5 South African cities ranked among the most dangerous in the world, see where Lagos ranks

• Lagos has been ranked the 28th most crime-prone city in the world, placing it in the 'high' crime category.

• Five South African cities made the top 20. 

• The ranking comes despite Lagos Police Commissioner Olohundare Jimoh's February claim that major crimes had reduced. 

Lagos has been ranked the 28th most crime-prone city in the world according to the Numbeo 2026 Crime Index by City 2026 Mid-Year report. The same report ranks five South African cities in the top 20.

Cape Town and Pretoria, two of three South African capital cities, were ranked first and 16th respectively. Pietermaritzburg, Johannesburg, and Durban were ranked third, fifth and sixth, respectively.

The report’s ranking was measured over the course of five years using surveys from website visitors structured to establish scientific and government surveys, although users exhibiting suspicious behaviour were excluded.

“We carefully select cities for inclusion in the index based on a minimum number of contributors to ensure statistical significance. Additionally, our semiannual index is calculated twice a year by incorporating the latest data into the historical view,” the methodology reads in part.

Some of the metrics measured include: general perception of crime level in a particular city; perceived safety during the day and at night; concerns about crimes like “mugging, robbery, physical attacks, public harassment, and bias-motivated incidents.”

It also measured the severity of burglary, theft, vandalism, assault, homicide, and sexual offences. South Africa has also become a hostile country for migrants, with increased waves of anti-immigration protests in 2026 that have resulted in the deaths of several Nigerians. African businesses have also been attacked, with some sections of the protesters accusing the migrants of stealing their jobs and their women.

To arrive at the positions of each city, it measures the crime index of each city against its safety index. The scores were classified as follows: above 80 (very high), 60.1 to 80 (high), 40.1 to 60 (moderate), 20.1 to 40 (low), 20 and below (very low).

At the 28th position, Lagos’ score of 69.1 places the city’s crime rate at ‘high’.

In February, Lagos State Police Command said major crimes had reduced in the state. 

The Command said intelligence policing, community partnerships, and bolstered operational strategies were responsible for the report.

It also claimed that there was stable internal security, no serious breach of public peace and civil protests were managed without escalation.

“We ensured that no protest degenerated into violence, and incidents threatening critical infrastructure, such as the Third Mainland Bridge, were contained with minimum force.”

But a month before Jimoh’s claims, while residents of Oworonshoki, Makoko, Sogunro, Otumara, Ayetoro, Owode Onirin, Ajegunle and Bariga came out to protest the state’s recent demolition activities in their communities, the Lagos State police fired tear gas at them.

On October 20, during a peaceful protest in remembrance of victims who were killed by the military in 2020 at the Lekki Tollgate, men of the Lagos Police Force fired tear gas at the commemorators gathered.

Apart from the numerous cases of crime between February and now, the police force itself confirmed that a police officer discharged his firearm in Ajegunle on November 5, killing a young girl and injuring another. 

By Akinjide Adebowale