13. Northern Somalia
Here’s a bit of the State Department’s blurb on Somalia, “Kidnapping, bombings, murder, illegal roadblocks, banditry, and other violent incidents and threats to U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals can occur in any region of Somalia.” That’s right, the country is so unstable, and so strapped for resources that they can’t even quell “banditry”. Even the “safer” parts of the country, like Mogadishu, are only kept in check with help of an al-Qaida affiliate. So … probably best to avoid Somalia altogether, which is a shame because the parts that aren’t on fire are really quite beautiful.
14. Afghanistan
You may not have heard, but the situation in Afghanistan is a little bit precarious. Where most of the countries on this list are just generally dangerous, Afghanistan is specifically dangerous for Americans (which isn’t to say it’s a paradise for everyone else, of course). It’s common sense to stay clear of war-torn countries, especially when you have a target on your back. Maybe one day it’ll be a worthy traveler draw again, but that day is a while off.
15. Detroit, USA
No list of the world’s most dangerous places would be complete without making some mention of Detroit, America’s own in-house third world country. Entire neighborhoods of people in this American city live without electricity or clean water. In 2015, the 911 response time was somewhere over an hour. It’s murder rate is about 10 times the national average, coming in at or near the top of the list of murder capitals of America many years running. The city balances that out with countless of cases of assault, arson, robbery and other crimes throughout the year. And, if that’s not enough there’s always the roving packs of violent stray dogs to be wary of.
