Belize's murder rate for 2020 was the lowest since 2013. But, how does it compare to the rest of Latin American and the Caribbean - known for many years as the most violent zone on earth.
Rates across Central America have been trending down and a non-profit journalism and investigative organization named Insight Crime has published a full report on their Homicide Round-up. It ranks Belize as the 6th. most deadly country in the region in their 2020 breakdown of nations with the highest homicide rates.
The highest is Jamaica with 46.5 for every hundred thousand citizens. Second is Venezuela with 45.6 per one hundred thousand residents. Honduras is third with 37.6. Trinidad and Tobago is 4th with 28.2 per hundred thousand inhabitants. Mexico comes in at #5 with 27 for every 100 thousand nationals.
Then comes Belize with a homicide rate of 24.3 for every 100,000 citizens. Interestingly, according to this report, we are tied with Colombia which has the same homicide rate last year. Viewers will remember that a little over 3 weeks ago, the Government Agency known as the Belize Crime Observatory also published their report on the country's homicide trends for last year.
In that report the BCO said, quote, "For the first time since 2013, Belize has registered a murder rate below what is deemed to be civil war levels, at 24.33 per 100,000 inhabitants." End quote.
According to Insight Crime, the #8 most dangerous country in Latin America and the Caribbean, after Belize and Colombia, is El Salvador at 19.7 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
Brazil comes in at #9 with a homicide rate of 19.3 for every 100 thousand inhabitants. Rounding out the top 10 is Puerto Rico, which had a rate of 16.5 for every 100,000 citizens.
