Where Data Tells the Story
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For most of the 2010s, Ecuador had some of the lowest murder rates in Latin America. According to data from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, rates were often three or four times lower than the regional average.
But as you can see in the chart, homicide rates have risen steeply in the last few years. From 2020 to 2023, rates increased more than fivefold. To put this in context: the number of people murdered each year increased from roughly 1,400 to 8,200.
Ecuador went from being one of the safest countries in the region to having one of the highest murder rates, not only in Latin America, but in the world as a whole.
This increase in violence has been linked to Ecuador’s growing role in international drug trafficking and competition between criminal groups. Large outbreaks of prison violence, often involving rival gangs, have also contributed.