San Salvador. Image by In 2025, the days without homicides in El Salvador continue to increase. So far, the country has recorded nine murder-free days, slightly exceeding the count for the same period last year.
Last year, El Salvador set a historic record of 281 days without homicides, an impressive achievement, considering that before the Nayib Bukele Presidency, El Salvador had experienced just a few days without homicides.
To put it in context, the previous three administrations of ex-presidents Tony Saca (2005 to 2009), Mauricio Funes (2009 to 1014), and Salvador Sanchez Ceren (2014 to 2019) achieved less than five days day with zero homicides in 15 years.
This year, El Salvador continues its positive trend of increasing days without homicides, reflecting the country’s ongoing security improvements.
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 24 | 9 |
| February | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 21 | 24 | |
| March | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 22 | |
| April | 0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 24 | 19 | |
| May | 0 | 6 | 3 | 17 | 18 | 21 | |
| June | 0 | 4 | 1 | 14 | 21 | 25 | |
| July | 1 | 2 | 5 | 19 | 23 | 22 | |
| August | 0 | 2 | 7 | 18 | 20 | 18 | |
| September | 2 | 2 | 5 | 18 | 20 | 23 | |
| October | 2 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 14 | 27 | |
| November | 0 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 23 | 26 | |
| December | 1 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 20 | 30 | |
| Total | 6 | 26 | 31 | 167 | 246 | 281 | 9 |
The days without homicides for 2022 to 2025 do not include the deaths of alleged gang members who have died in confrontations with Salvadoran security forces, 120 deaths in 2022, 38 in 2023, five in 2024, and none thus far in 2025.
Improved Security in El Salvador
In 2025, the Bukele administration will complete six years in office, and during this time, El Salvador achieved an impressive homicide reduction. The government attributes this reduction to its territorial control Plan and the State of Exception.
The territorial control plan started in June 2019, when Nayib Bukele took office as president. The security measure has seven phases.
The State of Exception began in late March 2022 as a petition of the Salvadoran Security Cabinet and was approved quickly by the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly. This security measure that restricts some constitutional guarantees has been extended 33 consecutive times since its implementation.
Undoubtedly, the days without homicides in El Salvador have drastically increased since the State of Exception began. An explanation for the achievement of these numbers is the arrest of more than over 84,000 alleged gang members or gang contributors.
| Year | Total Homicides | Daily Homicide Rate | Homicides per 100,000 Inhabitants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 *Jan 10 |
2 | 0.20 | 1.2 *Estimated |
| 2024 | 114 | 0.31 | 1.9 |
| 2023 | 154 | 0.42 | 2.4 |
| 2022 | 496 | 1.36 | 7.8 |
| 2021 | 1147 | 3.14 | 18.1 |
| 2020 | 1341 | 3.67 | 21.2 |
| 2019 | 2398 | 6.57 | 35.8 |
| 2018 | 3346 | 9.17 | 50.4 |
| 2017 | 3962 | 10.85 | 60.2 |
| 2016 | 5280 | 14.47 | 81.0 |
| 2015 | 6656 | 18.24 | 103.0 |
| 2014 | 3921 | 10.74 | 61.3 |
| 2013 | 2513 | 6.88 | 40.6 |
| 2012 | 2594 | 7.11 | 42.1 |
| 2011 | 4371 | 11.98 | 71.2 |
| 2010 | 3987 | 10.92 | 65.2 |
Days Without Homicides in El Salvador
It is hard to believe that entering 2025, the days without homicides in El Salvador occur often. In 2018, the year before Nayib Bukele became president, the average daily murder rate was 9.17, and there were no days with zero homicides during that year.
Salvadoran culture is changing as violence is decreasing!
