The Countries With the Most Documented Serial Killers, Ranked

True crime has gained extra eyes in recent years from things like documentaries and podcasts, and there’s still plenty of material out there to explore for writers, filmmakers, and podcasters.

Serial killers are a good option for these because of the unique facts of a case or trying to figure out who the killer was. It also helps that there have been so many of them—at least in the United States.

A report on serial killers by Radford University and Florida Gulf Coast University found some striking statistics about serial killers, including the countries they originate from. Studying data from 1900 to today, the researchers tracked down the origin countries of serial killers to determine exactly which countries have the most serial killers. Did your country make the list with the most serial killers?

United States

The United States has the highest number of serial killers from 1900 to today, and there’s no dispute that they lead the world in serial killers.

Researchers found that the U.S. had 3,802 serial killers that had been identified, which was a whopping 62.9% of all known serial killers in the world during that time. No country on the list had more than 200 identified serial killers except the United States.

But why are the numbers so high in the United States? It may not be that the country has a disproportionate number of killers but rather a more robust system than other countries to identify and capture serial killers. Dr. Mike Aamodt, a forensic psychology professor at Radford University and one of the authors of the study, told A&E that it's easier to find serial killers in the United States due to law-enforcement agencies that know how best to track and capture serial killers. The country also has more publicly available records for Americans to review to learn more about these serial killers and the cases connected to them.

The United States also had a surge of serial killers between 1960 and 1980, which Aamodt attributes to the development of the interstate system, making it easier for serial killers to find victims and escape prosecution.

Modern ways to investigate murders may have slowed down serial killers with the introduction of technology and DNA testing to help connect murders. It also may be why the percentage of women who are serial killers has declined from 38% of all serial killers in the 1900s to only 7% now. "Women are more likely to kill spouses and family members to get insurance or for financial gain," Aamodt told A&E. "But changes in technology have reduced the opportunity for women to be serial killers as opposed to men."

England

England came in second place with 188 identified serial killers in the country from 1900 to today. One of the most notorious serial killers in recent years was Dr. Harold Shipman, a general medical doctor who is believed to have murdered around 250 of his patients starting in 1971. He was convicted of 15 murders in 2000 and died in prison four years later.

Russia

Russia has the third-highest number of identified serial killers with 172, according to the report from Radford and FGCU. However, two serial killer cases in the country highlighted problems with law enforcement methods that came to light as part of the investigations. For example, Andrei Chikatilo, who was known as the "Butcher of Rostov," killed at least 50 women and children from 1978 to 1990 before finally being caught. In 2007, the "Chessboard Killer," Alexander Pichushkin was convicted of murdering 48 people with a goal of killing 64, which is equal to the number of squares on a chessboard. He later confessed to an additional 11 murders during his serial killer spree.

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