Honduras was the Latin American country with the highest femicide rate as of 2023. In that year, it was estimated that around seven women were murdered on account of their gender per 100,000 female population in this Central American country. Chile recorded one of the lowest femicide rates, at 0.4 victims every 100,000 women. In that same year, Brazil registered the largest number of femicide cases in the region.

The term femicide refers to the killing of a woman or girl, in particular by a man, on account of her gender. In 2021, there were around *** femicides per 100,000 population in Jamaica.

In 2022, an estimated 800 femicides were reported across European countries. Femicide, which refers to the gender-related killing of women and girls, represents the most extreme cases of violence against women. In this year there were estimated to have been 120 femicides in Italy, 118 in France, 113 in Germany and 83 in Spain.

n 2024, *** women were murdered in Colombia because of their gender. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of femicides increased from *** to ***. This increase of more than ten percent occurred during the social isolation measures taken after the COVID-19 outbreak. In September of 2020 alone, 85 women in Colombia were victims of femicide. Antioquia is usually the department with the highest number of femicides in the South American country.

In 2022, an estimated 1,174 femicides were reported in Russia, making it the European country with the highest number of such crimes. Femicides, defined as the gender-based killing of women and girls, represent the most extreme form of violence against women. That same year, Turkey, and the United Kingdom ranked second and third, with 327 and 110 cases, respectively.

Turks and Caicos Islands saw a murder rate of ***** per 100,000 inhabitants, making it the most dangerous country for this kind of crime worldwide as of 2024. Interestingly, El Salvador, which long had the highest global homicide rates, has dropped out of the top 29 after a high number of gang members have been incarcerated. Meanwhile, Colima in Mexico was the most dangerous city for murders. Violent conflicts worldwide Notably, these figures do not include deaths that resulted from war or a violent conflict. While there is a persistent number of conflicts worldwide, resulting casualties are not considered murders. Partially due to this reason, homicide rates in Latin America are higher than those in Afghanistan or Syria. A different definition of murder in these circumstances could change the rate significantly in some countries. Causes of death Also, noteworthy is that murders are usually not random events. In the United States, the circumstances of murders are most commonly arguments, followed by narcotics incidents and robberies. Additionally, murders are not a leading cause of death. Heart diseases, strokes and cancer pose a greater threat to life than violent crime.

In 2021, a total of 256 murders were classified as femicides in Argentina. Two years earlier, 327 femicide victims were documented, the highest number of such cases since 2016. Buenos Aires was the province with most femicides in Argentina that year. This type of homicide is defined as the murder of a woman or girl on account of their gender. In Latin America, Brazil is the country with the highest number of femicides.

In Europe, the Baltic countries of Latvia and Lithuania had the highest and third highest homicide rates respectively in 2022. Latvia had the highest rate at over four per 100,000 inhabitants. Meanwhile, the lowest homicide rate was found in Liechtenstein, with zero murders The most dangerous country worldwide Saint Kitts and Nevis is the world's most dangerous country to live in in terms of murder rate. The Caribbean country had a homicide rate of 65 per 100,000 inhabitants. Nine of the 10 countries with the highest murder rates worldwide are located in Latin America and the Caribbean. Whereas Celaya in Mexico was listed as the city with the highest murder rate worldwide, Colima in Mexico was the city with the highest homicide rate in Latin America, so the numbers vary from source to source. Nevertheless, several Mexican cities rank among the deadliest in the world when it comes to intentional homicides. Violent conflicts worldwide Notably, these figures do not include deaths that resulted from war or a violent conflict. While there is a persistent number of conflicts worldwide, resulting casualties are not considered murders. Partially due to this reason, homicide rates in Latin America are higher than those in countries such as Ukraine or the DR Congo. A different definition of murder in these circumstances could change the rate significantly.

Until June 2024, 33 women and girls were killed on account of their gender in the Caribbean country In 2023 most of them murdered by their current partner. The province of La Vega and the capital Santo Domingo, recorded the largest number of femicides, a total of five each.

In 2019, France had the highest number of overall homicides in Europe at 835, with 285 of the victims being women. Germany had the second highest number of intentional homicides in that year, at 623 with 347 of those victims being male.

From January to December 2024, the number of femicide cases reported in Chile was already 51. During the last decade, the highest number of femicides were recorded in 2017 with 69 cases.
Danger comes from the inside It may sound counterintuitive to say that the most dangerous place for women is inside their own home with family members or partners. Nonetheless, for victims of femicide that is the case. During 2022, almost 75 percent of all the femicides recorded in Chile, the perpetrator was either the current or ex partner of the victim. Figure that grows considering that in only 5.6 percent of the cases the victim had no reported relationship with their perpetrators. Moreover, the number of cases by place of occurrence shows a similar story, the most common place is the victim's own place of residence.

Homicides in Chile During 2023, almost two people in Chile every day were victims of homicide. The situation does not present a positive outlook for the decline in the number of cases. For the last couple of years, the homicide rate in the South American country has started to increase, going from 2.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2019 to 4.5 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023. After the wave of violence, the Chilean government started a program called "Streets with no violence" to try to stop the spread of criminal organizations and overall violent crime.

The number of women murdered on account of their gender in Argentina reached 267 from January to December 2024. December was the deadliest month for women in this South American country, as at least 33 victims of femicide were registered that year.On March 20, 2020 the government of Argentina imposed a nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. During lockdowns there has been a growth in domestic violence and sexual abuse reports in Latin America. Argentina registered a 70 percent increase in phone calls to the family violence helpline in April of that year.

In 2020, there were 257 women killed by male single offenders in the state of Texas. Texas was the state with the highest number of women murdered by men in single offender homicides. California had the second most women killed by male single offenders, at 222 cases.

In 2024, there were approximately 1.9 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in El Salvador. Since 2015, when it stood at 103, the murder rate has been dropping annually in this Central American country. Crime current state The region has witnessed a substantial reduction in the number of homicides since 2015, resulting in the most common crimes becoming increasingly more centered on non-lethal offenses and material-related transgressions, which now pose the most prevalent threats. This shift is equally apparent across both genders, with the rate of femicides steadily declining, paralleling a consistent decrease in overall victimization rates. Consequently, El Salvador achieved the ranking of the third safest country within the Latin American homicide rate context. Notwithstanding these notable improvements, a lingering sense of caution endures among the populace, as nearly half of them remain apprehensive about the prospect of falling victim to criminal activities. Main economic problems Following an extended phase marked by elevated inflation, the region continues to grapple with challenges in its efforts to recover. The impact has been most pronounced on the prices of essential food items, rendering them increasingly unaffordable for a population where approximately 20 percent live under poverty conditions. Furthermore, the unemployment rate persists, with one out of every two individuals still seeking employment opportunities. A significant proportion, approximately 60 percent, remain apprehensive about job loss, recognizing the subsequent loss of their primary income source. In response, the government is envisaging an enhancement in both the employment rate and the GDP, albeit with a gradual recovery trajectory following the substantial downturn experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2024, Nicaragua was the Latin American country with the highest gender gap index, with 0.81 points. Another Central American country, Guatemala, had the worst score in the region with 0.7 points. This means that, on average, Guatemalan women have 30 percent less opportunities than men in education, health, the economy, and politics.

Gender Inequality in Latin America
Based on a 2023 survey conducted among the populace in each nation, Mexico has been perceived as having the least gender-based wage equality, receiving a score of 0.5 out of 1, which is the lowest. In contrast, Barbados is regarded as the most gender-equal among the LATAM countries. Furthermore, the labor market exhibits a male bias, as women have consistently experienced higher unemployment rates over the years, with a rate of 11.3 percent as of 2021. Additionally, it is more common across the countries to observe a greater proportion of females experiencing higher poverty rates, with Mexican and Colombian women being the primary two groups representing this circumstance.

Literacy gender gap
As education progresses in both the educational and labor sectors, the goal is to ensure that basic literacy is accessible to everyone. However, research data reveals that the gender parity index for adult and youth literacy in Latin America remains at around 1 percent. This means that one woman out of 100 is less likely to possess literacy skills compared to men. Furthermore, this rate shows a significant gender gap, with 93.71 percent of females in this region accounting for this skill. Consequently, in the labor field, there are implications for skilled workers due to this literacy gap, resulting in higher rates of unemployment, a lack of training, and a non-educational population. This issue affects approximately 28.4 percent of women in Latin America.

During 2024, a total of 13 girls and teenagers died as a result of femicide in Peru. Adults women were the main victims of femicide in the South American country. Most murders were carried out by the partner or ex-partner of the victim.

Throughout 2024, the majority of femicides in Mexico were perpetrated using weapons apart from firearms or bladed instruments. These alternative weapons or not specified ones accounted for a substantial share of around 45 percent of the cases.

In 2022, the state of Bahia reported the largest number of homicides in Brazil. That year, 6,776 homicides were recorded in this northeastern state. Bahia was followed by the state of Rio de Janeiro, with 3,762 murders reported. Despite that, the number of homicides in Brazil reached the lowest figure that year since at least 2006, totaling 40,464. Homicide targets Data shows that homicides affected men disproportionaly more than women in this South American country. Considering the over 46,340 homicides registered in Brazil in 2022, nearly 92 percent had men as victims. Again, it is important to remember the deterioration of data quality, specially in the case of femicides: there was a woman victim of violent death with no clear cause for every woman victim of homicide in Brazil. In that regard, the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Rondônia had the highest femicide rates. At least three of every 100,000 women who lived in those territories were murdered on account of their gender in 2023. Not only women, but the number of black and brown people murdered in Brazil had been growing throughout the years up until 2017, revealing that minorities are increasingly becoming the targets of violence. In 2022, nearly 35,500 people of color were killed in Brazil, over three times the number of non-black or non-brown people. Police Violence Police brutality has been gaining attention from the media, especially after George Floyd violent death in 2020. In Brazil, police violence, particularly in poor areas, such as favelas, is an old and well-known problem that affects society as a whole. Figures have shown that the number of civilians killed by police officers in Brazil surpassed 6,350 in both 2021 and 2022. Coincidentally, Rio de Janeiro and Bahia, the Brazilian states with the highest number of homicides, are also the ones with the highest number of people killed by the police. In Rio, the state with the second-highest figure, people of color were the main victims of deadly police interventions.

In 2023, almost one out of three ever-partnered Turkish women had experienced domestic violence. In comparison, only 12 percent of women living in Switzerland had experienced domestic violence in their lifetime.

In 2019, the highest percentage of females who suffered from intimate partner violence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region was in Iraq at about 45.3 percent of the females. Within the region, Syria, Libya and Iraq have been suffering from conflict and humanitarian crises.