Marcelo Possato

Marcelo Possato

Staff Writer
The Brazil Business

Updated

The 10 Safest State Capitals In Brazil

Marcelo Possato

Marcelo Possato

Staff Writer
The Brazil Business

Updated

Violence in Brazil is claimed to be one of the biggest challenges the country needs to overcome. In this article, we will take a look at the safest state capitals in Brazil.

Overview

Many aspects can be measured in order to define how violent or how safe a certain city, state or country is. Even so, homicide rates and the total number of homicides are still the best parameters. When compared to other countries, Brazil is ranked high in both aspects.

Historically, the indexes of homicide have risen and decreased irregularly since the begining of this century. According to Brazil´s Violence Map, the number of homicides per 100.000 inhabitants in Brazil was 28,5 in 2002. In 2007, the rate went down to 25,2. In 2012, however, the rate raised again to 29, the highest rate during the century.

Rank of the 10 Safest State Capitals in Brazil

It is important to say that these ranks were developed taking into account the homicide rate and the total number of homicides in the state capitals.

Safest Capitals per Homicide Rate

The homicide rate relates to the amount of homicides that occur in a year on a fixed inhabitants basis. In the following case, the reference is 100.000 inhabitants.

1. Florianópolis (state of Santa Catarina)

The city of Florianópolis has a rate of 15 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants. It is the Brazilian capital with the highest quality of living.

2. São Paulo (state of São Paulo)

São Paulo is one of the most powerful cities in the continent from an economic point of view. It has a rate of 15,4 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants.

3. Rio de Janeiro (state of Rio de Janeiro)

Rio de Janeiro is considered a violent city by some people .The rate of homicides in Rio de Janeiro is 21,5 per 100.000 inhabitants.

4. Campo Grande (state of Mato Grosso do Sul)

It has a rate of 22,6 homicides per 100.000 inhabitants.

5. Palmas (state of Tocantins)

For every 100.000 inhabitants, 25,6 homicides occur in this capital.

6. Boa Vista (state of Roraima)

Its rate of homicides per 100.000 inhabitants is 27,9.

7. Rio Branco (state of Acre)

For every 100.000 inhabitants, 33 homicides occur in this capital.

8. Macapá (state of Amapá)

Its rate of homicides per 100.000 inhabitants is 36,8.

9. Brasília (Federal District)

Brasília is the capital of Brasil and where the government is located. Its homicide rate per 100.000 inhabitants is 38,9.

10. Belo Horizonte (state of Minas Gerais)

The homicide rate per 100.000 inhabitants in this capital is 40,6. Belo Horizonte presents the 5th best GDP amongst all Brazilian municipalities.

Safest Capitals per Total Number of Homicides

If we consider data published in 2012, it is interesting to note that a large number of the capitals that appear in the first ranking, still appear in the following one:

1. Palmas (state of Tocantins)

The total number of homicides was 68.

2. Florianópolis (state of Santa Catarina)

The total number of homicides in this city was 69.

3. Boa Vista (state of Roraima)

The total homicides in Boa Vista was 86.

4. Rio Branco (state of Acre)

119 homicides occured in Rio Branco.

5. Macapá (state of Amapá)

The total number of homicides was 166.

6. Campo Grande (state of Mato Grosso do Sul)

The city had a total of 190 homicides.

7. Porto Velho (state of Rondônia)

The total number of homicides in Porto Velho was 220.

8. Teresina (state of Piauí)

The total number of homicides in this capital was 345.

9. Aracaju (state of Sergipe)

The total number of homicides was 372.

10. Natal (state of Rio Grande do Norte)

Natal had 480 homicides.

Four state capitals are present in the rate rank, but not in the absolute one. Those are São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte and Brasília, which have large populations, thus lowering the homicide rate. It is for this reason that the homicide rate is relatively low in these four state capitals, making them relatively safe to live, despite presenting the highest total number of homicides in Brazil, in the case of São Paulo, for instance.