A tiny country's startling crime statisticSourced
Vatican City had the world's highest murder rate in 1998. Its population explains why.
Two people were murdered in Vatican City in a single 1998 incident. With so few residents, that produced the world's highest annual rate when calculated per 100,000 people. There were no murders the following year, making its rate zero. The statistic reflects a very small denominator.
One event can swing a tiny country's rate.
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Reviewed: 2026-10-01