Crime hotspots: 3 SA cities with record-high ratings on global index

Numbeo released its mid-year global crime index this month, and three South African cities appear in the top 10 entries – by no means a proud achievement.

According to Numbeo, the crime index is based on “an estimation of the overall level of crime in a given city or a country”.

That said, the ratings are based on surveys from visitors of Numbeo’s website.

Global crime rankings

Dangerous SA cities

Pretoria appears second on the list with a crime rating of 81.98, followed by Durban in 6th place with a rating of 80.60, and Johannesburg in 7th, with a crime index rating of 80.55.

ALSO READ: Hatfield crime: Rape buttons in ladies toilets among solutions to curb scourge

Other South African cities with a high crime index include Port Elizabeth (12th, with a rating of 76.44), Cape Town (21st, with a rating of 73.13) and Bloemfontein (25th, with a rating of 71.32).

Top 10 worst cities

A city with a rating lower than 20 is considered extremely safe. Between 20 and 40 is considered “low”, whereas a ranking between 40 and 60 is seen as “moderate”.

Between 60 and 80 means crime levels are very high, and anything higher than 80 should best be avoided.

The top 10 worst places in the world on the crime index are:

• Caracas, Venezuela (83.98)
• Pretoria, South Africa (81.98)
• Celaya, Mexico (81.80)
• San Pedro Sula, Honduras (80.87)
• Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (80.71)
• Durban, South Africa (80.60)
• Johannesburg, South Africa (80.55)
• Kabul, Afghanistan (79.39)
• Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (77.93)
• Natal, Brazil (77.69)

Quality of Life survey

Three SA cities also appeared in another recent Numbeo report.

Cape Town ranked 127th on the 2022 Quality of Life survey, followed by Durban in 141st, Pretoria in 151st, and Johannesburg in 155th.

The Quality of Life survey takes Purchase Power, Safety, Health Care, Cost of Living, Property Price, Traffic Commute Time, Pollution Index and Climate Index into consideration.

Population size correlation

Meanwhile, Visual Capitalist recently explored the question: Does a city’s population size impact its quality of life?

The team found a negative relationship between the Quality of Life Index and the Metro Area Population above 2.4 million median inhabitants.

The cities with the highest Qualify of Life Index ratings are:

• Adelaide, Australia
• The Hague, Netherlands
• Perth, Australia
• Zurich, Switzerland
• Basel, Switzerland

ALSO READ: Bodies of two women found dumped in Durban

Tokyo an exception

However, Visual Capitalist’s report also showed it was possible for megacities (such as Tokyo in Japan) to offer an above-average quality of life.

Tokyo has an efficient public transport system coupled with relatively affordable housing counting in its favour, partly due to the city’s land zoning system.

The city’s rail service once issued a public apology for a 25-second departure delay, saying it was a “truly inexcusable mistake“.

ALSO READ: Crime has South Africa in a corner