El Salvador concluded 2024 with a record low of 114 homicides, marking significant security improvements under President Nayib Bukele’s ongoing state of emergency. This policy, initiated in March 2022 after a gang-related massacre, suspends certain constitutional rights and grants expanded powers to law enforcement. Since then, over 83,000 people have been arrested, though 8,000 were later released as innocent. Despite criticisms, including reports of 354 deaths in custody and curtailed civil liberties, the crackdown has led to a homicide rate of 1.9 per 100,000—the lowest in Latin America.

In 2015, El Salvador had 6,656 homicides, making it one of the world’s deadliest countries. In 2023, there were 214 homicides.

These security gains have bolstered Bukele’s immense popularity, allowing residents to move freely without fear in areas once controlled by gangs. However, the emergency powers, renewed monthly by Bukele’s supermajority in Congress, continue to raise concerns about their necessity. Bukele, who won a second term in February 2024 despite constitutional restrictions, has positioned El Salvador as one of the safest nations in the Western Hemisphere.