In 2023, there were approximately 3.2 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in the country, less than half from the homicide rate of 8.3 reported in 2020 and the lowest rate recorded since the beginning of the mentioned period. The homicide rate in Peru increased significantly between 2013 and 2018, jumping from a rate of 6.6 to 9.1. Still, in selected Latin American and Caribbean countries, Peru ranked with one of the lowest homicide rates.

Between November 2023 and April 2024, the crime with the highest victim rate in Peru was robbery with 12 victims per 100 inhabitants. The second highest was robbery attempts, followed by scams, both with over 5 victims per 100 inhabitants.

Peru crime rate per 100K population for 2020 was 5.71, a 21.36% decline from 2019.

• Peru crime rate per 100K population for 2019 was 7.27, a 4.57% decline from 2018.
• Peru crime rate per 100K population for 2018 was 7.61, a 3.24% decline from 2017.
• Peru crime rate per 100K population for 2017 was 7.87, a 0.61% increase from 2016.

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.

Through the time frame displayed, there was an overall increase in the share of the Peruvian population who were victims of crime. From November 2022 to April 2024, around 27.7 percent of the population were victims of a crime.

Between November 2023 and April 2024, the share of the population that reported being victims of crimes varied among the age group populations. The group with the highest rate were of those between 15 and 29 years of age, with 34.8 percent. Meanwhile, only 15.2 percent of the population over 60 years of age reported being the victim of a crime.

Metropolitan Lima was the district with the highest number of confirmed femicide victims in Peru in the 2024, accounting for about 59 cases. Huánuco, Ica, Cusco, and Áncash followed with more than 12 femicides each.

The statistic shows the share of population exposed to crimes and/or accidents in Peru in 2016. During a survey, 43 percent of respondents in the South American country stated they or a member of their family had been exposed to a crime and/or an accident.

The statistic shows the share of population exposed to crimes and/or accidents in Peru in 2016, broken down by type. During a survey, 16 percent of respondents in the South American country stated they or a member of their family had been exposed to accidents related to natural phenomena.

Assault of Peru rocketed by 78.53% from 26,028 number in 2017 to 46,468 number in 2018. Since the 8.31% drop in 2016, assault shot up by 104.52% in 2018. 'Assault' means physical attack against the body of another person resulting in serious bodily injury; excluding indecent/sexual assault; threats and slapping/punching. 'Assault' leading to death should also be excluded. (UN-CTS M3.2)

From November 2023 to April 2024, 41 percent of the Peruvian victims of crimes did not report the offense, primarily due to the popular opinion that it was a waste of time, followed by the reason of not knowing the identity of the offender with 21.9 percent, and the consideration of the felony being a petty crime with 16.8 percent.

Peru is among the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean with the lowest homicide rates. However, the absolute figures show that, only in 2020, almost 1,900 people were murdered in this South American country. The number of intentional homicides has risen significantly since 2011, when around 1,600 citizens were killed.

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.

From 2010 to 2023, there were over 1,600 confirmed femicides in Peru. The deadliest year for women in terms of femicides in the past decade was 2023, with 258 victims. Lima is the Peruvian district with the largest number of femicide cases, and adult women are usually at more risk of being victims of femicide in Peru than other age groups.

During the six months between November 2023 and April 2024, the robberies of money, cell phones, and wallets reached a total rate of 12 incidents for 100 inhabitants with at least 15 years of age. During the shown timeframe, April to September 2023 registered the highest rate, with 12.4 robberies per 100 inhabitants.

Between November 2023 and April 2024, from the Peruvian population over 15 years of age, 21.3 percent of the women reported being victim of a crime, while among men, the share was 25.4 percent.

Men who murdered women on account of their gender in Peru were most usually their partners. In 2024, 87.98 percent of femicide victims were killed by their partners or other sentimental relationships. Another 815 percent were murdered by family members.

According to a survey conducted in 2023, between 21 and 9 percent of respondents in Peru said they had been asked or had to pay a bribe in different interactions with public authorities (police officers and/or government employees, schools).

Several countries located in Central America and the Caribbean registered some of the highest homicide rates in the Latin American region in 2022. Jamaica ranked first, with around 53.34 homicides committed per 100,000 inhabitants. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines came second, with 40.41 homicides per 100,000 people. The source defines intentional homicide as the unlawful death inflicted upon a person with the intent to cause death or serious injury. When it comes to the total case count, Brazil was the Latin American country with the largest number of homicide victims. Central America and the falling rates El Salvador was commonly named the murder capital of the world for a few years. The inability of previous governments to control organized crime and gangs resulted in the highest homicide rate in the world for a couple of years. Nonetheless, the current administration and the measures applied during the Emergency State had an incredibly positive impact in terms of the security of the Salvadorean citizens. But not only El Salvador has seen a considerable reduction in its murder rate in Central America. Honduras and Guatemala are also two great examples of crime reduction, introducing new policies, institutions, and changes to their judicial system to achieve better results.
The Caribbean still ridden by crime Some islands in the Caribbean are not only known as tax heavens, as some nations in the region are considered the main enablers of tax evasion in the world, but also for being ridden by crime. Haiti is one example of the still rising levels of criminality. As a country with precarious conditions and extreme food insecurity, the homicide rate has been on the rise for almost four consecutive years. Another one is Jamaica, the top of the Latin American ranking, that has also seen an increase in the youth involved in organized crime due to lack of employment and economic conditions.

During 2022, the share of people that felt criminality increased in the country was around 90.6 percent, the highest figure since at least 2012. During 2023, Chile ranked as one of the three countries with the lowest homicide rate in Latin America, only behind El Salvador and Peru.

In a survey conducted in May 2024, more than half of the people interviewed in Peru said that corruption was the most important problem in the South American country. The second most pressing issue according to public opinion, cited by slightly more than 39 percent of Peruvian respondents, was related to crime and public insecurity. Crime is also among the most mentioned problems by journalists and opinion leaders across Latin America.