According to InSight Crime’s 2025 Homicide Round-Up, about 11,000 people were killed in the Caribbean last year, resulting in a median homicide rate of 34.0 per 100,000 individuals.
The Caribbean countries with the lowest homicide rates in 2025 were the Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Puerto Rico.
On the other hand, the highest homicide rates in the Caribbean region were recorded by Haiti, Turks and Caicos, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
| Country | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024-2025 % Change |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dominican Republic | 11.5 | 9.6 | 8.7 | -8.9% ▼ |
| 2 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 66.4 | 59.8 | 13.6 | -77.2% ▼ |
| 3 | Puerto Rico | 14.4 | 15.3 | 14.5 | -4.8% ▼ |
| 4 | Guyana | 19.7 | 14.1 | 15.6 | 10.5% ▲ |
| 5 | Barbados | 6.7 | 17.7 | 17.7 | – |
| 6 | The Bahamas | 26.8 | 29.7 | 20.6 | -30.6% ▼ |
| 7 | Belize | 21.5 | 22.4 | 21.8 | -2.7% ▼ |
| 8 | Jamaica | 49.1 | 40.1 | 23.7 | -40.8% ▼ |
| 9 | Trinidad and Tobago | 37.6 | 45.7 | 27.0 | 41% ▼ |
| 10 | Saint Lucia | 41.7 | 42.8 | 38.9 | -9.2% ▼ |
| 11 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 50.1 | 53.7 | 40.0 | -25.4% ▼ |
| 12 | Turks and Caicos | 46.6 | 103.1 | 57.6 | -44.1% ▼ |
| 13 | Haiti | 40.9 | 62.0 | 68.0 | 9.7% ▲ |
| – | Suriname | 6.2 | 29.9 | — | — |
| – | Cuba | — | — | — | — |
The Caribbean’s homicide rate rose by 5.9% in 2025 compared with the previous year. The regional rate increased from 32.1 to 34.0, underscoring a continuing public security challenge across several Caribbean nations.
At 34.0, the Caribbean’s homicide rate is roughly 16.8 times higher than Latin America’s regional rate of 17.2, highlighting a stark gap in violent crime levels between the Caribbean and the broader Latin American region.
Best and Worst Caribbean Homicide Rates
For the second straight year, the Dominican Republic recorded the lowest homicide rate in the Caribbean. The country ended 2025 with 951 murders, equal to a rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people—an 8.9% drop from the previous year.
Saint Kitts and Nevis follows with a rate of 13.6, an outstanding 77.2% decline from the previous year.
On the other end, Ecuador recorded the region’s highest homicide rate in 2025. The country reported 8,100 murders, resulting in a rate of 68.0 per 100,000 people, a 9.7% increase compared with the previous year.
Turks and Caicos ranks behind Ecuador with a homicide rate of 57.6. Although the territory’s rate dropped 44.1% from the previous year, it remains the second-highest in the Caribbean region.
Best & Worst Performers
In 2025, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Turks and Caicos, and Turks and Caicos recorded the largest drops in homicide rates, with declines of 77.2%, 44.1%, and 41%, respectively.
Meanwhile, Guyana (10.5%) and Haiti (9.7%) recorded the largest increases. They were the only two countries in the Caribbean region to report a rise in homicide rates in 2025.
Saint Kitts and Nevis (-77.2%)
Saint Kitts and Nevis recorded its lowest homicide count in 23 years, with only seven victims in 2025, putting its homicide rate at 13.6. Its murder rate is inherently volatile due to its small population of only about 50,000 people.
The government has responded to violence with a public health approach to crime, prioritizing social determinants like poverty, unemployment, mental health, and education, which the government has credited with reducing homicides in the nation.
Guyana (+10.5%)
Guyana’s homicide rate rose to 15.6 in 2025, up from 14.1 in 2024. Authorities recorded 130 victims during the year, compared with 117 the previous year.
According to the government, most killings are not tied to organized crime but to arguments and fights that escalate. However, illegal mining and drug trafficking may be increasing insecurity in areas such as Essequibo, where some murders have been linked to the illicit gold trade.
