In 2024, there were approximately 10.6 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in the country. In the past six years, the lowest rate in Uruguay was reported in 2014, with a number of 7.5 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants.

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

The number of people murdered in the South American country soared in 2018, amounting to ***, but fell to *** in 2023.

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

The number of femicides - murders committed against women because of their gender - in Uruguay decreased in 2024, compared to the previous year. During the whole of 2024, 22 femicides were registered in Uruguay, compared to 24 the previous year.

Uruguay: Homicides per 100,000 people: Pour cet indicateur, The UN office on drugs and crime fournit des données pour la Uruguay de 1990 à 2017. La valeur moyenne pour Uruguay pendant cette période était de 3.1 homicides per 100,000 people avec un minimum de 0 homicides per 100,000 people en 1994 et un maximum de 8.5 homicides per 100,000 people en 2015.

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.

Uruguay UY: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data was reported at 8.400 Ratio in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 7.800 Ratio for 2014. Uruguay UY: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 6.500 Ratio from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2015, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.400 Ratio in 2015 and a record low of 5.700 Ratio in 2005. Uruguay UY: 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 Uruguay – Table UY.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;

Uruguay UY: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data was reported at 13.414 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.670 Ratio for 2015. Uruguay UY: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data is updated yearly, averaging 11.162 Ratio from Dec 2006 (Median) to 2016, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.670 Ratio in 2015 and a record low of 9.677 Ratio in 2011. Uruguay UY: 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 Uruguay – Table UY.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.; ;

Uruguay UY: Intentional Homicides: Female: per 100,000 Female data was reported at 2.357 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 2.817 Ratio for 2015. Uruguay UY: Intentional Homicides: Female: per 100,000 Female data is updated yearly, averaging 2.494 Ratio from Dec 2006 (Median) to 2016, with 11 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.061 Ratio in 2013 and a record low of 1.851 Ratio in 2007. Uruguay UY: 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 Uruguay – Table UY.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.; ;

Uruguay: Robberies per 100,000 people: Pour cet indicateur, The UN office on drugs and crime fournit des données pour la Uruguay de 2003 à 2017. La valeur moyenne pour Uruguay pendant cette période était de 402 robberies per 100,000 people avec un minimum de 266 robberies per 100,000 people en 2006 et un maximum de 566 robberies per 100,000 people en 2015.

The percentage of the population aged over 18 who is very afraid of being a victim of crime in Uruguay was estimated at approximately 29 percent in 2023. Between 2007 and 2023, the percentage of population rose by around four percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Uruguay: Kidnappings per 100,000 people: Pour cet indicateur, The UN office on drugs and crime fournit des données pour la Uruguay de 2003 à 2017. La valeur moyenne pour Uruguay pendant cette période était de 0.5 kidnappings per 100,000 people avec un minimum de 0.1 kidnappings per 100,000 people en 2003 et un maximum de 1.1 kidnappings per 100,000 people en 2017.

As of June 2024, the Uruguayan government had issued only ** licenses for cultivation of psychoactive cannabis for medical use. Meanwhile, the number of licenses for psychoactive cannabis for adult use cultivation in the South American country added up to *****.

Uruguay's tourist safety and security obtained the highest score among Latin American countries studied in the Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) in 2021. By contrast, Mexico got the lowest rate that year.

A research project developed by the Trans Murder Monitoring (TMM) revealed that at least 235 trans or gender-diverse people were murdered in Latin America from October 2022 to September 2023. The highest number of victims was reported in Brazil, with 100 homicides. Mexico was the second deadliest country for trans people in Latin America, having registered 52 murders in the same period.

In 2022, Chile recorded the highest car theft rate in the world, with nearly *** incidents per 100,000 inhabitants. Other countries with notably high rates included Uruguay, Israel, and Luxembourg.