El Salvador continues to solidify its international reputation as one of the safest countries in the region, with record-breaking reductions in homicides under the administration of President Nayib Bukele. According to official data, the number of days without a single homicide has increased sixfold since the implementation of the state of emergency on March 27, 2022.
Defense Minister René Francis Merino Monroy confirmed that from June 1, 2019, to April 20, 2025, El Salvador recorded 889 days with zero homicides. Of those, 775 occurred under the state of emergency, a powerful legal measure introduced to dismantle gang structures and restore public safety. In comparison, only 114 days without homicides were recorded during the first three years of President Bukele’s administration, prior to the emergency regime.
“This shows the state of emergency has been the most effective legal tool available to El Salvador to address insecurity,” stated Minister Merino Monroy on April 21 during the final report presentation of the Summer Plan 2025.
The results were almost immediate. Just two days after the emergency measures took effect, authorities recorded the first homicide-free day under the new regime. By July 5, 2022, after 101 days of enforcement, 50 zero-homicide days had been achieved. That number climbed rapidly, reaching 100 by September 16, 200 by March 8, 2023, and 300 by July 19. By December 24, 2023, the country closed the year with 247 homicide-free days, and the trend has continued into 2025.
As of April 20, 2025, 91 days without homicides have already been recorded this year alone.
These milestones in public safety have contributed to a surge in international tourism and growing global confidence in the country’s security framework. Minister Merino Monroy emphasized that the United States has lifted travel alerts for American citizens visiting El Salvador, recognizing the country’s improved security conditions.
“El Salvador has become an international benchmark due to the high standards achieved by the President of the Republic in terms of security,” the minister noted. “Our country is now ranked among the safest to visit.”
The Territorial Control Plan, reinforced by the state of emergency, remains a central component of the administration’s strategy to guarantee peace and rebuild trust across communities—turning El Salvador into a model for crime reduction on a global scale.