Homicide in Latin America and the Caribbean - statistics & facts
Latin America has been labeled the 鈥溾 and is considered one of the most violent regions around the globe. Since the 1980s, most Latin American and Caribbean countries have faced a challenging scenario of recurring economic crisis and social inequality. This unfortunate situation, also characterized by high unemployment rates and poorly financed education systems, is the main factor causing the subcontinent鈥檚 violent crime problem. The lack of basic infrastructure inherited from colonial times, as well as the resulting power imbalance between the global North and South have also contributed to the consistent, violent realities of Latin America. The degree of severity, nonetheless, varies among countries: for instance, Jamaica was the nation with the highest homicide rates in the region in 2023, with an average of 60.9 victims per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Ecuador and Haiti. More specifically, seven cities in Mexico and one in Ecuador were among the most murder-plagued Latin American municipalities. By contrast, the homicide rate in countries like Paraguay, El Salvador, and Chile was below 10 victims per 100,000 inhabitants.
