Latin America has the highest homicide rate: UN
A UN study revealed that Honduras is the most violent country in the world. (Photo: UNODC )
According to a United Nations report, Latin America displaced Africa as the region with more homicides in the world, specially because of the violence that is out of control in countries such as Honduras, Venezuela or El Salvador.
Honduras is the most violent country in the world, with 90.4 murders for every 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Venezuela, with 53.7, said the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime using 2012 figures
Belize is in third place with 44.7 murders for every 100,00 inhabitants, followed by El Salvador with 41.2, while Mexico's murder rate of 21.5.
The UN study attributes the rise in murder rates in Latin America to organized crime and decades of political violence.
In 2012, 36% of the 437,000 murders in the world happened in Latin America, especially in Central and South America.
Mexican drug cartels have increased violence to unseen levels in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, the report added.
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