Central America sees 7.15% fall in homicides

13th January 2023

According to official sources from each country, the total amount of violent deaths in 2022 fell 7.15% from 10,487 in 2021 to 9,737. El Salvador, which has embarked on a social crackdown that has seen over 2% of its adult population jailed, saw its homicide rate of 7.8 per 100,000 inhabitants. The lowest rate in a decade. 496 murders were officially recorded in El Salvador, Security Minister Gustavo Villatoro claimed 65% of those were committed in the first three months of 2022. Panama also saw a decrease while Costa Rica and Guatemala endured increases. Between Guatemala (4,274 deaths) and Honduras (3,397 deaths) they accounted for 81.86% of the region’s homicides. Costa Rica’s 656 homicides was the highest since records began.

Photo by David von Diemar

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