In 2024, there were approximately six homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in Nicaragua. Compared to the previous year, the murder rate decreased by less than one point. Still, Nicaragua's homicide rate ranked low among selected countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

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

In 2022, around ****** crimes out of 146,000 in Nicaragua were registered in the department of Managua. Which represented the highest figure among all departments, followed from far by León and Matagalpa with ****** and ***** registered felonies respectively.

Robberies involving the use of force were the most common type of crime in Nicaragua in 2022. Around ***** such crimes were reported to the Nicaraguan police in that year. The second most frequent crime was theft, under which around ***** police reports were filed.

A total of 407 cases of murder or homicide were brought to the Nicaraguan police in 2023. Before 2018, the number of homicide and murder cases reported to the authorities had been consistently decreasing since 2010. Nicaragua is among the Latin American countries with the lowest homicide rates.

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

Robberies involving the use of force were the most common type of property crime in Nicaragua in 2021. Around *** thousand such crimes were reported to the Nicaraguan police in that year. The second most frequent crime against property was theft, under which around **** thousand police reports were filed.

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.

Nicaragua NI: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data was reported at 7.367 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 8.616 Ratio for 2015. Nicaragua NI: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 12.437 Ratio from Dec 1995 (Median) to 2016, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 15.247 Ratio in 1995 and a record low of 7.367 Ratio in 2016. Nicaragua NI: 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 Nicaragua – Table NI.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;

Nicaragua NI: Intentional Homicides: Female: per 100,000 Female data was reported at 2.140 Ratio in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.155 Ratio for 2013. Nicaragua NI: Intentional Homicides: Female: per 100,000 Female data is updated yearly, averaging 2.150 Ratio from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2015, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.287 Ratio in 2009 and a record low of 1.874 Ratio in 2011. Nicaragua NI: 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 Nicaragua – Table NI.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.; ;

Nicaragua NI: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data was reported at 15.277 Ratio in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 18.055 Ratio for 2013. Nicaragua NI: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data is updated yearly, averaging 23.863 Ratio from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2015, with 7 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 25.338 Ratio in 2009 and a record low of 15.277 Ratio in 2015. Nicaragua NI: 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 Nicaragua – Table NI.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.; ;

The number of police officers per 100,000 inhabitants in Nicaragua increased almost by 100 during the last 14 years. Robberies involving the use of force were the most common type of crime in Nicaragua in 2021.

Nicaragua: Kidnappings per 100,000 people: Pour cet indicateur, The UN office on drugs and crime fournit des données pour la Nicaragua de 2005 à 2010. La valeur moyenne pour Nicaragua pendant cette période était de 0.1 kidnappings per 100,000 people avec un minimum de 0.1 kidnappings per 100,000 people en 2006 et un maximum de 0.2 kidnappings per 100,000 people en 2005.

The corruption perception index score in Nicaragua totaled 14 points in 2024. Compared to the previous year, this is a decrease of three points. This also represents the lowest score the country has reported since 2012. Further, Nicaragua continues to score low on the Index which means it ranks among the countries with the worst perceived corruption in Latin America. This index is a composite indicator that includes data on the perception of corruption in areas such as bribery of public officials, kickbacks in public procurement, embezzlement of state funds, and effectiveness of governments' anti-corruption efforts. The worst possible score in perception of corruption is 0, whereas a score of 100 indicates that no corruption is perceived in the respective country.

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.

In 2020, the percentage of the population aged over 18 who is very afraid of being a victim of crime in Nicaragua was estimated at approximately 23 percent. Between 2007 and 2020, the figure dropped by around 11 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory.

In 2024, Nicaragua had a risk index score of money laundering and terrorist financing of 6.4, a slight decrease in comparison to the previous year. Nevertheless, Nicaragua was the second country with the highest risk of money laundering and terrorist financing in Latin America that year. 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 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.