Brazil led the list with a total of 4,390 kidnapping cases in the latest available data. Peru followed with 1,072 occurrences in 2021. On the flip side, there was only one reported kidnapping in the Bahamas during that year.
Homicides, another recurrent problem in Latin America
Among the region's prevalent offenses, intentional homicide emerged as one of the main concerns in the region. Nonetheless, the rates vary among the different countries. Brazil leads the ranking of the most number of homicides in Latin America, as well as being the most populated country by far. On the other hand, Jamaica holds the top position according to the homicide rate, reporting nearly 61 instances per 100,000 inhabitants. Nevertheless, even with these varying homicide rates across countries, all five of the world's most perilous urban centers are situated in Mexico, with Celaya leading the pack at a 2023 homicide rate of 109.4 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Cost of violence in Central America
Following criminal acts, the responsibility for addressing the consequences falls squarely on the government, causing government expenditure to surge, called the cost of violence. Notably, Panama is more severely impacted in Central America, with the economic cost of violence per inhabitant accounting for over 2,800 U.S. dollars in 2021. In terms of a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), El Salvador takes the first place with a value of 19 percent of their GDP.
