Countries with the highest number of serial killers
Indeed, some countries around the world have earned a chilling reputation for experiencing some of the most heinous crimes imaginable. And they're not just one-off crimes: quite a lot of serial killers have managed to increase the homicide rate in these nations and cause chaos amongst the general public. By definition, a serial killer is a person who murders three or more people, on separate occasions, unlike a mass murderer, who kills multiple people at once.
So, which countries have experienced the most serial killers? Click through this gallery to find out.
15. Spain
The first country to appear on this list is Spain, which has had only 28 serial killers in the course of its recorded history. The nation is actually considered one of the safest in the world, but its history has certainly had some dark spots of repeated murderers.
14. Brazil
Brazil is the next country to appear on this list, with 42 serial killers under its belt. This number is surprisingly low though, since Brazil is considered one of the most dangerous countries on the planet with the most number of intentional homicides annually.
13. Mexico
Over in North America, Mexico has had a total of 64 serial killers in its recorded history. Most of them have come from the second half of the 20th century, although some have been convicted as recently as 2023.
Gregorio Cárdenas Hernández is Mexico’s most most notorious serial killer, even though his number of victims wasn’t the biggest. Cárdenas Hernández’s case was the first to be highly publicized at the time, which is why he has been recorded as the most infamous.
12. China
There are a total of four Asian nations featured on this list, and China is one of them. Throughout history, the country has had 68 serial killers, which included a 30-year manhunt for a man dubbed as the Chinese Jack the Ripper.
11. France
The European nation of France is next on the list, with 89 serial killers in its recorded history. Paris, the City of Light, has had a dark history of bloodshed (especially considering it's where the guillotine was invented), and its record of serial murders only adds to it.
10. Australia
Tenth place on the list goes to Australia, where 92 confirmed serial killers have wreaked havoc on the country throughout its history. Interestingly, the nation hasn’t had a long history of serial killers, and the first, Frank Butler, was only confirmed in 1896.
9. Italy
The next country on the list is Italy, where 95 serial killers have dwelt. But violent crime is relatively low here, which makes it somewhat shocking to find the country listed in this top 10.
8. Germany
Germany’s history of serial killers is filled with barbarism. Indeed, one of the 99 confirmed serial killers in the country’s history was actually a serial cannibal who killed and ate dozens of vagrants and travelers in the early 20th century.
7. Canada
Canada is often cited as an endearingly safe place to live, and although this may be true for many aspects of the country, it has been home to about 125 serial killers throughout its recorded history, which puts it in seventh place on this list.
5. India
Arriving in the top five is India, where 130 serial killers have claimed the lives of victims over the decades. The most recent murders occurred this year, and the killer (Kuldeep Kumar Gangwar) was apprehended on August 9, 2024.
4. Japan
While Japan relies on cultural platitudes that make the nation one of the most advanced in the world, it clearly hasn’t had an impact on the number of murderers residing in its borders. In fact, approximately 138 serial killers have been confirmed in Japan, the fourth-highest of any country on Earth.
3. Russia
The largest country in the world occupies this list’s third place. Russia has had 164 serial killers throughout its recorded history. Yet although the nation is rather old, the first confirmed serial murderer committed his crimes mostly in the 1980s.
2. United Kingdom
Second place goes to the United Kingdom, where 196 serial killers have made their home and murdered their victims. The UK has produced some of the world’s most prolific serial killers, and no one would be able to forget the nation’s first, Jack the Ripper.
1. United States
Probably unsurprisingly, the most number of serial killers have come from the United States, where a shocking 3,690 of them have left a trail of murder and heartbreak. The US is notorious for a plethora of infamously diabolical serial killers, but which one is the worst?
