Crime and violence in Ecuador – statistics & facts
Since 2020, Ecuador has experienced an ongoing increase in violence. On 9 August 2023, Fernando Villavicencio, the presidential candidate from Movimiento Construye (MC25), was assassinated in a violent attack at a political rally in Quito. Villavicencio's main proposals were to combat the mass insecurity the country has been experiencing and the corruption present in institutions and the police. Following the escape of the drug lord José Macias Villamar from prison in 2024, the current president, Noboa, declared a state of emergency to combat organized crime.
