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Crime > Kidnappings: Countries Compared

Ian Graham, Staff Editor

Author: Ian Graham, Staff Editor

Gunmen <a href= http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_kid>kidnapped</a> an Italian aid worker from the CARE International aid agency on May 16 in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The car the woman was traveling in was intercepted and blocked by another car. <p>The area of Kabul where the Italian was kidnapped has several guest houses and restaurants that are popular with foreigners. On May 8, a <a href= http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mor_ass_by_exp_mat>bomb attack</a> in an Internet café in the same area killed three people, including a U.N. worker from Myanmar. <p> Aid agencies operating in Kabul have warned to staff to keep a low profile in recent weeks following two unsuccessful kidnapping attempts. In April, an American man was forced into the trunk of a car by kidnappers but managed to jump out. In another incident, gunmen intercepted a car carrying foreigners but the driver escaped. A British adviser to the government was <a href= http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mor_ass_by_rif_sho_and_lar_fir_dis>killed in a shooting</a> near a U.N. guest house in March. <p>In October of last year, three U.N. workers were kidnapped in Kabul and held for 27 days before being released. The Afghan government said the October kidnapping was committed by a gang of criminals hired by a Taliban splinter faction that threatened to kill them unless Taliban prisoners were freed. <p>Taliban guerrillas have attacked and killed dozens of aid and election workers since launching an insurgency after they were forced from power by U.S.-led forces in 2001 for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden. But most of their attacks have been in rural areas of the country, particularly in the south and east.
DEFINITION: Number of kidnappings recorded by police in that country per 100,000 population.

CONTENTS

#
COUNTRY
AMOUNT
DATE
GRAPH
1 TurkeyTurkey 14.84 2006
2 CanadaCanada 13.82 2006
3 KuwaitKuwait 11.52 2006
4 SwazilandSwaziland 8.61 2006
5 ScotlandScotland 7.45 2004
6 South AfricaSouth Africa 6.65 2004
7 TunisiaTunisia 5.77 2006
8 PortugalPortugal 5.25 2006
9 LuxembourgLuxembourg 5.14 2006
10 Sri LankaSri Lanka 4.48 2006
11 AustraliaAustralia 3.81 2006
12 BelgiumBelgium 3.68 2006
13 SwitzerlandSwitzerland 3.66 2004
14 FranceFrance 3.53 2006
15 Northern IrelandN. Ireland 3.1 2006
16 BahrainBahrain 2.82 2004
17 BelizeBelize 2.77 2002
18 TurkmenistanTurkmenistan 2.66 2006
19 BulgariaBulgaria 2.46 2002
20 IndiaIndia 2.09 2006
21 United Arab EmiratesUAE 1.94 2006
22 IrelandIreland 1.87 2006
23 CyprusCyprus 1.78 2006
24 LithuaniaLithuania 1.77 2006
25 ZimbabweZimbabwe 1.58 2006
26 RomaniaRomania 1.34 2006
27 New ZealandNew Zealand 0.91 2006
28 LebanonLebanon 0.9 2004
29 NepalNepal 0.89 2006
30 ArmeniaArmenia 0.85 2006
31 GeorgiaGeorgia 0.77 2003
32 QatarQatar 0.75 2004
33 BangladeshBangladesh 0.72 2006
34 ChileChile 0.71 2006
35 IcelandIceland 0.7 2006
36 JordanJordan 0.59 2005
37 MexicoMexico 0.56 2006
38 KazakhstanKazakhstan 0.55 2006
39 BoliviaBolivia 0.53 2002
40 SpainSpain 0.51 2004
41 UkraineUkraine 0.5 2004
=42 Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia 0.49 2002
=42 AlbaniaAlbania 0.49 2001
44 ItalyItaly 0.47 2006
45 PanamaPanama 0.46 2006
46 AlgeriaAlgeria 0.44 2006
47 PeruPeru 0.41 2002
48 EcuadorEcuador 0.36 2006
=49 MoldovaMoldova 0.35 2006
=49 MaldivesMaldives 0.35 2006
=49 LatviaLatvia 0.35 2004
=52 DenmarkDenmark 0.3 2006
=52 SloveniaSlovenia 0.3 2006
=52 SlovakiaSlovakia 0.3 2006
=55 MoroccoMorocco 0.27 2006
=55 SyriaSyria 0.27 2002
=57 AzerbaijanAzerbaijan 0.25 2006
=57 KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan 0.25 2002
=59 BelarusBelarus 0.24 2006
=59 Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina 0.24 2006
61 BurmaBurma 0.2 2006
=62 HungaryHungary 0.19 2006
=62 Serbia and MontenegroSerbia+ 0.19 2006
64 GermanyGermany 0.17 2002
=65 CroatiaCroatia 0.16 2006
=65 Czech RepublicCzech Republic 0.16 2002
67 JapanJapan 0.15 2006
68 Dominican RepublicDominican Rep. 0.14 2006
69 El SalvadorEl Salvador 0.13 2006
=70 Costa RicaCosta Rica 0.11 2006
=70 NicaraguaNicaragua 0.11 2004
72 UruguayUruguay 0.09 2006
=73 TajikistanTajikistan 0.08 2006
=73 ParaguayParaguay 0.08 2005
75 EstoniaEstonia 0.07 2006
76 PolandPoland 0.06 2005
77 AustriaAustria 0.05 2004
78 MongoliaMongolia 0.04 2006
79 PhilippinesPhilippines 0.03 2006
=80 ThailandThailand 0.02 2006
=80 EgyptEgypt 0.02 2006
=80 SingaporeSingapore 0.02 2006
=80 FinlandFinland 0.02 2004
84 BruneiBrunei 0.0 2004

Citation

Crime > Kidnappings: Countries Compared Map

NationMaster
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Interesting observations about Crime > Kidnappings

  • Turkey ranked first for kidnappings amongst Europe in 2006.
  • Canada ranked first for kidnappings amongst Cold countries in 2006.
  • Portugal ranked first for kidnappings amongst European Union in 2006.
  • Japan ranked last for kidnappings amongst Group of 7 countries (G7) in 2006.
  • All of the top 2 countries by kidnappings are Non-religious.
  • Bulgaria ranked first for kidnappings amongst Eastern Europe in 2002.
  • Turkmenistan ranked first for kidnappings amongst Former Soviet republics in 2006.
  • Germany ranked 5th last for kidnappings amongst NATO countries in 2002.
  • Australia ranked #4 for kidnappings amongst High income OECD countries in 2006.
  • Chile ranked first for kidnappings amongst Former Spanish colonies in 2006.

0

Gunmen <a href= http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_kid>kidnapped</a> an Italian aid worker from the CARE International aid agency on May 16 in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. The car the woman was traveling in was intercepted and blocked by another car. <p>The area of Kabul where the Italian was kidnapped has several guest houses and restaurants that are popular with foreigners. On May 8, a <a href= http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mor_ass_by_exp_mat>bomb attack</a> in an Internet café in the same area killed three people, including a U.N. worker from Myanmar. <p> Aid agencies operating in Kabul have warned to staff to keep a low profile in recent weeks following two unsuccessful kidnapping attempts. In April, an American man was forced into the trunk of a car by kidnappers but managed to jump out. In another incident, gunmen intercepted a car carrying foreigners but the driver escaped. A British adviser to the government was <a href= http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mor_ass_by_rif_sho_and_lar_fir_dis>killed in a shooting</a> near a U.N. guest house in March. <p>In October of last year, three U.N. workers were kidnapped in Kabul and held for 27 days before being released. The Afghan government said the October kidnapping was committed by a gang of criminals hired by a Taliban splinter faction that threatened to kill them unless Taliban prisoners were freed. <p>Taliban guerrillas have attacked and killed dozens of aid and election workers since launching an insurgency after they were forced from power by U.S.-led forces in 2001 for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden. But most of their attacks have been in rural areas of the country, particularly in the south and east.

Posted on 17 May 2005

Ian Graham, Staff Editor

Ian Graham, Staff Editor

0

Colombia’s second-largest guerilla group – the National Liberation Army or ELN – has refused to stop carrying out kidnappings, saying the 3,000-member group needs the money from ransoms to operate. The government has insisted on an end to kidnappings as a precondition for peace talks. <p>In the first half of 2004, 966 people were kidnapped in Colombia, less than half of the 1,906 people kidnapped in the same period of 2003. An average of 3,000 people were kidnapped in the country each year from 1996 to 2003. <p>Ransom payments over the eight-year period were estimated at $57 million, with an average ransom of $20,000. The estimated cost to the economy was $150 million, including loss of income, and the government also spent $110 million to crack down on abductions. <p>Most kidnappings were carried out by the FARC and the ELN, left-wing rebel groups that have waged a 40-year conflict against the state.

Posted on 04 Apr 2005

Ian Graham, Staff Editor

Ian Graham, Staff Editor

0

But wait! United States and Mexico have to be on the list! After all my uber republican talking heads told me that all illegal immigrants are dangerous and that all they do is kidnap and murder! So how can we not be on the list! (Sarcasm is a virtue - illegal immigrants might harm the economy and some social programs, but physically they're probably less likely to hurt or kidnap you than the average Joe next door.)

Posted on 17 Aug 2010

Apple

Apple

0

I love all these Rush wingnuts taking His word for Gospel. Where is US and Mexico. Rush said they were highest rate of kidnapping in the world so you guys are lying because Rush is "always right"---=-NOT

Posted on 01 Aug 2010

Ken Dornacker

Ken Dornacker

0

I now why didn't the COUNTRY NO 1 in KIDNAPS "MEXICO" didn't appear, they also have the No. 1 In corruption, so they may have paid something to not be listed in this chart...

Posted on 23 Jul 2010

Abism

Abism

0

I'm totally amazed and surprised of not seeing Honduras on this chart, it is my belief that the number of kidnappings that rae taking place in Honduras it might be to big to figure on this chart... I suggest the editors to give attention to this data, since on the latest years the number of crimes related to poverty in honduras, and most specifically the crimes of kidnappings has grown over three figure numbers.

Posted on 07 Jul 2010

S_Pato (Honduras)

S_Pato (Honduras)

0

Surprised Mexico isn't on the list, though a lot of kidnappings in Mexico are either not reported (when actual kidnaps w/ransom demand) or reported and classified as armed robbery (known as the express kidnap).

Posted on 14 Jun 2010

In Mexico

In Mexico

0

WTH? Where's the US? Im from the US and I think that it's disturbing we aren't on there. I know we have the highest number of kidnappings, so what gives with this biased statistic.

Posted on 26 Mar 2010

Crystal

Crystal

0

United Kingdom rates n.1 :How come? Any explanations?

Posted on 06 Mar 2010

Kiara from Hungary

Kiara from Hungary

0

Hey! Is it true that India is free from Kidnapping, how come so? Glad to know that so many countries are far ahead than India in kidnappin? I never knew that .

Posted on 09 Jan 2010

Pushkar Khari

Pushkar Khari

0

Then we have "legal" kidnapping done by police nowadays, mainly in Europe but it could be everywhere nowadays.
http://www.cbn.com/media/player/index.aspx?s=/vod/DHU93v2_WS&search=%20%20dominic%20johansson&p=1&parent=0&subnav=false

Posted on 23 Dec 2009

efekten

efekten

0

The high number of kidnappings reported for Canada surprised me until I thought about it. In Canada, the abduction of a child by the "non-custodial" parent is reported as a kidnapping (not a domestic or custodial dispute). Occaisionally a divorced parent will pick up their child for visitation and go to the other side of the country with no intension of returning the child. It is then reported as a kidnapping to prompt immediate action by the police in that jurisdiction to apprehend the parent and return the child.

Posted on 15 Nov 2009

Darla (Canada)

Darla (Canada)

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