El Salvador; 83.39 Ciudad Guayana, Venezuela; 82.84 Valencia, Venezuela; 72.02 Natal, Brazil; 69.56 Click for the full rankings, which put the first US city, St. Louis, at No. 14.