In 2022, there were approximately 4.6 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in the country, an increase compared to the year earlier. The homicide rate in Chile has been varying between 2.6 and 4.6 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants since 2014. The South American country had one of the lowest homicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 2023, the region in Chile with the highest number of recorded homicides was the metropolitan area of Santiago, with over 550 homicides. In contrast, the region of Aysén recorded only 5 cases. The South American country had one of the lowest homicide rates in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Chile is the country with the lowest homicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, data shows that the number of people murdered in Chile increased significantly in 2022. In total, more than 1.3 thousand intentional homicides were registered in the Southern country that year.

In 2023, the region in Chile with the highest homicide rate was Arica y Parinacota with 12.3 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Followed by Tarapacá and Antofagasta. In contrast, Ñuble ranked with the lowest in the country with 2.7 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. The South American country had one of the lowest homicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Chile CL: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data was reported at 5.977 Ratio in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.309 Ratio for 2015. Chile CL: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data is updated yearly, averaging 5.941 Ratio from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2016, with 12 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.372 Ratio in 2009 and a record low of 4.633 Ratio in 2012. Chile CL: 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 Chile – Table CL.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.; ;

In 2023, Chile had 704 cases of homicide reported. December and January accounted for 75 and 71 cases each, respectively, making the two months with more reported cases. Meanwhile, July had 51 cases reported, being the less violent month of the year in this type of crime.

6,8 (cases per 100,000 population) in 2022. “Intentional homicide” is defined as unlawful death purposefully inflicted on a person by another person

3,6 (cases per 100,000 population) in 2022. “Homicide” is defined as unlawful death purposefully inflicted on a person by another person

Chile has experienced an increase in thefts reported over the last two years, reaching 94,282 cases reported in 2023. The highest figure of the study period was reported in 2011, with over 120,600 cases being reported this year.

713 (número) in 2022. “Homicide” is defined as unlawful death purposefully inflicted on a person by another person

497,8 (cases per 100,000 population) in 2022. “Private Car Theft” means the removal of a private car without the consent of the owner of the vehicle. “Private Cars” means motor vehicles, excluding motorcycles, commercial vehicles, buses, lorries, construction and agricultural vehicles.(UN-CTS M4.5)

497,8 (cases per 100,000 population) in 2022. „Privatautos" sind motorisierte Fahrzeuge, Motorräder, gewerbliche Fahrzeuge, Busse, LKWs, Baufahrzeuge und landwirtschaftliche Nutzfahrzeuge ausgeschlossen. (UN-CTS M4.5)

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.

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.

Chile has experienced an increase in sexual violence in the last years. In 2022, a peak of over 22,800 cases were reported in the South American country, reaching an all-time high.

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 2023, Chile registered 51 femicides. The regions with the most cases were the Metropolitan area of Santiago, with 14, and Biobió, with 9 cases. In four regions, no cases of femicide were registered in 2023.

According to an annual survey conducted in Chile, the perception of an increase in crime has increased significantly since 2018, with a jump from 76.8 percent of respondents in 2018 to 90.6 percent in 2022.

During a survey conducted in August 2024, over 50 percent of respondents in Chile mentioned crime as one of the three most important problems affecting the South American country. Immigration and corruption followed as the second and third most quoted issues, with 25.7 and 22.8 percent, respectively. Price levels in Chile have been experiencing a steep increase since February 2021, with the inflation rate reaching double digits since April 2022.

In October 2019, protests broke out in Chile's capital city Santiago, as transport fares were raised. The protests were also related to a series of underlying social issues, such as high living costs and inequality in the country. The situation escalated as Chile's president, Sebastián Piñera, announced a state of emergency and authorized the deployment of Chilean Army forces across the main regions. Protests were expanded to other Chilean cities as the situation worsened. In turn, in the period from October 2019 to March 2020, more than 2,500 complaints of human rights violations conducted by security forces against civilians were filed in the country. Santiago and its metropolitan region registered the highest number of complaints in the period, at 986. Biobío followed, with 247 complaints.