Ecuador’s Violent Crime Rate in 2024: A Temporary Decline Amid Ongoing Crisis

Despite a reduction in violent deaths, Ecuador closed 2024 with the second-highest violent death rate in its history.

In 2024, the violent death rate per 100,000 inhabitants decreased by 7.42 deaths compared to 2023. However, the country still saw a murder every 1 hour and 15 minutes, making it the second most violent year on record.

According to official figures from the National Police, there were 6,964 violent deaths in 2024, resulting in a homicide rate of 38.76 per 100,000 inhabitants. This marks a 16% decrease from 2023, which saw 8,237 violent crimes and a homicide rate of 46.18. Despite this reduction, Ecuador remains among the worst in the world in terms of violent deaths, with only six countries surpassing its homicide rate: Jamaica, South Africa, Lesotho, Saint Vincent, Haiti, and Trinidad and Tobago.

A Momentary Decline in Violence

On January 9, 2025, it will be a year since President Daniel Noboa declared the existence of an internal armed conflict. Following a violent start to 2024, the President authorized the Armed Forces to "declare war" on about twenty criminal organizations, which led to a significant short-term reduction in violence.

In the days after this declaration, violent deaths dropped by 63%, with only 93 murders reported. The trend continued into February, with 384 crimes, marking the most peaceful month since April 2022.

However, this reduction was not sustained. From March 2024 onward, violent deaths began to rise again, though not reaching the levels seen in 2023. In August, there were 617 violent deaths, an increase of 16 compared to the same month in 2023.

The most violent period of 2024 came in December, when 688 murders were recorded, making it the deadliest month of the year. This represented a 79.17% increase compared to February 2024, the month with the lowest number of violent deaths.

Source: Primicias.