Trump claims Washington DC crime rate is ‘worse than Islamabad’: Here’s what the data reveals

Trump claims Washington DC crime rate is ‘worse than Islamabad.’

United States President Donald Trump has stated that Washington, D.C.’s murder rate is higher than that of several major global capitals, placing it among the most dangerous cities worldwide.

In response, Trump unveiled a plan to place the Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and to deploy 800 National Guard troops to the US capital, adding that the city’s violent crime levels make it comparable to “the worst places on Earth.”

According to the White House, “Washington D.C.’s murder rate is roughly three times higher than that of Islamabad, Pakistan.”

Trump held up a chart that read “DC: 41 per 100,000” and added, “No.1 that we can find anywhere in the world. Other cities are pretty bad, but they’re not as bad as that.”

The announcement came alongside an executive order invoking provisions of the Home Rule Act, allowing the president to assume direct oversight of the city’s police in what he called a “crime emergency.”

Trump’s order also builds on his authority over the DC National Guard, which consists of around 2,700 personnel who report directly to the president rather than to local officials, unlike their counterparts in US states.

Data discrepancies? 

At a recent press conference, President Donald Trump shared data on Washington, D.C.’s murder rate, some of which was first shown on Fox News’ “The Will Cain Show” last week. However, parts of the information used were from 2023, not the most recent figures.

The White House released a chart showing the 2024 murder rate per 100,000 people, with Washington, D.C. leading at 27.54. In 2023, the city had 274 murders, resulting in a homicide rate of 39.4 per 100,000 residents.

Although this was the highest rate in 20 years, it wasn’t the highest ever. Murder rates were much higher in the 1990s and early 2000s, and many cities worldwide had worse rates.

Trump compared Washington’s homicide rate with cities like Bogotá (15.1), Panama City (15), San José (13), Mexico City (10), Lima (7.7), and Brasília (6.8), based on official statistics.

The White House also shared a list featuring Bogotá (15.1), Mexico City (10.6), Islamabad (9.2), Ottawa (2.17), Paris (1.64), Delhi (1.49), and London (1.1), highlighting that Washington’s murder rate is significantly higher than many other major cities.

These comparisons are mostly accurate, but experts say the homicide rate alone doesn’t give the full picture of safety. Different countries report crimes differently, and city sizes vary, so direct comparisons can be misleading.

The sharp rise in murders in 2023 made Washington one of the most dangerous U.S. cities that year, but official data shows a big drop since then. In 2024, the homicide rate fell to 27.3 per 100,000 people, a 35% decrease in violent crime according to the U.S. Department of Justice, the lowest level in over 30 years.

As of August 11, the city had reported 99 homicides, compared to 112 in the same period last year, a 12% drop. Federal data also shows violent crime overall fell 26% in the first seven months of this year compared to the same time in 2023.

However, there are differences between local and federal numbers. The Metropolitan Police Department reported a 35% drop in violent crime for 2024, while FBI data showed a smaller 9% decline. Both agree that crime has decreased, but they differ on how much.

Trump's decision follows his remarks at a press conference where he cited specific incidents, including the fatal shooting of a 21-year-old congressional intern caught in crossfire and the injury of a 19-year-old former Department of Government Efficiency employee during a reported attempted carjacking.

He claimed that “the number of carjackings has more than tripled” over the past five years. Official MPD data shows 189 carjacking cases reported so far in 2025, a decrease from 300 during the same timeframe in 2024.

However, according to the Council on Criminal Justice, carjackings surged after 2020, peaking in June 2023 with 140 cases reported in that month alone.

Robbery numbers have also dropped notably this year, showing a 28 per cent decline compared to the same period in 2024.