Among the most populous cities of countries in Western Europe, Amsterdam has the highest murder rate, according to newly released figures from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported by the Guardian.

The UNODC data indicate murder rates from 2009 in the most populous cities in 65 countries, and define "murder" as "unlawful death purposefully inflicted on a person by another person."

Among Western European countries, Amsterdam leads the list with 4,4 murders per 100.000 people, followed by Glasgow (3,3 per 100.000), and Brussels (3 per 100.000). However, Europe's most murderous cities are in the East, with Tallinn ranking highest (7,3 per 100.000), followed by Minsk (5,7 per 100.000) and Chisinau (5,5 per 100.000).

Of the cities included in the UNODC data, the murder rates of those in Central America are by far the highest, and 12 of the 13 highest murder rates occur in cities in Central and South America. Caracas tops the list with a murder rate of 122 per 100.000, with Guatemala City following closely thereafter (118,3 per 100.000).

Men are much more likely to be murdered in nearly every country studied. For example, in Venezuela, Mali, and Libya over 90% of victims are men. Women are only at a significantly higher risk of murder in two countries: Nauru (80% female victims) and Malta (75%).

On the other hand, the cities with the lowest murder rates were Lisbon (0,2 per 100.000), Ljubljana (0,4 per 100.000), and Tokyo (0,4 per 100.000).

You can take a closer look at UNODC homicide statistics here.

Note that according to data over the last 5 years from Statistics Netherlands, Amsterdam is the Dutch city with the highest murder rate, followed by Rotterdam and The Hague. The murder rate in these three cities together is three times the national average.