Latin American countries account for about 8% of the world’s population. This is not a large share, yet the amount of crime in the region is striking. More than 30% of all global homicides occur here, which makes the region the largest hotspot of violent crime in absolute terms.

The regional average is 19–21 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. This is almost three times higher than the global average. In some countries the numbers have exceeded 50 cases per 100,000 people.

We decided to find out which Latin American countries are considered the most dangerous and what factors drive this situation.

Contents:

  1. What Latin America Is
  2. Top 5 Most Dangerous Countries in Latin America
    1. Haiti
    2. Ecuador
    3. El Salvador
    4. Honduras
    5. Guatemala
  3. Relatively Safe Countries in Latin America
  4. To Sum up

What Latin America Is

Let us start with the basics. The term "Latin America" is not a strictly geographical definition. It is a cultural and linguistic grouping where Romance languages dominate: Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

For this reason Latin America is not limited to the South American continent and also includes the countries of Central America, Mexico, and most French- and Spanish-speaking territories of the Caribbean.

To select the countries for the list, we used the following indicators:

  • Intentional homicide rate. This is the main comparable metric that makes it possible to assess the scale of violent crime. It is expressed as the number of homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, where up to 5 is considered low and values above 30 are treated as critical.
  • Scale of organized crime. We paid special attention to countries where criminal organizations influence the operation of ports, border areas, and urban infrastructure.
  • Street crime levels. In addition to homicides, this includes armed assaults, kidnappings, extortion, and other crimes not necessarily linked to murder.
  • Terrorism. One of the key elements of national stability is the country’s measures against terrorism, as well as the overall scope of terrorist activities.

Top 5 Most Dangerous Countries in Latin America

It is important to note that the countries in this ranking are not in a state of war. Yet the level of violence has become so high that territorial control is partly held by armed groups.

Haiti

Haiti is the only country in Latin America where armed groups have effectively pushed state institutions out of the capital and key transport hubs. We mentioned it earlier in a piece on the countries with the lowest living standards, and since then very little has changed.

The scale of violence here exceeds all regional indicators and is comparable to levels seen in active conflict zones. Criminal groups have become so bold that they organized the assassination of the elected president in 2021. According to UN data, in 2024 armed groups killed at least 5601 people, which is about 1000 more than the previous year, a 20 percent increase that reflects a deeply alarming trend.

Independent monitoring agencies estimate the homicide rate at 40 to 48 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This places the country among the most dangerous areas in the entire Western Hemisphere.

Armed formations control up to 85 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince. This includes not only peripheral districts but also central areas. Transport arteries, residential neighborhoods, cargo ports, and supply hubs are under the de facto authority of these groups.

In certain parts of the capital, gangs regulate the movement of residents, impose their own “taxes,” control access to medical points, and obstruct police operations.

International agencies report that the number of internally displaced persons has already exceeded one million. The infrastructure of the main districts of Port-au-Prince operates with constant disruptions. Supply chains are blocked, fuel and medicine deliveries are unstable, and the education and healthcare systems function only partially.

The problem is so severe that the international community has decided to initiate a new intervention in Haiti. It is indeed a new one, since the first peacekeeping deployment took place in 2004 and ended in 2017, followed by another operation that concluded in 2019. Negotiations are now under way on the deployment of 5000 to 6000 paramilitary personnel with heavy equipment to restore order.

On 30 September 2025, the UN Security Council approved the start of the operation, yet the contingent has not been deployed so far. The situation in Haiti remains unchanged, and the trend in violent deaths has become even more alarming.

Ecuador

Over the past three years Ecuador has moved from being one of the most stable countries in the region to a state with one of the fastest-growing homicide rates in the world. The key factor was the redistribution of illicit-drug trafficking routes in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean.

The numbers show the scale of the shift: 7 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020 and a sharp rise to 44 per 100,000 in 2023, an increase of more than six times. This is not the full picture. In certain areas of the provinces of Guayas and Esmeraldas, the rate exceeded 80 to 100 per 100,000 inhabitants. Armed groups clashed almost every week.

International monitoring agencies estimate that up to 30 percent of South American drug shipments destined for Europe pass through Ecuadorian ports. During 2021–2023 seizures more than doubled, and the total volume of intercepted cargo also grew significantly.

Several major groups operate in the country. The most prominent include Los Choneros, Los Lobos, and Los Tiguerones, which maintain links with Mexican cartels. Their activities include:

  • sabotage against police units;
  • attacks on judges and prosecutors;
  • mass killings inside prisons;
  • extortion and racketeering;
  • kidnappings;
  • targeted assaults on rival groups;

Moreover, these “diligent workers” decided to adopt the Haitian precedent, and in August 2023 they assassinated presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio immediately after his campaign speech. This was the largest political killing in the country’s modern history and one of the most significant in the region.

The turning point came in 2024 when the confrontation entered an active phase. During this period:

  • armed groups carried out attacks on TV studios, police stations and local authorities;
  • in Guayaquil gunmen stormed a live broadcast and took journalists hostage;
  • several cities experienced bombings, arson attacks on vehicles, and road blockades.

The level of threat was so high that the government imposed a state of emergency. This was an acknowledgment that the country was facing not only criminal activity but also fully formed armed and, in some cases, paramilitary groups.

International initiatives regarding Ecuador are being discussed, yet no concrete decisions have been made. The central government has not lost full control, and a foreign intervention could lead to the consolidation of fragmented gangs, which would be highly counterproductive.

El Salvador

Despite the large-scale government campaign of recent years, the structural consequences of gang activity in El Salvador remain so serious that the country is still among the most dangerous in Latin America.

Its name had appeared in crime statistics for many years and in the following context:

  • In 2015 the homicide rate reached 103 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This was one of the highest levels in the history of the Western Hemisphere at that time.
  • Throughout the 2010s the country remained in the range of 60 to 90 homicides per 100,000 and consistently ranked among the world’s top three. Such figures were comparable to levels observed during active conflicts in parts of Asia and Africa.

For decades two dominant gangs operated in El Salvador: Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. Behind these names stood not simple street gangs but fully developed paramilitary structures with strict hierarchy. Their operations relied on:

  • drug trafficking, racketeering, kidnappings and extortion;
  • their own systems of “tax collection” in controlled areas, including major cities;
  • strong influence over migration routes, since leaving the country often required paying the gangs.

According to early 2020s estimates, the combined number of active gang members and affiliated networks reached 60,000 to 70,000 people. This is a massive figure comparable to the size of the armies of France or Thailand.

Since 2022 the authorities have launched an extensive campaign to suppress gang activity known as the state of exception. According to official data, this has resulted in:

  • an 80 percent reduction in homicides over two years;
  • more than 100,000 arrests, which is about 1.5 percent of the national population;
  • the construction of the largest prison complex in the region, designed for 40,000 inmates.

Even so, tens of thousands of gang members remain unidentified and at large, which means that criminal influence is still substantial. International analytical centers point out that the core problem has not been resolved. High unemployment continues to push young people into these groups.

Honduras

Honduras belongs to the group of states with a persistently high level of violent crime. Even with a gradual decline in official indicators, enormous profits from extortion, a dense network of gangs, and control over urban districts make the country one of the key centers of criminal pressure in Latin America.

In 2011 the homicide rate in the country exceeded 90 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. As a result of reforms, the figure dropped to 42.8 by 2017, which is almost twice as low yet still extremely high. In 2022 the police recorded 3661 homicides, which corresponds to roughly 38 cases per 100,000.

The downward trend continues today. If in 2023 the number of killings fell by about 16 percent compared to 2022, in 2024 police statistics show around 26 homicides per 100,000, the lowest level in 30 years.

Why has the situation remained so severe? The country is part of the so-called Northern Triangle along with El Salvador and Guatemala. This zone is home to major gangs such as MS-13 and Barrio 18, mentioned earlier, and several local groups also operate alongside them.

Their “track record” is similar, yet local conditions add their own features. Gangs in the country build real business empires on extortion. They impose “taxes” on shops, transport, street vendors, and even on residents in particular neighborhoods.

For example, they collect the so-called impuesto de guerra, the “war tax,” from small businesses, minibus routes, and all cargo transportation. They justify this by claiming to protect the population of their territories from rival gangs. If someone refuses to pay, their relatives may be kidnapped for pressure, and more often the person is killed as a warning to others.

In cities and surrounding areas, gang formations establish “invisible borders,” or fronteras invisibles.

  • They divide neighborhoods and streets, forbidding residents to cross the boundaries of rival zones.
  • They introduce informal curfews and bans on certain clothing or symbols.
  • Police forces often have no physical presence in these areas and appear only rarely.

In practice this means the partial transfer of control over urban life to illegal armed groups. They exploit this situation and present themselves as providers of “security,” arguing that if the state cannot ensure order, they will do it instead.

Guatemala

Guatemala completes the list of the five most dangerous countries in Latin America. It combines high levels of violent crime with a clearly systemic nature. The problem is not only persistently severe but also structurally linked to the shadow economy and the country’s political processes.

Based on the main indicator, the homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants, the country has shown the following results in different years:

  • In the early 2010s the rate reached 40 to 46 cases.
  • In the period from 2017 to 2022, it stabilized between 24 and 28 and remains within this range today.
  • In several departments located along transit routes, the homicide rate exceeds 35 to 40.

The country is one of the key transit corridors for drug shipments moving from Colombia to Mexican cartels. Deliveries are carried out by small aircraft, which is why law enforcement agencies continue to discover new clandestine airstrips.

Drug trafficking is the main driver of violence. Gangs compete constantly for control of the routes, and large-scale shootouts can take place even on busy streets during peak hours, inevitably causing civilian casualties.

The main actors are the same groups active in other countries of the Northern Triangle, including MS-13 and Barrio 18. Alongside them there are local criminal networks with their own specific operations:

  • extortion of urban transport companies, retail chains and small businesses;
  • control over certain neighborhoods where entry is forbidden without the approval of the group;
  • kidnappings of entrepreneurs and middle-class residents for ransom;
  • influence at the municipal level in several peripheral regions through alliances between criminal organizations and local political elites supported by corruption.

Regional analysts report that extortion has reached the scale of de facto alternative taxation, which makes small businesses extremely vulnerable to systemic violence.

As a result, the situation in the country looks as follows:

  • More than 50 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, which creates a constant recruitment base for gangs.
  • In rural areas armed groups remain active, some of which originated during the civil war of 1960–1996 and still participate in illegal operations.
  • Municipal authorities, especially police institutions, are regularly underfunded, creating fertile conditions for corruption.

Relatively Safe Countries in Latin America

Although many Latin American states, not only those mentioned above, show critical crime indicators, the region should not be viewed as uniformly dangerous. Yes, on average it ranks below the global safety level, and the situation in Venezuela, Colombia, Suriname, Brazil, Peru, and Bolivia is also far from stable. Even Argentina has rapidly been losing its position amid soaring inflation.

Yet several countries can genuinely be considered relatively safe:

  • Chile. The homicide rate has remained around 3 to 5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants for many years thanks to strong civil police institutions. Its geographic position makes large-scale drug transit less profitable, although incidents do occur.
  • Cuba. It has long demonstrated very low crime levels compared with the region, generally 4 to 6 homicides per 100,000. There is no large-scale drug trafficking and no major regional gangs such as MS-13. As a result, the country is considered one of the safest destinations in the Caribbean for tourists.
  • Uruguay. The homicide rate remains steady at around 8 cases per 100,000. The country is small and geographically homogeneous, which simplifies law enforcement work. Public trust in the central government is high due to well-developed social programs that reduce the potential recruitment base for criminal groups.
  • Costa Rica. The absence of an army allowed the country to redirect resources toward civil security and improving living conditions. The government also benefits from the fact that the country is not located on the main drug-trafficking routes, so although trafficking exists, its scale is relatively limited.

To Sum up

The overall security situation in Latin America is far from reassuring. Widespread presence of armed criminal groups, the use of territories for drug transit, high inequality, weak local institutions, and chronic corruption form a combination that creates persistent instability.

Where these factors converge, homicide rates rise far above global averages, and criminal structures begin to assume the functions of a parallel authority. Such environments also become a recruitment base for new gang members.

Despite this, several countries in the region remain genuinely safe. Cuba and Chile are clear examples, and even Argentina still belongs to this category, although current trends there are not encouraging. Travelers in these destinations can feel secure without the fear of getting caught in a stray bullet during a gang shootout on the street.