SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — The year 2024 concluded with a historic low of 114 recorded homicides in El Salvador, showcasing significant improvements in security during the second consecutive year of a state of emergency that has granted the government extensive powers while limiting certain civil rights.
President Nayib Bukele announced through the social media platform X that the figures provided by the nation’s Attorney General’s Office affirmed El Salvador’s position as the safest country in the Western Hemisphere. While not all nations have released their homicide data for 2024, Bukele pointed out that the reported rate of 1.9 homicides per 100,000 residents places El Salvador below any Latin American country’s homicide rate reported in 2023. It is important to note that the official figures do not account for the fatalities of five alleged gang members killed in confrontations with law enforcement.
In March 2022, gang violence, especially from the country’s infamous street gangs, led to the deaths of 62 individuals within a single day. In response to this crisis, the congress granted Bukele’s administration a “state of exception,” enabling a crackdown on gang activities by suspending certain constitutional rights and empowering police to detain and hold suspects more effectively.
Since the onset of this crackdown, over 83,000 individuals have been apprehended, many without the benefit of due process. According to Bukele, around 8,000 innocent people have since been released from custody. Nevertheless, reports from civil rights organizations indicate that 354 individuals have died while in government custody during this period of heightened enforcement.
Despite these stringent measures, the evident enhancement in security has bolstered Bukele’s extraordinary popularity among the populace. For years, many residents lived in constant dread of gang dominance, which included extortion, violence, and forced recruitment. During the peak of the gang violence crisis in 2015, El Salvador experienced 6,656 homicides, marking it as one of the globe’s most dangerous nations. By 2023, the number had decreased to 214 homicides, prompting discussions on the ongoing necessity of the state of emergency, to which Bukele and his officials have indicated that their goals have not yet been fully realized.
The congress, where Bukele’s party holds a considerable majority, continues to extend the special powers granted each month. The gang’s oppressive control previously hindered residents’ ability to move safely between neighborhoods for work or leisure. Now, citizens express a renewed sense of safety, feeling comfortable walking freely in their communities.
In February, Bukele won an unprecedented second consecutive five-year term in the elections, despite constitutional restrictions on consecutive re-election, a decision supported by a compliant Supreme Court.
