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According to a United Nations-affiliated report released on Monday, Honduras had the highest murder rate per capita in the world in 2013, despite a decline in overall numbers. The country’s homicide rate was 79 per 100,000 people, down by 6.5 percent from 85.5 in 2012, the report said.
The number of crimes the report deemed “atrocious” rose, however. The report attributes this to the increased presence of drug cartels in the country. Most prominently from Mexico, the cartels engage in territorial battles and serial “one-upmanship,” which increase murder rates.
Honduras, with a population of approximately 8.5 million people, saw an average of 19 murders each day last year, down from 20 in 2012.
Source: Chicago Tribune.
