El Salvador has achieved a remarkable decline in its homicide rate, plummeting from 106.3 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2015 to just 1.9 in 2024. This dramatic reduction is attributed to the robust security strategy implemented by President Nayib Bukele, starting in 2019, which has transformed the country from one of the most violent in the world to one of the safest in the Western Hemisphere.

President Bukele’s administration launched a comprehensive security plan that has focused on both ordinary measures, such as the Territorial Control Plan, and extraordinary steps like the implementation of the Exception Regime. These efforts have gradually brought peace and safety to communities that had long suffered from high crime rates.

According to Gustavo Villatoro, El Salvador’s Minister of Security, the results from 2024 demonstrate the success of the government’s approach. «These results are a firm, brave, and forceful reflection of President Nayib Bukele, who, upon taking office in 2019, initiated an extensive study of the country’s security issues and implemented measures that decisively reduced crime,» Villatoro said.

In 2015, during the second term of former President Salvador Sánchez Cerén, the country faced its highest murder rate, with an average of 18 homicides per day. While there was some improvement in the following years, the rate remained high until President Bukele’s strategy began to show results in 2019. By the end of that year, the homicide rate had dropped to 38 per 100,000 inhabitants. The decline continued steadily, reaching 21.2 in 2020 and 18.1 in 2021. In 2022, the government’s crackdown on gangs led to a significant drop to 7.8, and by 2023, the rate had fallen to 2.4.

“El Salvador closes 2024 with a homicide rate of just 1.9, consolidating itself as the safest country in the Western Hemisphere, a remarkable turnaround after being the most unsafe country in the world,” President Bukele proudly stated.

This historic drop in homicide rates showcases the effectiveness of the Bukele administration’s focus on public security and its commitment to creating a safer environment for all Salvadorans.