In 2023, around 21.5 homicides were committed per 100,000 inhabitants in Belize, down from a murder rate of 25 registered a year earlier. Neighboring Guatemala has experienced lower homicide rates than Belize in recent years.

Displays Statistical information on total number of specific criminal acts occurring by districts of Belize in 2012.

In 2022 in Belize, the district with the highest number of crimes was the homonymous Belize with around 471 cases. Followed from far by Cayo and Stann Creek with 190 and 165 felonies respectively.

Belize crime rate per 100K population for 2021 was 31.25, a 20.98% increase from 2020.

• Belize crime rate per 100K population for 2020 was 25.83, a 25% decline from 2019.
• Belize crime rate per 100K population for 2019 was 34.44, a 7.99% decline from 2018.
• Belize crime rate per 100K population for 2018 was 37.43, a 1.24% decline from 2017.

Intentional homicides are estimates of unlawful homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control, and predatory violence and killing by armed groups. Intentional homicide does not include all intentional killing; the difference is usually in the organization of the killing. Individuals or small groups usually commit homicide, whereas killing in armed conflict is usually committed by fairly cohesive groups of up to several hundred members and is thus usually excluded.

Burglary is the most common type of property crime in Belize. In 2023, up to 628 burglary cases were reported to the police, including those committed in private households and commercial establishments.

During 2022 in Belize, the most frequent crimes registered were burglary with 558 cases, robberies with 183 and homicides accounting with 113 cases.

At least 83 murders were committed in Belize in 2023, the lowest recorded number of cases. In contrast, during 2018, the number of murder crimes reported to the Belizean police amounted to 143, the highest since, at least, 2015. The frequency of property crimes in Belize also decreased between 2019 and 2020.

In 2024, the highest homicide rate among 22 Latin American and Caribbean countries surveyed was in Haiti, with around 62 murders committed per 100,000 inhabitants. Trinidad and Tobago came in second, with a homicide rate of 46, while Honduras ranked seventh, with 25. In the same year, the lowest rate was recorded in El Salvador, with a homicide rate of 1.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. A violence-ridden region Violence and crime are some of the most pressing problems affecting Latin American society nowadays. More than 40 of the 50 most dangerous cities in the world are located in this region, as well as one of the twenty countries with the least peace in the world according to the Global Peace Index. Despite governments’ large spending on security and high imprisonment rates, drug and weapon trafficking, organized crime, and gangs have turned violence into an epidemic that affects the whole region and a solution to this issue appears to be hardly attainable. The cost of violence in Mexico Mexico stands out as an example of the great cost that violence inflicts upon a country, since beyond claiming human lives, it also affects everyday life and has a negative impact on the economy. Mexicans have a high perceived level of insecurity, as they do not only fear becoming victims of homicide, but also of other common crimes, such as assault or rape. Such fear prevents people from performing everyday activities, for instance, going out at night, taking a taxi or going to the movies or the theater. Furthermore, the economic toll of violence in Mexico is more than considerable. For example, the cost of homicide and violent crime amounted to 2099.8 and 1778.1 billion Mexican pesos in 2023, respectively.

Domestic Violence Cases by District for Jan to Jun 2019 (Polygons)

During 2023 in Belize, the drug with the most seized volume among the population was processed cannabis with 337.5 kilograms, followed by cannabis plants, with 19.08 kg.

The Central American nation with the highest prison occupancy rate, as of March 2024, was Guatemala, when the level stood at 293 percent of its official capacity. El Salvador followed with 236 percent of occupancy level. The lowest prison occupancy rate was found in Belize, which, with 57 percent, was the only country whose prison system was not overcrowded. That year, El Salvador had the highest prison population rate in Central America.