Salvadoran Police. Violence in Central America has long been a prevailing issue, impacting the region’s social fabric and economic development. This ongoing issue continues to threaten the region’s stability and the well-being of its people.
In the 2025 Central America Homicide Rate rankings, El Salvador recorded the lowest rate at 1.36 murders per 100,000 people.
Panama, at 12.9, was second, followed by Costa Rica (16.8), Guatemala (17.4), and Honduras (23.2). Nicaragua has yet to release its official homicide statistics for 2025.
| Country | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2024-2025 % Change |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Salvador | 2.4 | 1.89 | 1.36 | -28.1% ▼ |
| 2 | Panama | 11.5 | 12.9 | 12.9 | 0% |
| 3 | Costa Rica | 17.7 | 17.0 | 16.8 | -1.2% ▼ |
| 4 | Guatemala | 16.7 | 16.1 | 17.4 | 8.1% ▲ |
| 5 | Honduras | 31.1 | 25.3 | 23.2 | -8.3% ▼ |
| – | Nicaragua | 6.2 | — | — |
Last year, Central America recorded about 7,000 homicides, excluding Nicaragua, resulting in a rate of 15.9 murders per 100,000 people. The 2025 rate is roughly the same as in 2024.
Despite ongoing security challenges, this rate remains lower than the regional averages in Latin America (17.2) and the Caribbean (34.0).
Guatemala and Honduras were responsible for the majority of the region’s homicides, totaling 5,471 murders, or 77.9% of all cases.
Once again, Honduras ended the year with the highest murder rate in Central America at 23.2. The country has held the region’s highest rate for the past three years.
Guatemala, meanwhile, recorded the largest percentage increase in homicides, rising by 8.1%. Its rate climbed from 16.1 in 2024 to 17.4 in 2025.
El Salvador: The Lowest Homicide Rate in Central America
With a homicide rate of 1.36 per 100,000 people, El Salvador had the lowest rate in Central America in 2025, marking its third consecutive year in the top spot.
It’s important to mention that El Salvador excludes certain deaths from its homicide rate, such as those resulting from confrontations between authorities and suspected gang members, as well as bodies found in mass graves.
Excluding these deaths raises concerns about the accuracy of El Salvador’s reported 2025 homicide stats, with critics arguing that authorities are underreporting the true murder figures.
This underreporting complicates comparisons with other countries that follow the Bogotá homicide counting protocol, which El Salvador does not.
El Salvador’s security has undeniably improved under the Bukele administration. For example, not only does the 2025 homicide rate in El Salvador stand as the lowest in Central America, but it also holds the distinction of being the lowest homicide rate across all of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Honduras: The Highest Homicide Rate in Central America
Honduras continues its trend as the Central American country with the highest homicide rate; Honduras has maintained this position since 2019.
Even though Honduras achieved an 8.3% decrease in its homicide rate in 2025, the country retained its high level of violence, registering a rate of 23.2 murders per 100,000 people.
Hondura’s homicide rate exceeds the Latin American average of 17.2 but is lower than the Caribbean average of 34.0
The government has tried to curb gang activity with a hard-line strategy that includes extending the state of emergency.
However, although the homicide rate declined in 2025, Honduras remained among the most violent countries in the region.
