Two U.S. cities among 25 most violent in the world, new report shows

>>> Click through to see the other cities on the list less Ciudad Juarez (pictured) was the fifth-most violent city in the world with a homicide rate of 85.56 per 100,000 people. Two U.S. cities were also in the top 25. >>> Click through to see the other ... more Ciudad Juarez (pictured) was the fifth-most violent city in the world with a homicide rate of 85.56 per 100,000 people. Two U.S. cities were also in the top 25. Photo: JESUS ALCAZAR Photo: JESUS ALCAZAR Image 1 of / 36 Caption Close Two U.S. cities among 25 most violent in the world, new report shows 1 / 36 Back to Gallery

Latin American cities dominate the list of the most violent municipalities in the world, but a few U.S. cities remain neck-and-neck with those that regularly deal with gang wars and cartel violence, according to an annual study by Mexico's Citizens' Council for Public Security and Criminal Justice.

St. Louis, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland, were the only two U.S. cities in the top 25. Only two other U.S. cities — Detroit, Michigan (No. 46), and New Orleans, Louisiana (No. 50)— made the top 50 list.

The Citizens' Council tracked homicide totals and rates per 100,000 people in cities with more than 300,000 residents. The purpose of the study is partly to apply pressure to leaders in those urban areas, according to a summary on the group's website.

Despite the political objective, the group said it didn't twist the data to produce a desired outcome.

"Our interest is just to know the truth," according to a translation of their methodology.

The list also isn't immune to error, according to the methodology. Some municipalities don't provide accurate homicide statistics. It those cases, the researchers used conservative estimates to arrive at annual figures.

Most of the cities on the list have been ravaged by cartel violence or gang wars or both, including the Mexican cities of Juarez (No. 5) and Acapulco (No. 2).

A March 2017 report from The Journal Times indicated that Mexico's murder total had been rising from 2014 to the first months of 2017. Another article from Time said Mexico was on track to surpass the grim 2017 homicide numbers (26,168) in 2018.

Brazil and Venezuela also accounted for large portion of the most violent cities.

The list did not include cities that suffer open war conflicts, such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

>>> Chron.com compiled a slideshow of the top 25 most violent cities on the list. To view the full list, visit the council's website.

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.