Which countries have the world's highest murder rates? Honduras tops the list

By CNN Staff

Updated 12:48 PM ET, Fri April 11, 2014

Just Watched

Narco Wars: Murder in Honduras

replay

Story highlights

U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime: Honduras has the world's highest homicide rate
There were 90.4 homicides per 100,000 people there in 2012, a new report says
Homicide rates in the Americas have long been higher than those in Europe and Asia

Honduras has the world's highest murder rate, according to a United Nations report released on Thursday.

There were 90.4 homicides per 100,000 people in Honduras in 2012, according to this year's report from the U.N. Office of Drugs and Crime.

The report analyzes the intentional homicides of about 437,000 people around the world in that year.

Honduras also topped the list in the office's last report, released in 2011.

In the Americas, homicide rates have been five to eight times higher than those of Europe and Asia since the mid-1950s, the study says, describing the phenomenon as "the legacy of decades of political and crime-related violence."

Here's a look at the U.N.'s latest tally of nations with the highest homicide rates:

COUNTRIES

Just Watched

Morgan, guest spar over gun control

replay

CNN Recommends

AIRASIA CRASH
10 questions about AirAsia tragedy
With the discovery of debris from the AirAsia plane, investigators move closer to discovering what happened. What are the key questions, and what comes next?
AirAsia disaster's lasting impact
The growth of AirAsia has been a regional aviation success story. The reason behind the loss of Flight QZ 8501 will be key to whether passengers start to shun it, says Alan Khee-Jin Tan.
'Africa is not a country' campaign
They say there are no stupid questions -- but are there? How about, "Do you speak African?"
What broke China's Internet in 2014
The year of outrage also applies to China's Internet users in 2014.
Swimming face-to-face with sharks
One man swims among sharks without the protection of a cage to make studio-quality, intimate photos of the sea creatures.
Turning footsteps into free energy
Using a technology that has been around for 130 years, a company called Pavegen hopes to create electricity from everyday human activities.
Father of Web predicts next phase
What's next for the Internet? Acclaimed scientist and fatherof the World Wide Web Sir Tim Berners-Lee shares his insights.
Best Instagram art of 2014
Gone are the days of grainy phone images with the resolution of a poor imitation Monet.
'Killing will be our religious duty'
A chilling video shows Boko Haram executing dozens of non-Muslims.
The year in pictures
"The year in pictures" treks across the globe, looking back on the events that shaped 2014.
Defining Moments: Our changing world
Each day, CNN brings you an image capturing a moment to remember, defining the present in our changing world.
Scenes from the field
Browse through images from CNN teams around the world that you don't always see on news reports.