CrimeSociety & Culture
Report: African Homicide Rate Far Higher Than Global Average, New UN Study Shows
By Uzonna Anele
Africa RankingTalk Africana - January 11, 2021
HistoryUzonna Anele - January 9, 2021
Here are 7 Little known facts about the atlantic slave trade that saw a vast majority of africans transported...
The homicide rate on the African continent is higher than the global average, and far higher than the rates found in Europe or Asia, according According to a study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC ), the homicide rate on the African continent is higher than the global average, and far higher than the rates found in Europe or Asia, while Central America is the most dangerous region to live.
The Global Study on Homicide 2019 report puts the African homicide rate at 13 victims per 100,000 people, with the global rate at 6.1 victims. While the overall global numbers have risen to 464,000 deaths in 2017 – the most recent year for the data – the risk of becoming a homicide victim has dropped because population has increased at the same time, UNDOC said.
The highest global rates are recorded in the Americas, where there are 17.2 such deaths per 100,000 people but wide variations among and even within countries. For example, El Salvador has a rate of 62.1 victims for each 100,000 people though the overall rate for Central America is at 25.9.
There are gaps in the data for Africa, but 35.1 percent of the global homicide total is found on the continent, and that's all intentional homicide apart from armed conflict. Recent data on individual countries in Africa, the authors note, show widely diverging homicide rates, ranging from around 34 per 100,000 people in Nigeria and South Africa, to around 2 per 100,000 in Mauritius and Ghana.
Related: French MPs Back Return of Looted African Artefacts in Museums to Benin and Senegal
South Africans have seen higher numbers, while neighboring countries including Lesotho and Namibia show downward or stable trends. Uganda's homicide rate has increased, while Tanzania's has dropped.
Among women, though, it's Africans who have the highest rate of homicide death.
"The home remains the most dangerous place for women, who continue to bear the heaviest burden of lethal victimization as a result of inequality and gender stereotypes," the report said.
According to the study, Central America is the most dangerous region to live, where the number of homicides – or unlawful killings – rises in some "hotspots", to 62.1 per 100,000 people.
The safest locations are in Asia, Europe and Oceania (Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia), where murder rates are 2.3, 3.0 and 2.8 respectively – well below the 6.1 global average, the UN agency's Global Study on Homicide 2019 shows.
Related: 12 Disturbing Facts About Child Marriage In Africa
According to the report, the drivers of homicide highlighted in the study include inequality, unemployment, political instability, the prevalence of gender stereotypes in society, and the presence of organized crime.
The study also points to the importance of a governance model centred on the rule of law, control of corruption, and investment in socioeconomic development, including in education, as critical in bringing down the rate of violent crime. Firearms and drugs and alcohol are further facilitators of homicide that need to be addressed, according to the study.
©UN
Uzonna Anele
Anele is a web developer and a Pan-Africanist who believes bad leadership is the only thing keeping Africa from taking its rightful place in the modern world.
Previous articleNigerian writer Lesley Nneka Arimah Wins 2019 Caine Prize
Next article5 Interesting And Sad Facts You Never Knew About Slavery
Society & Culture Talk Africana - January 16, 2021
12 Disturbing Facts About Child Marriage In Africa
Facts Uzonna Anele - January 8, 2021
The cultural practice of early marriage is one of the most potent threats to the rights of children in modern times with its disturbingly...
Meet Orompoto, The First and Only Female Alaafin Of Oyo
History Uzonna Anele - January 6, 2021
Orompoto or Orompotoniyun as she's more commonly referred to was the first woman to become Alaafin of Oyo in the imperial era. Orompoto assumed the...
Genna: An Ethiopian Christmas Celebrated On January 7th
Religion Uzonna Anele - January 2, 2021
While those in Nigeria, West Africa, and much of Africa celebrate the birth of Christ in December 25th, there are roughly 37 million Orthodox...