Mexico Averaged 4 Murders An Hour In May

Business Insider

Task & Purpose/Business Insider: Mexico Averaged 4 Murders An Hour In May, Its Highest Recorded Homicide Rate Ever

The steady increase in deadly violence that Mexico has experienced over the past three years continued in May when 2,890 people were killed — an average of 93 a day, or almost four victims an hour.

The total number of victims surpasses the 2,746 recorded in March to make May the deadliest month this year, and it topped the 2,750 victims registered in October, making May the deadliest month in two decades, the period for which the government has released homicide data.

There were also 2,530 homicide cases opened in May. Cases can contain more than one victim, and May’s total was the most in a month this year and the most on record. The daily average of 93.2 homicide cases was also an increase over April when it was 90.7 cases a day.

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WNU Editor: These are the murders that have been registered. Mexico also has mind-blowing statistics on people disappearing. Mexicans go to the polls on July 1, and violent crime is one of the top 2 issues that voters are concerned about (the economy being the other).

2.5 Million Latin Americans Have 'Been Murdered Since 2000'

Latin America has suffered a 'breathtaking' wave of homicidal violence with more than 2.5million murders since 2000, a report has revealed. Armed police are pictured during a shootout with a gang in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Daily Mail: A third of the world's murders happen in Latin America where 2.5 MILLION have been killed since 2000 in a 'breathtaking' wave of homicidal violence, study finds

* Region has 8% of global population but accounts for a third of world's murders
* Study found 2.5 million Latin Americans have 'been killed violently since 2000'
* Brazilian think-tank says the scale of scale of homicidal violence is 'breathtaking'
* Of the 20 nations with highest homicide rates, 17 are in Latin America, study says

Latin America has suffered a 'breathtaking' wave of homicidal violence with more than 2.5million murders since 2000, a report has revealed.

The region accounts for a third of the world's murders - despite being home to only eight per cent of the global population, according to the Brazilian think-tank, the Igarapé Institute.

About 25 per cent of all global homicides take place in four of the region's countries - Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico and Brazil.

The institute's report said the 'sheer dimensions of homicidal violence are breathtaking' with almost half of all victims aged between 15–29.

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Update #1: 'Breathtaking homicidal violence': Latin America in grip of murder crisis (The Guardian)
Update #2: Latin America is the world's most violent region. A new report investigates why. (Washington Post)

WNU Editor: The complete report is here .... Citizen security in Latin America: Facts and Figures (Igarapé Institute).

Which Countries Have The Highest Murder Rates?

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

The Telegraph: Mapped: Which countries have the highest murder rates?

Central and South America have the highest homicide rates in the world while European cities are least blighted by murder

Murder continues to blight countries in Central and South America, while almost half a million people lose their lives each year due to intentional homicide, figures reveal.

Central and South American countries had the highest homicide rates in the world, according to figures published by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Honduras and Venezuela are the most murderous nations on the world, with over one in 1,000 being killed each year.

WNU Editor: I am surprised by the numbers from Belize. I was there about a decade ago .... it seemed very peaceful and safe when I was there.

UN Report On Global Murder Rates Released

A boy with a Mexican flag, stained with paint to resemble blood, lies down in a chalk outline representing the body of a crime victim during a protest in Mexico City. Reuters

Americas Overtake Africa As Region With Most Murders -- The Guardian

UN report finds nearly 40% of world's murders were committed in Americas in 2012

The Americas have overtaken Africa as the region with the most murders, thanks to a surge in organised crime, according to a UN report (pdf).

Honduras retains the world's highest murder rate, with 90.4 homicides per 100,000 people in 2012, almost double that of Venezuela, whose rate was 53.7.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime's report, Central America fared particularly badly. Belize had a murder rate of 44.7, while El Salvador's was 41.2 per 100,000.

In a previous report in 2011, Honduras topped the list, with El Salvador in second place and Venezuela in third.

Nearly 40% of the 437,000 murders committed globally in 2012 took place in the Americas, with the majority in Central and South America, the report found.

"Overall, organised crime [or] gang-related homicide accounts for 30% of homicides in the Americas," the report said.

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More News On The UN Report On Global Murder Rates

UN global study: Murder rate very high in Americas -- AP
Honduras, Venezuela have world's highest murder rates: U.N. -- Reuters
World murders down, most serious in Africa, Americas -- Business Standard/AFP
UN report notes high murder rates in Americas -- Deutsche Welle
The odds of being murdered -- The Economist

WNU Editor: The UN report is here.