El Salvador ends 2024 with record low number of homicides

El Salvador recorded only 114 homicides in 2024, a record low, prompting the president to call it “the safest country in the Western Hemisphere.”

The new figures — lower per capita than the US, despite a major drop there too — mark a remarkable turnaround for the country that once had the world’s highest murder rate.

However critics say El Salvador’s progress has come at a steep cost: Around 80,000 people — more than 1% of the country’s total population — have been jailed without due process, while at least 354 have died in government custody. Now President Nayib Bukele is facing pressure to boost the economy. “While hopes are high, so are concerns,” DW reported.