In 2024, the homicide rate in Trinidad and Tobago stood at around 45.7 homicide victims per 100,000 population. The murder levels increased 8.1 points compared to a year earlier, when 37.6 homicides were registered per 100,000 inhabitants. In Latin America and the Caribbean, Trinidad and Tobago had one of the highest homicide rates that year.

Except for 2020, homicide levels had been growing in this Caribbean country at least since 2014. The homicide rate in Trinidad and Tobago also improved in 2020. In 2024, the numbers of murders drop again and a total of 625 occurrences were registered in the country.

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.

In 2023, 52 murders were committed in Trinidad and Tobago's capital, Port of Spain. The number of homicides registered in the city remained relatively constant between 2016 and 2018, peaking in 2015 when 87 homicides were registered in the city.

Robberies have been the most common property crime reported in Trinidad and Tobago since 2019. At least 2,399 robbery cases were registered in 2024, down from 2,613 the year earlier. Overall, property crimes in Trinidad and Tobago have registered a considerable decrease between 2019 and 2021, just to go up again in 2022. More figures about crime in Caribbean countries can be found in this report.

Saint Kitts and Nevis saw a murder rate of 65 per 100,000 inhabitants, making it the most dangerous country for this kind of crime worldwide as of 2023. Interestingly, El Salvador, which long had the highest global homicide rates, has dropped out of the top 20 after a high number of gang members have been incarcerated. Meanwhile, Celaya 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.