San Salvador, El Salvador.
The most dangerous places in El Salvador in 2023 are Acajutla, Cuscatancingo, San Juan Opico, Santa Ana, Colon, San Salvador, San Miguel, Cojutepeque, San Vicente, and San Marcos.
The estimation is established using the rate of homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in municipalities with a population of over 50,000 people. This list is as of October 7, 2023.
To see and compare the 10 most dangerous places in the previous two years, click the following links, 2021 or 2022.
| Place | Municipality | Department | Population | 2023 Homicides |
Homicides per 100,000 Inhabitants |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acajutla | Sonsonate West | Sonsonate | 58,442 | 4 | 6.84 |
| 2 | Cuscatancingo | San Salvador East | San Salvador | 75,767 | 4 | 5.28 |
| 3 | San Juan Opico | La Libertad Center | la Libertad | 90,189 | 3 | 3.33 |
| 4 | Santa Ana | Santa Ana Center | Santa Ana | 250,318 | 7 | 2.80 |
| 5 | Colon | La Libertad West | La Libertad | 120,819 | 3 | 2.48 |
| 6 | San Salvador | San Salvador Center | San Salvador | 335,070 | 7 | 2.09 |
| 7 | San Miguel | San Miguel Center | San Miguel | 214,677 | 4 | 1.86 |
| 8 | Cojutepeque | Cuscatlan South | Cuscatlan | 54,969 | 1 | 1.82 |
| 9 | San Vicente | San Vicente South | San Vicente | 56,724 | 1 | 1.76 |
| 10 | San Marcos | San Salvador South | San Salvador | 59,962 | 1 | 1.67 |
The most dangerous places in El Salvador homicide stats for 2023 does not include the deaths of alleged criminals who died while in confrontation with Salvadoran security forces, which are 38 as of today.
El Salvador’s homicide rate has drastically dropped since Bukele took office in 2019; municipalities such as Apopa, Soyapango, and Ilopango, which were some of the most dangerous before 2019, are not even on the top ten list.
An example of this drastic homicide reduction is San Salvador, the country’s capital city. In 2015, with 108.54 homicides per 100,000 people, the capital city was ranked third on the list of the most dangerous cities in the world. By 2018, with 50.32 homicides per 100,000 people, it ranked 24th.
However, things have changed in the capital city under the new government. By 2023, the homicides per 100,000 individuals in San Salvador has dropped to 2.09. That is an incredible drop from 2015.
Most Dangerous Municipalities in El Salvador
The 10 Most Dangerous Municipalities in El Salvador in 2023 are Sonsonate West, La Union South, Cabañas East, Ahuachapan North, San Miguel West, Chalatenango Center, Ahuachapan South, La Libertad West, Usulutan East, and San Vicente North.
| Municipality | Department | Population | 2023 Homicides |
Homicides per 100,000 Inhabitants |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sonsonate West | Sonsonate | 58,442 | 4 | 6.84 |
| 2 | La Union South | La Union | 120,969 | 7 | 5.79 |
| 3 | Cabañas East | Cabañas | 68,908 | 3 | 4.35 |
| 4 | Ahuachapan North | Ahuachapan | 72,418 | 3 | 4.14 |
| 5 | San Miguel West | San Miguel | 102,016 | 4 | 3.92 |
| 6 | Chalatenango Center | Chalatenango | 83,077 | 3 | 3.61 |
| 7 | Ahuachapan South | Ahuachapan | 114,603 | 4 | 3.49 |
| 8 | La Libertad West | La Libertad | 180,850 | 6 | 3.32 |
| 9 | Usulutan East | Usulutan | 159,251 | 5 | 3.14 |
| 10 | San Vicente North | San Vicente | 68,213 | 2 | 2.93 |
On Tuesday, June 13, the Salvadoran legislature voted and approved changing the municipalities to 44 from 262. On June 14, President Bukele signed the approved bill, making it official. Visit our Municipalities page to get more details.
2022 Most Dangerous Places in El Salvador
The following homicide stats for 2022 might contradict those provided by the Salvadoran government as it includes the deaths of alleged criminals who died while in confrontation with Salvadoran security forces.
| Municipality Department |
Population | 2022 Homicides |
Homicides per 100,000 Inhabitants |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Izalco Sonsonate |
86,085 | 19 | 22.07 |
| 2 | Nahuizalco Sonsonate |
59,245 | 12 | 20.25 |
| 3 | Quezaltepeque La Libertad |
65,573 | 9 | 13.73 |
| 4 | Ciudad Delgado San Salvador |
123,258 | 15 | 12.17 |
| 5 | San Miguel San Miguel |
215,597 | 26 | 12.06 |
| 6 | Ahuachapan Ahuachapan |
125,544 | 15 | 11.95 |
| 7 | Santa Ana Santa Ana |
251,095 | 30 | 11.95 |
| 8 | Ilobasco Cabañas |
69,096 | 8 | 11.58 |
| 9 | La Libertad La Libertad |
53,324 | 6 | 11.25 |
| 10 | Colon La Libertad |
120,088 | 12 | 9.99 |
Each place on the top ten list could be considered dangerous to visit or live in just by looking at the stats alone. However, not the entire territory in the municipality is unsafe; they have zones considered safe for locals and outsiders to visit or live in.
For example, looking at statistics alone, Izalco, Santa Ana, Ilobasco, and La Libertad are considered dangerous places. However, they have plenty of safe tourist areas and neighborhoods frequently visited by locals and foreigners.
The homicide rate in El Salvador has dropped drastically in 2022 compared to the previous four years. It has gone from 36 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019 to 17.5 in 2021 and 9.7 in 2022.
2021 Most Dangerous Places in El Salvador
| Place | Population | 2021 Homicides |
Homicides per 100,000 Inhabitants |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ciudad Delgado San Salvador |
123,258 | 45 | 36.6 |
| 2 | Apopa San Salvador |
155,466 | 43 | 27.6 |
| 3 | San Salvador San Salvador |
335,982 | 91 | 27.0 |
| 4 | Colon La Libertad |
120,088 | 26 | 21.8 |
| 5 | Ilopango San Salvador |
119,327 | 21 | 17.6 |
| 6 | Mejicanos San Salvador |
135,556 | 24 | 17.6 |
| 7 | Ahuachapan Ahuachapan |
124,421 | 20 | 16.1 |
| 8 | San Miguel San Miguel |
216,800 | 26 | 12.0 |
| 9 | Santa Ana Santa Ana |
251,095 | 29 | 11.5 |
| 10 | Tonacatepeque San Salvador |
103,096 | 9 | 8.7 |
Most Dangerous Places in El Salvador
The most dangerous places in El Salvador change every year. Also, just because a particular location has a low homicide rate does not make it safe to visit. It is essential to use common sense while venturing into these areas.
While security has historically posed a significant challenge for Salvadorans, in the past three years, there has been notable improvement in the overall safety and well-being of life in El Salvador.
