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Yves here. John Ruehl’s insightful article tackles a critical issue: why do crime rates, particularly homicides, in the Americas remain so high compared to global standards? While income inequality is often cited as a cause, it alone cannot explain the phenomenon. Other nations with substantial income disparities do not experience crime rates akin to those in the U.S. and other parts of the Americas. Ruehl discusses various factors contributing to this grim reality, including drug trafficking, and suggests potential solutions.
By John P. Ruehl, an Australian-American journalist residing in Washington, D.C., and a world affairs correspondent for the Independent Media Institute. He has contributed to numerous foreign policy publications, and his book, Budget Superpower: How Russia Challenges the West With an Economy Smaller Than Texas’, was published in December 2022. This article is produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute
By mid-2025, U.S. homicide rates had become lower than pre-pandemic levels, according to the Council on Criminal Justice. While this is encouraging, the decline has not been uniform across the nation, and overall trends in violent crime vary greatly throughout the Americas.
Since the latter part of the 20th century, few regions—not even war-torn areas—have experienced levels of lethal violence comparable to those of the Americas. Interestingly, Canada, typically seen as having low crime rates and consistently ranking high on global peace indexes, reported a higher homicide rate than any other G7 nation in 2023, aside from the United States.
Making accurate global comparisons remains a challenge. Organizations like the Igarapé Institute collect extensive data, but variations in recordkeeping, definitions of violence, and underreporting hinder efforts to create a complete picture. Despite the global nature of underreporting, the violence encountered in the Americas cannot be overlooked.
Although the Americas represent only 13 percent of the world’s population, in 2021, they accounted for approximately one-third of global homicides, with a staggering 154,000 killings, as noted in UN data. The report declared, “The Americas have the highest regional homicide rate in the world, and a significant amount of homicidal violence is linked to organized crime.” The regional homicide rate stands at around 15 victims per 100,000 people, nearly three times the global average of 5.8. Alarmingly, 43 out of the 50 most violent cities in the world were found in the Americas in 2023.
Young men are often the primary victims, largely due to inter-gang violence, though many innocent bystanders also suffer. Although a considerable portion of this violence is linked to criminal enterprises, it is underpinned by a broader set of contributing factors. Addressing this issue will necessitate coordinated efforts across the continent, a challenge that has yet to be effectively met.
Sources of Violence
Poverty and inequality are fundamental drivers of violence in the Americas. High levels of inequality tend to foster criminal behavior by inciting resentment, damaging social cohesion, and limiting access to legitimate job opportunities. The Gini coefficient, a common measure of inequality, consistently ranks many countries in the Americas among the highest in the world. South Africa, which holds the title for the highest homicide rate in Africa and is the sole country outside the Americas with multiple cities on the list of the world’s most violent places, demonstrates high GDP per capita but remains plagued by extreme inequality.
However, inequality alone does not account for this complex situation. Saudi Arabia, for instance, also scores poorly on inequality (based on 2019 data) yet enjoys a remarkably low homicide rate. Meanwhile, despite a lower GDP per capita than many American nations, Pakistan exhibits a lower homicide rate, indicating that poverty alone fails to fully explain violent crime. Corruption is prevalent in the Americas, but according to Transparency International, it is not worse than that seen in many African or Asian countries.
The unique urbanization experience, especially in Latin America, has also contributed significantly to rising crime rates. Latin America’s rapid urbanization during the latter part of the 20th century preceded widespread industrialization, contrasting sharply with the trajectories of Europe and much of Asia. Today, the region stands out with some of the highest urbanization rates globally, resulting in sprawling informal settlements that often fall beyond the scope of state control and social services. Without adequate employment and education opportunities, these conditions leave numerous populations vulnerable to both exploitation and violence.
Geopolitical factors have also played a role. Latin America has long been viewed as the United States’ backyard. Since the Monroe Doctrine, Washington has worked to minimize European and, later, Soviet influence, frequently supporting compliant governments at the expense of strong institutions. This has resulted in weak states that struggle to maintain law and order. As reported in Gallup’s “Global Safety Report” 2024, the Americas received lower safety scores compared to most regions outside of Africa.
The U.S.-led war on drugs, initiated in the early 1970s, further complicated the situation. Washington has both targeted and, at times, cooperated with cartels for geopolitical reasons, enriching criminal organizations and reinforcing decades of violence throughout Latin America and even within U.S. cities impacted by these policies. Such measures are upheld by the Trump administration, heightening “regional tensions.”
As drug trafficking supercharged criminal economies, homicide rates surged. Although some of the most affected countries, like Colombia, have shown improvements in crime rates since 2005, and violent crime in the U.S. has dropped from its historical highs, the scars of the drug wars linger in the Americas.
The widespread availability of firearms has also contributed to the crisis. Approximately 73 percent of homicides in Latin America involved guns, mimicking the 80 percent in the U.S. in 2024, compared to the global average of about 40 percent. The influential flow of arms arises from legal imports, corruption, local manufacturing, and constant smuggling, much of it connected to the U.S. Along with private purchases, scandals like the “Fast and Furious” and “Wide Receiver” operations highlighted the U.S. government’s role in spreading firearms to illicit actors in the Americas.
Even in the absence of firearms, violence in the Americas remains alarming. In the U.S., the stabbing death rate registered at roughly 0.5 per 100,000 people in 2021—three times that of France and six times higher than the UK.
Additionally, individuals are more likely to commit acts of violence when they perceive that they can act without fear of repercussions, an attitude prevalent in the Americas due to overwhelmed or hesitant police forces and fears of retaliation. “Police departments, judicial institutions, and other pivotal agencies struggle with inefficiency and resource shortages. Furthermore, the politicization of these institutions diminishes their credibility and effectiveness. … High impunity rates throughout Latin America—where only a small percentage of homicide cases lead to convictions—underline the systemic failures of the justice system. This ineffectiveness not only empowers criminal organizations but also maintains a vicious cycle of violence and lawlessness,” as noted in Americas Quarterly. Within Latin America, only about eight out of every 100 homicides lead to a conviction, while in the U.S., nearly half of all murders remain unsolved.
These combined factors create a precarious environment where violence can escalate rapidly. In 2006, Mexico’s homicide rate was about five per 100,000 people. However, the launch of the government’s war on drug trafficking that year, and the ensuing reliance on military action against cartels, fractured existing groups, leading to bloody competition and skyrocketing homicide rates to about 27 per 100,000 people by 2020. Ecuador, previously a relatively calm country, witnessed its homicide rate more than double from eight per 100,000 in 2020 to 46 per 100,000 in 2023. Even Costa Rica, recognized as one of the region’s safest destinations, saw its murder rate almost double from 9 to 17 per 100,000 people between 2014 and 2023.
Addressing the Issue
Various regions have experienced prolonged periods of violence, with Europe facing high homicide rates for centuries before witnessing a decline in the 20th century. Currently, governments across the Americas, from local to national levels, are experimenting with different strategies to combat violence.
In Baltimore, a U.S. city notorious for its high crime rates, the homicide rate has fallen significantly since 2022, thanks to Mayor Brandon Scott’s promotion of violence intervention programs, aggressive prosecutions, and community partnerships. San Pedro Sula in Honduras, once regarded as the world’s murder capital with an alarming 142 killings per 100,000 people in 2014, has seen a reduction to 26 per 100,000 by 2023 (alongside declines in other cities) after police reforms were implemented with support from the Honduran government, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Nevertheless, concerns about corruption and the prolonged state of emergency declared in 2022 still linger.
Others have chosen to implement stricter measures. President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, elected in 2019, suspended civil rights and imprisoned thousands of suspected gang members, resulting in a decrease in homicide rates from 53 per 100,000 people in 2018 to 2.4 in 2023. This crackdown remains widely supported among the populace, illustrating the severity of the crisis, although its long-term implications are still uncertain.
Ecuador has taken a similar route. Following a sharp escalation in violence in 2020, Daniel Noboa secured the presidency in 2023 on a tough-on-crime platform and endorsed a 2024 constitutional referendum aimed at tightening security laws. After his reelection in 2025, the electoral council approved another request for a referendum on further constitutional reforms, despite still-high violence levels.
Other nations have sought reconciliation with criminal groups. Venezuela had 11 cities listed among the world’s 50 most violent in 2021, but by 2023 only Caracas remained on the list. This decline is often linked to government-brokered agreements with gangs, as President Nicolás Maduro consolidated greater control over the country through this controversial strategy.
Though multilateral organizations like Interpol aim to tackle crime, cooperation between American nations is limited, and the extent of violence is substantial. Security partnerships supported by the U.S., such as those with Colombia, rely heavily on political alignment with Washington, which can alienate some governments. Current frictions between the U.S. and Colombia pose risks to the sustainability of these alliances.
The crime crisis throughout the Americas has led to an increase in private security operations beyond conventional war zones. Erik Prince, founder of Blackwater, has explored security ventures in Haiti, Ecuador, and El Salvador as of 2025. Private city projects, such as Honduras’ Próspera, are experimenting with their own security frameworks. However, private security forces frequently face infiltration by organized crime and seldom address the root causes of violence.
Countries in the Americas continue to rely on fragmented national strategies tailored to their individual needs, lacking effective coordination on a regional level. The fundamental factors fueling this turmoil—rapid urbanization without prior industrialization, societal inequality, widespread gun access, and fragile states—are also evident in parts of Africa. Countries like South Africa and Nigeria have encountered drastic increases in their homicide rates in recent years, and Africa recorded the “highest absolute number of homicides” among all regions in 2021, with data indicating no reduction in homicide rates, according to the UN. Absent preventative actions, African nations may face escalating violent crime rates, making the Americas a crucial case study for cautionary insights and viable responses.
