El Salvador homicide rate hits historic low of 0.90 per 100,000 in 2026

President Nayib Bukele announced that El Salvador recorded 30 homicides up to 10 July 2026, a homicide rate of 0.90 per 100,000 inhabitants. This figure represents roughly a one‑third drop from the same period a year earlier and is the lowest rate the country has posted in modern times.

The decline follows a steady downward trend since 2015, when 6,656 homicides were recorded (106.3 per 100,000). Numbers fell to 495 in 2022, then 156 in 2023, 114 in 2024, and 82 in 2025. Bukele linked the results to his administration’s security strategy and reiterated the goal of making El Salvador “the safest country in the world,” noting the current rate is projected to be less than half that of Canada.

Authorities credit the continued drop in violent crime for bolstering tourism, investment and broader economic activity as former gang‑controlled territories are reclaimed.