In 2024, El Salvador’s Homicide Rate Is 0.33 per Day or 1.9 Homicides per Every 100,000 Inhabitants

Thus far in 2024, El Salvador has reported lower homicide numbers than last year; as of October 20, 2024, the country’s homicide rate stands at 0.33 per day or 1.9 homicides per every 100,000 inhabitants. Furthermore, thus far this year, El Salvador has achieved 214 days with zero homicides.

In 2023, El Salvador’s Homicide Rate was 0.42 per day or 2.4 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, a decrease of 69% compared to 2022, resulting in 342 fewer murders, a remarkable transformation since 2015, when El Salvador earned the infamous label of “the murder capital of the world.”

Based on the number of homicides and days without murders, 2023 was by far the safest year in El Salvador since 1992, the end of the civil war. The safety trend is continuing in 2024.

Between January 1 and October 20, 2024, the Salvadoran National Police reported 98 homicides for a 0.33 daily rate. It is 22 less than the 120 recorded in the same 2023 period. At the current rate, El Salvador could close 2024 with 122 homicides, for a rate of 1.9 homicides per every 100,000 inhabitants.

SEE ALSO: El Salvador State of Exception; a security measure implemented to fight gangs

The homicide stats for 2022, 2023, and 2024 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, and three thus far in 2024.

The Bukele administration credits its Territorial Control Plan security measure and the State of Exception for the incredible homicide reduction in El Salvador.

The government launched the Territorial Control Plan security measure in June 2019; its purpose has been to crack down on the country’s violence and gangs.

Then, in March 2022, the Bukele administration introduced the controversial State of Exception, a direct attack on Salvadoran criminal gangs.

Compared to what the country experienced in the previous 30 years, this homicide reduction gained in the last two years is an immense achievement for the current administration.

SEE ALSO: Days Without Homicides in El Salvador

Homicide Rate Under the Bukele Administration

President Nayib Bukele took office on June 1, 2019, and one of the first items on his agenda was to deal with the country’s security problems. To that effect, he launched his territorial control security plan to fight gangs and reduce the country’s violence.

2020, the first full year of Nayib Bukele in office, set a low record in homicides; it reduced it to 21.2 murders per 100,000 inhabitants or 3.67 per day.

The record for the fewest homicides achieved in 2020 was surpassed in 2021, again in 2022, and once again in 2023.

President Bukele and his administration credit the homicide reduction to their security measures. However, members of Bukele’s opposition and the U.S. government alleged that this reduction resulted from a secret truce between gangs and the Bukele administration.

On December 8th, 2021, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a press release announcing sanctions against two members of Bukele’s cabinet due to these alleged negotiations with gangs.

“Osiris Luna Meza (Luna) and Carlos Amilcar Marroquin Chica (Marroquin) led, facilitated, and organized a number of secret meetings involving incarcerated gang leaders, in which known gang members were allowed to enter the prison facilities and meet with senior gang leadership. These meetings were part of the Government of El Salvador’s efforts to negotiate a secret truce with gang leadership.” U.S. Department of the Treasury.

President Nayib Bukele has criticized the U.S. accusations against members of his cabinet. The members of the Bukele cabinet accused have not made any public remarks regarding the U.S. allegations.

In other words, our actions against crime do not have the backing of the current US Government. That is why we did not receive recognition for the large drug seizures nor for the reduction in homicides (recognized even by the opposition media). President Nayib Bukele.

El Salvador’s Homicide Rate Since 1991

Since 1991, El Salvador has been one of the most violent countries in the world, not at war. The country entered the list of the top 20 countries with a high homicide rate in 1994. It quickly jumped to the first position and maintained that position until 2000.

In 2009, El Salvador again reached the first position and kept it until mid-2010, when Honduras jumped to number one. Then, in 2015, it reached the first position again; this time, it maintained the rank until late 2019.

Finally, around mid to late 2021, El Salvador left the list of the top 20 countries with the highest homicide rate per 100,000 people. High homicide rates are one of the most common challenges El Salvador has faced in the last 30-plus years.