Jamaica’s homicide rate remains among the highest in the Caribbean
Vanassa McKenzie / Our Today
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Despite a 17.7 per cent decrease in homicides this year, Jamaica remains one of the countries with the highest homicide rates in the Caribbean and Latin America.
The country has consistently reported over 1,000 murders annually for the past five years. According to Statista data from December 2, 2023, Jamaica had the highest homicide rate among 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries surveyed, with about 60.9 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.
Ecuador followed with a rate of 44.5, and Honduras ranked fifth with 31.1 El Salvador recorded the lowest rate at 2.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. Between 2019 and 2023, Jamaica reported 7,027 murders, second only to Haiti, which had 10,610 during that period.
Given current trends, Jamaica’s homicide rate is unlikely to improve significantly, with around 1,060 murders recorded in 2023, according to November statistics from the Jamaica Constabulary Force.
This high homicide rate has led the United States to issue a level three travel advisory, urging its citizens to reconsider travel to Jamaica due to crime and limited medical services.
The US embassy has restricted its personnel from travelling to certain areas of the country, prohibited the use of public buses, and banned driving outside designated areas of Kingston at night.
Westmoreland, St James, the St Andrew South, and St Catherine North police division recorded the highest number of homicides up to November 30.
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