Editing Kidnapping (section)

===Countries with the highest rates===
[[File:Kidnappers arrested Rio.jpg|thumb|Arrested kidnappers in [[Rio de Janeiro, Brazil]] lying on the ground|308x308px]]
In 2021, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that the United States was the country with most kidnappings, totaling 56,652.<ref>{{Cite web |title=dp-crime-violent-offences {{!}} dataUNODC |url=https://dataunodc.un.org/dp-crime-violent-offences |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=dataunodc.un.org}}</ref> This is in comparison to 2010, when they were ranked sixth in the world (by absolute numbers, not per capita) for kidnapping by ransom, according to available statistics (after Colombia, Italy, Lebanon, Peru, and the Philippines).<ref>{{cite news |date=14 May 2011 |title=Business Horizons |url=https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1038/is_n3_v33/ai_9114855/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709154213/https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1038/is_n3_v33/ai_9114855/ |archive-date=9 July 2012 |publisher=FindArticles.com}}</ref>

Kidnapping for ransom is a common occurrence in various parts of the world today. In 2018, the [[United Nations]] found Pakistan and England had the highest number of kidnappings while New Zealand had the highest rate among the 70 countries for which data is available.<ref name="dataunodc"/> As of 2007, that title belonged to [[Iraq]] with possibly 1,500 foreigners kidnapped.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncciraq.org/en/?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=17|title=(NCCI) &#124; NGO Coordination Committee for Iraq|website=www.ncciraq.org}}</ref> In 2004, it was [[Mexico]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1873798.html |title=Welcome to Mexico City the new kidnap capital of the World|work=[[The Independent|The Independent on Sunday]] |date=September 5, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070524120611/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1873798.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-05-24 |access-date=2012-01-20}}</ref> and in 2001, it was [[Colombia]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1410316.stm |title=Colombia: Kidnap capital of the world|work=BBC News |date=2001-06-27 |access-date=2012-01-20}}</ref> Reports suggest a world total of 12,500–25,500 per year with 3,600 per year in Colombia and 3,000 per year in Mexico around the year 2000.<ref>{{cite web|title=Facts about Kidnapping|url=https://www.freelegaladvicehelp.com/criminal-lawyer/kidnapping/Facts-About-Kidnapping.html|publisher=Free Legal Advice|access-date=2011-01-09|archive-date=2010-12-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215225226/http://freelegaladvicehelp.com/criminal-lawyer/kidnapping/Facts-About-Kidnapping.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref> However, by 2016, the number of kidnappings in Colombia had declined to 205 and it continues to decline.<ref name="Military Personnel">{{cite web|url=https://www.mindefensa.gov.co/irj/go/km/docs/Mindefensa/Documentos/descargas/estudios%20sectoriales/info_estadistica/Logros_Sector_Defensa.pdf |title=Military Personnel – Logros de la Política Integral de Seguridad y Defensa para la Prosperidad |language=es |publisher=mindefensa.gov.co |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413195638/https://www.mindefensa.gov.co/irj/go/km/docs/Mindefensa/Documentos/descargas/estudios%20sectoriales/info_estadistica/Logros_Sector_Defensa.pdf |archive-date=2015-04-13 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-38450688|title= Colombia kidnappings down 92% since 2000, police say|publisher = bbc.com|date = 28 December 2016}}</ref>

Mexican numbers are hard to confirm because of fears of police involvement in kidnapping.<ref>
{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mexkidnap5-2008aug05,0,5466136.story|title=Mexican police linked to rising kidnappings|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=Aug 5, 2008|access-date=2011-01-10|first1=Marla|last1=Dickerson|first2=Cecilia|last2=Sanchez}}</ref> According to [[Pax Christi]], a [[Catholic peace traditions|Catholic peace movement]], "Kidnapping seems to flourish particularly in fragile states and conflict countries, as politically motivated militias, organized crime and the drugs mafia fill the vacuum left by government".<ref name="paxchristi" />

Since 2019, the risk of kidnapping has risen worldwide, as a result of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. This increase is mostly seen in kidnappings for ransom. This factors from a variety of aspects, including socioeconomic disparities, insufficient resources, and flawed judicial systems. Another impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on kidnappers is the economic strain that it had put many families through. This pressured kidnappers to increase kidnappings as well as ransom demands. After 2022, the diminishing effects of COVID-19 have led many countries to welcome back in-person interactions, travel and tourism. The connection between increased tourism and kidnapping is reflected through the rise of global kidnapping rates from 2019 to 2021–2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dowding |first=Tony |date=February 20, 2023 |title=Kidnap and ransom risk on the rise |url=https://www.commercialriskonline.com/kidnap-and-ransom-risk-on-the-rise/ |access-date=March 19, 2024 |website=Global Risk Manager}}</ref>

[[File:Kidnappings Per 100,000 Population.png|thumb|320x320px|The 10 countries with the highest kidnapping rates in 2023<ref>{{Cite web |last=Papadopoulos |first=Anna |date=2023-10-08 |title=Ranked: These Are the Countries with the Highest Kidnapping Rates, 2023 |url=https://ceoworld.biz/2023/10/08/ranked-these-are-the-countries-with-the-highest-kidnapping-rates-2023/ |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=CEOWORLD magazine |language=en-US}}</ref>]]

The highest recorded ransom demand in 2021 was $77.3 million, while in 2019, it was $28.7 million. Between those two years, the average global ransom demand increased 43%, while the median global ransom demand increased by 6%. In [[Sub-Saharan Africa]], regions such as [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo (DRC)]], [[Nigeria]], and [[South Africa]] are likely to maintain higher levels of kidnappings due to ongoing effects of religious extremist groups, recent genocides, and civil wars. While there is no hard evidence of which country had the most kidnappings in 2021, the American region (which includes Mexico) maintains its position as the region with the second highest kidnapping rates.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-14 |title=Kidnap for ransom in 2022 |url=https://www.controlrisks.com/our-thinking/insights/kidnap-for-ransom-in-2022 |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=www.controlrisks.com |language=en}}</ref>

One notorious failed example of kidnap for ransom was the 1976 [[Chowchilla kidnapping|Chowchilla bus kidnapping]], in which 26 children were abducted with the intention of bringing in a $5 million ransom. The children and driver escaped from an underground van without the aid of law enforcement.<ref>{{cite web |date=1976-07-15 |title=Chowchilla kidnap, Crime Library website |url=https://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/chowchilla_kidnap/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403043518/https://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/chowchilla_kidnap/index.html |archive-date=2014-04-03 |access-date=2012-01-20 |publisher=Crimelibrary.com}}</ref> According to the [[United States Department of Justice|Department of Justice]], kidnapping makes up 2% of all reported violent crimes against juveniles.<ref name="project.org" />