NAIROBI, Oct 1, 2007 (AFP) - Crime is increasing in the world's cities and now affects more than half of urban residents in developing countries, the UN agency for human settlements said in a report Monday.

Global crime rates increased by around 30 percent between 1980 and 2000, the equivalent of more than 3,000 extra crimes per 100,000 people, said UN-Habitat, which is based in Nairobi.

In the last five years, 60 percent of city residents in developing countries have fallen victim to crime, it said, attributing the trend mainly to rapid and chaotic urbanisation.