Colima is a city in central-western Mexico that is home to some 143,000 people and is part of the homonym state.
Located near the 12,530ft tall Colima volcano, the city has in recent years become known around the world for its high homicide rate.
An analysis published in 2022 by the Mexican NGO Citizens’ Council for Public Safety and Criminal Justice (CCSPJP) said Colima reported 181.94 homicides per 100,000 residents.
The violent trend has continued over the past months, as fresh data on the world’s murder rate released by WorldAtlas in June 2024 suggested the first half of the year saw 140.32 reported homicides for every 100,000 inhabitants in Colima.
This number would make it the world’s most dangerous city, followed by another Mexican city, Ciudad Obregón, where there have been so far 117.83 recorded homicides for every 100,000 residents. The analysis does not include war-torn countries or areas of conflict.
A similar murder rate has prompted the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to issue a travel warning about Colima – as well as other areas of Mexico considered dangerous.
The department’s advice on the whole state of Colima read: “FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the state of Colima, except the city of Manzanillo accessed by sea or air via the Manzanillo-Costalegre International Airport, and direct travel via road 200 from the airport to Manzanillo.”
The FCDO has a similar “do not travel” advice in place for several areas of Mexico, a country visited by around half a million Britons every year.
Merida and Cancun, in the Yucatan peninsula, are among the preferred holiday destinations, as is Mexico City.
While Colima is now known for its high homicide rate, less than 15 years ago it was ranked by FDI Intelligence among the top 10 cities in Latin America when it came to the cost-benefit category for small cities.
For its analysis, the publication took into account a total of six categories – economic potential, human resources, cost-benefit, quality of life, infrastructure and business-friendly environment – and 450 cities in North and South America.