Crime Rate In Brazilian Cities
Brazilians are regarded worldwide as very warm and welcoming people, despite Brazil being known as a somewhat dangerous place for its residents and tourists alike, due to its high crime rates. In this article, we will take a look at different crime rates in Brazilian cities.
Overview
Historically crime rates in Brazil are high when compared to rates in other countries. In 2012 Brazil registered 22,8 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants, much higher than the World Health Organization considers acceptable: 10 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants. It is also worth mentioning that the homicide rate rose 11% in Brazil between 2010 to 2012.
Indecent assault cases are drawing more and more attention. Rape cases have grown almost 100% from 2010 to 2012, when 25,26 rapes were registered for every 100.000 inhabitants, more than the homicide rate. Theft cases also remain a cause for concern, in 2013 Brazil was ranked 3rd in Latin America in regards to robbery rates, with 572,7 registered thefts for every 100.000 people.
While these numbers are preoccupying, it is important to remember that there are likely to be a significant number of unregistered cases that are not reported to the authorities for various different reasons especially relating to indecent assault and robbery.
Crime rate rank of state capitals
1. Maceió
90,0 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
304,4 people are robbed per 100.000 inhabitants
16,4 indecent assault cases per 100.000 inhabitants
2. Fortaleza
76,8 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
644,6 people are robbed per 100.000 inhabitants
18,9 indecent assault cases per 100.000 inhabitants
3. Manaus
56,5 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
990,4 people are robbed per 100.000 inhabitants
35,8 indecent assault cases per 100.000 inhabitants
4.São Luís
62,6 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
360 people are robbed per 100.000 inhabitants
18,3 indecent assault cases per 100.000 inhabitants
5. Aracaju
59,7 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
416.2 people are robbed per 100.000 inhabitants
24,6 indecent assault cases per 100.000 inhabitants
6. Salvador
60,6 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
342,2 persons are robbed per 100.000 inhabitants
17,8 indecent assault cases for every 100.000 inhabitants
7. Vitória
57,3 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
313 people are robbed per 100.000 inhabitants
18 indecent assault cases per 100.000 inhabitants
8. Natal
55,8 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
380,8 people are robbed per 100.000 inhabitants
10,7 indecent assault cases per 100.000 inhabitants
9. Goiânia
55,4 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
336,3 people are robbed per 100.000 inhabitants
23,7 indecent assault cases per 100.000 inhabitants
10. João Pessoa
76,5 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
135,8 people are robbed per 100.000 inhabitants
9,8 indecent assault cases per 100.000 inhabitants
Top ranked state for each felony
The state where the Homicide rate is highest is Alagoas, whose capital city is Maceió, ranked 1st in the crime rate rank. In Alagoas, in 2012, there were 68,5 homicides registered for every 100.000 inhabitants.
The state where the Theft rate is highest is Amazonas, whose capital city is Manaus, ranked 3rd in the crime rate rank. In Amazonas in 2012, there were 1038,4 thefts registered for every 100.000 inhabitants.
The state where the Indecent Assault rate is highest is Mato Grosso, whose capital city is Cuiabá. In Mato Grosso in 2012, there were 43,9 indecent assault cases registered for every 100.000 inhabitants.
Highlights
Proportionally, capital state cities are not ranked highly in most ranks of crime rates. Smaller cities are often considered more “dangerous”. For example, Brazil’s most dangerous city, where the Homicide rate is highest is the city of Caracaraí, in the state of Roraima: there were only 40 homicides registered in this city in 2013, but since it has a population of only 19.000 people, the homicide rate for the city is 210 per 100.000 inhabitants.
Also, it is important to note, that the city of São Paulo alone answers for almost half of all vehicle robberies in Brazil in 2012: of the 193.000 vehicle robberies in Brazil, 87.000 were in São Paulo. The city of Rio de Janeiro, ranks second in the number of vehicle robberies, accounting for 21.000 vehicles.
Even if Brazil’s largest city does not rank in the top 10 cities in the crime rate rank, it is noteworthy to mention that within São Paulo there are also some dangerous neighbourhoods. The rate of homicides in the city was 14,2 in 2013, but the following five neighbourhoods greatly surpass this number, being the most dangerous in the city of São Paulo:
- Sé, a neighbourhood located in the town center, with a rate of 60,4 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
- Santa Efigênia, another neighbourhood located in the town center, with a rate of 30,8 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
- Brás, located in the town center, with a rate of 25,7 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
- Parelheiros, located in the Southernmost region of São Paulo, with a rate of 24 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants
- Campo Limpo, located in the Southwestern region of São Paulo, with a rate of 20,4 homicides per 100.000 people
Whilst the neighbourhoods above are much higher than the average homicides rate for the city of São Paulo, some other neighbourhoods are much lower:
- Jardim Paulista, a neighbourhood where wealthy people live, has a homicide rate of 3,2 homicides per 100.000 people
- Vila Formosa, located in the Eastern region of São Paulo, had no registered homicides in 2013
In Rio de Janeiro, the situation is very similar. The city had a rate of 24,3 homicides for every 100.000 inhabitants in 2011, while the homicide rate for the Northern Region of the city was 47,9 and the homicide rate for the Southern Region, where rich people are concentrated, was 2,4.