In 2024, there were approximately 39 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in the country, a slight decrease compared to the previous year. However, the 2023 homicide rate was the highest the South American country has seen since at least 2014.

Historical dataset showing Ecuador crime rate per 100K population by year from 1990 to 2021.

During 2022, among the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Ecuador ranked in the upper table on the number of homicides. In 2024, over 7,000 homicides were recorded, and almost 92 percent had common crime as the quoted reason of the homicide.

The victimization rate in Ecuador was approximately 46 percent in 2023. Between 1996 and 2023, the rate rose by around 10 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Historical dataset showing Ecuador murder/homicide rate per 100K population by year from 1990 to 2021.

Through the time shown, there has been a general increase in the economic cost of violence in Ecuador. Starting with its lowest value in 2019 at 11.1 billion dollars to its topmost number in 2023 with around 19.7 billion USD.

During the time shown, there was an overall upward trend for the impact per capita of violence in Ecuador. The lowest value recorded was in 2018 which stood up at 662.9 USD that after a fluctuated growth it reached its topmost number in 2023 at 1,595 USD.

Ecuador EC: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data was reported at 8.200 Ratio in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 11.000 Ratio for 2013. Ecuador EC: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 15.400 Ratio from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2014, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 18.000 Ratio in 2008 and a record low of 8.200 Ratio in 2014. Ecuador EC: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ecuador – Table EC.World Bank: Health Statistics. 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.; ; UN Office on Drugs and Crime's International Homicide Statistics database.; Weighted average;

During 2022, among the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Ecuador ranked in the upper table on the number of homicides. In2024, two thirds of all homicides occurred on public roads.

Subcircuit where signs of assault have been found in Quito, period 2018 - 2021

News registry for the crime of corruption

Among the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Ecuador ranked in the upper table on the number of homicides. The downward trend in the number of people murdered in Ecuador was reversed after 2016, and a total of 8,221 homicide victims were reported in 2023, the highest figure of the last decade.

Ecuador EC: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data was reported at 9.511 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 10.854 Ratio for 2015. Ecuador EC: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data is updated yearly, averaging 26.667 Ratio from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33.107 Ratio in 2008 and a record low of 9.511 Ratio in 2016. Ecuador EC: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ecuador – Table EC.World Bank: Health Statistics. Intentional homicides, male are estimates of unlawful male 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.; ; UN Office on Drugs and Crime's International Homicide Statistics database.; ;

Subcircuit where signs of burglary have been found in Quito, period 2015 - 2021

Parishes, Census sectors, SubCircuit where signs of microtraffic have been found in Quito, period 2018 - 2021

The feminicide rate per 100,000 women in Ecuador was estimated at approximately 1.20 in 2023. Between 2014 and 2023, the rate rose by around 0.90, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Ecuador EC: Intentional Homicides: Female: per 100,000 Female data was reported at 2.197 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.217 Ratio for 2015. Ecuador EC: Intentional Homicides: Female: per 100,000 Female data is updated yearly, averaging 2.952 Ratio from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.763 Ratio in 2009 and a record low of 2.197 Ratio in 2016. Ecuador EC: Intentional Homicides: Female: per 100,000 Female data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Ecuador – Table EC.World Bank: Health Statistics. Intentional homicides, female are estimates of unlawful female 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.; ; UN Office on Drugs and Crime's International Homicide Statistics database.; ;

Subcircuit where signs of vehicle robbery have been found in Quito, period 2015 - 2021

In 2023, there has been a general increase in the economic cost of violence in Ecuador as a share of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The cost of violence remained stable at six percent from 2018 to 2022, nonetheless, during 2023 it increased to ten percent.

Brazil led the list with a total of 4,390 kidnapping cases in the latest available data. Ecuador followed with 1,246 occurrences in 2022. On the flip side, there was only three reported kidnapping in the Antigua and Barbuda 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 in 2023. Nevertheless, even with these varying homicide rates across countries, four out of five of the world's most perilous urban centers are situated in Mexico, with Colima leading the pack at a 2024 homicide rate of 140 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 3,771 U.S. dollars in 2022. In terms of a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), El Salvador takes the first place with a value of 15 percent of their GDP.