The crime rate in Venezuela has plummeted in recent years.
Bloomberg reported that violent deaths dropped to their lowest level in the South American country in over twenty years in December 2023.
The criminals and their victims have left — and have migrated towards the United States, according to the Venezuelan Violence Observatory.
The Observatory registered 26.8 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants in 20223. That’s a sharp declare the 2022 rate of 35.3 for every 100,000 habitants.
Roberto Briceno Leon, director of the Observatory, said in December that it was the lowest violent death rate since 2001.
It is one-third of the violent crime per 100,000 citizens in 2016.
Victims have fled north and young men, often gang members of simply lowly criminals, have emigrated from Venezuela because of declining opportunities to commit crime.
The Bloomberg report observed —
While violent deaths in the world have increased due to wars, in most Latin American countries the trend has been a reduction in homicide rates, he said. Venezuela’s 2023 rate still remains high, and in the region is only surpassed by Ecuador and Honduras.
Other numbers from the observatory:
-
Venezuelans’ perception of security is higher
-
The suicide rate rose to 8.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 6.5 [in 2022], amid Venezuela’s years-long economic and humanitarian crisis
The Horn editorial team