Jose Sanchez
Research expert covering society, economy, & politics for Latin America
Crime in Chile – statistics & facts
Chile ranks constantly among the most peaceful countries to live in Latin America, during 2023, the country recorded the third-lowest murder rate, only behind El Salvador and Peru. Nonetheless, crime and violence are still among the main problems according to public opinion. During the last couple of years, the number of police reports grew significantly, between 2021 and 2022 the increase was of around 16.8 percent. This rising tendency makes a significant concern in the public eye; in fact, the perception of insecurity has grown significantly.
Some crimes saw an exponential decline during 2020 and 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, nonetheless, they resurged with the same velocity. That’s the case of thefts, that recorded less than 60,000 reported felonies and then increased against to over 94,000 cases during 2023. Equally, the number of crimes under investigation has started to grow slowly during the last couple of years, while the number of people arrested declined in the same period.
The growing number of homicides follows the expansion of organized crime and a new wave of violence that the Chilean society is now facing. In fact, almost 37 percent of cases had as a context of aggression ties to criminal organizations or related to other crimes. The use of firearms also expanded during the last few years, with 52 percent of homicides committed in 2022 reported with this type of weapon. Lastly, the main place for homicides were public spaces, with over 65 percent.
Some crimes saw an exponential decline during 2020 and 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, nonetheless, they resurged with the same velocity. That’s the case of thefts, that recorded less than 60,000 reported felonies and then increased against to over 94,000 cases during 2023. Equally, the number of crimes under investigation has started to grow slowly during the last couple of years, while the number of people arrested declined in the same period.
Relatively peaceful but with rapid increases in homicides
Being among the lowest homicide rates of the regions does not tell the full story, in the last decade, Chile has seen a rapid increase in the number of recorded cases. From 2010 to 2022, the total intentional homicides increased 144.36 percent, going from 541 to 1,322 cases. As a result, the Government started the program called “Streets without Violence” (Calles sin Violencia) in April 2023. The plan has main activities directed towards the reduction of incidences which include increased police presence, effective prosecution, recovery of public spaces, and weapon control, among others.The growing number of homicides follows the expansion of organized crime and a new wave of violence that the Chilean society is now facing. In fact, almost 37 percent of cases had as a context of aggression ties to criminal organizations or related to other crimes. The use of firearms also expanded during the last few years, with 52 percent of homicides committed in 2022 reported with this type of weapon. Lastly, the main place for homicides were public spaces, with over 65 percent.
Ni una menos! (Not one [woman] less)
Approximately, one woman lost her life every eight days in Chile on account of her gender in 2023. The number of femicides reached its lowest figure in the last decade during that same year, nonetheless, the fight continues and the support to eradicate gender-based violence in the country is higher than ever. During 2022, over 70 percent of femicides were committed by either the current partners or former partners of the victims, and less than six percent by strangers. This type of violence does come from within, as 73 percent of the total cases that year were also carried out in the home of the victim.
