In 2023, the number of intentional homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in Haiti was estimated at 41.15, up from 18.98 the year before. The homicide rate registered in the Caribbean country remained relatively stable from 2011 to 2016, in the range of 9 to 10 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, before beginning to increase in 2018.

Historical dataset showing Haiti crime rate per 100K population by year from 2007 to 2021.

In 2022, 2,088 people died as a result of intentional homicide in Haiti. The following year, in 2023, the number of victims had reached 4,789, the highest number of homicides since at least 2010.

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.

This dataset compiles available information on cases of gang violence, criminal activities, and human rights abuses in Haiti, including sexual and gender-based violence, as per the reporting requirements outlined in Security Council resolution 2743 (2024). The data spans from 2018, capturing trends in intentional homicides, kidnappings, lynchings, and other violent crimes, disaggregated by gender and age group. The dataset supports monitoring of the security and human rights situation in Haiti, informing interventions and policy-making processes aimed at improving civilian protection.

Historical dataset showing Haiti murder/homicide rate per 100K population by year from 2007 to 2021.

Among the cities depicted in this statistic, Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti, registered the highest homicide rate as of 2023. An average of 118 people every 100,000 inhabitants in this city were reportedly murdered. In Kingston, the Jamaican capital, the homicide rate was estimated at 55.35.

Haiti: Homicides per 100,000 people: The latest value from 2016 is 9.5 homicides per 100,000 people, a decline from 10 homicides per 100,000 people in 2015. In comparison, the world average is 7.9 homicides per 100,000 people, based on data from 118 countries. Historically, the average for Haiti from 2007 to 2016 is 8.1 homicides per 100,000 people. The minimum value, 5.1 homicides per 100,000 people, was reached in 2007 while the maximum of 10 homicides per 100,000 people was recorded in 2012.

In the second half of 2023, 89 children in Haiti were victims of gang violence. Of these, 53 cases occurred in the last quarter of the year.

HT: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data was reported at 15.660 Ratio in 2012. HT: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data is updated yearly, averaging 15.660 Ratio from Dec 2012 (Median) to 2012, with 1 observations. HT: 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 Haiti – Table HT.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.; ;

Several countries located in Central America and the Caribbean registered some of the highest homicide rates in the Latin American region in 2023. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ranked first, with around 51.32 homicides committed per 100,000 inhabitants. Jamaica came in second with 49.44 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 is 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, at 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.

HT: Intentional Homicides: Female: per 100,000 Female data was reported at 4.542 Ratio in 2012. HT: Intentional Homicides: Female: per 100,000 Female data is updated yearly, averaging 4.542 Ratio from Dec 2012 (Median) to 2012, with 1 observations. HT: 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 Haiti – Table HT.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.; ;

In 2024, Haiti had a Risk Index score of 7.92. The country was ranked as one of the highest risk countries for money laundering and terrorist financing in Latin America and the world. Between 2018 and 2021, this value was continuously increasing. The Basel AML Index is a composite index, a combination of 16 different indicators with regards to corruption, financial standards, political disclosure and rule of law and tries to measure the risk level of money laundering and terrorist financing in different countries. The numbers used are based on publicly available sources such as the FATF, Transparency International, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum and are meant to serve as a starting point for further investigation.

Haiti HT: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data was reported at 10.000 Ratio in 2012. This records an increase from the previous number of 9.000 Ratio for 2011. Haiti HT: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 6.450 Ratio from Sep 2007 (Median) to 2012, with 6 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 10.000 Ratio in 2012 and a record low of 5.100 Ratio in 2008. Haiti HT: 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 Haiti – Table HT.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;

In 2024, almost ***** people died as a result of intentional homicide in Haiti. In that year, *** victims were minors, while *** were women.

In 2024, Haiti ranked as the country with the highest risk of money laundering and terrorist financing in Latin America, with an index score of ****. Venezuela followed second, with **** points. In that same year, Chile had the lowest risk in the region with an index score of ****.The Basel AML Index is a composite index, a combination of ** different indicators with regards to corruption, financial standards, political disclosure and rule of law and tries to measure the risk level of money laundering and terrorist financing in different countries. The numbers used are based on publicly available sources such as the FATF, Transparency International, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum and are meant to serve as a starting point for further investigation.

The Dominican Republic was awarded an index score of 4.96 based on the risk of money laundering and terrorist financing. Except for that 2022 and 2023, the score has been improving steadily since 2016, when it stood at 6.74. In addition, neighboring Haiti is the country with the highest risk index of money laundering and terrorist financing in Latin America. The Basel AML Index is a composite index, a combination of 16 different indicators with regards to corruption, financial standards, political disclosure and rule of law and tries to measure the risk level of money laundering and terrorist financing in different countries. The numbers used are based on publicly available sources such as the FATF, Transparency International, the World Bank and the World Economic Forum and are meant to serve as a starting point for further investigation.

In December of 2020, nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean had laws that considered private, consensual sexual acts between adults of the same sex a crime or illegal.

Which countries in the Caribbean criminalize same-sex relations? Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Lucia categorize consensual sexual acts between adults of the same sex either as "buggery" or "gross indecency". In Antigua and Barbuda and Saint Lucia, for instance, only homosexual relations between men are considered illegal. Despite this, Latin America and the Caribbean shows a generally high level of LGBT-friendliness toward consensual same-sex acts.

Where was same-sex intercourse first legalized in the region? Haiti has the oldest legal framework that did not criminalize homosexual relations in Latin America and the Caribbean, dating back to 1791, when it was still under French rule. This makes it one of the first countries in the world to not consider same-sex intercourse a crime. Other pioneering countries on the matter were the Dominican Republic and El Salvador, whose laws did not consider same-sex sexual acts a crime since the 1820s.