Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is the most violent region in the world. Despite representing only 8 percent of the global population, LAC accounts for 29 percent of the world’s homicides[1]. The Caribbean subregion, in particular, experiences some of the highest homicide rates, with countries like Jamaica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago with rates exceeding 30 per 100,000, more than five times the global rate.
In the Caribbean, violent crime is not just a law enforcement challenge, it is a deep-rooted public health and economic crisis. The roots of this violence are complex and intertwined. Layers of violence—political conflict, slavery, and systemic discrimination dating back to colonial times—have reinforced one another. Combined with structural economic and governance challenges, these conditions have created fertile ground for organised crime. Economic inequality, the starkest in the world, drives marginalised individuals toward illicit activities, while geographic vulnerabilities and porous borders facilitate drug trafficking and arms smuggling.
In some countries, poor access to quality education and training, high youth unemployment, and gender inequality, further exacerbate this crisis. Organised crime, fuelled by global drug demand and gang rivalries, has led to soaring homicide rates and pervasive insecurity. Firearms play a major role, involved in 67 percent of homicides in the Caribbean[2]. Young men are both the primary victims and perpetrators, often lured into crime by poverty and lack of opportunities[3]. Gender-based violence remains rampant, with almost half of women in some Caribbean nations experiencing intimate partner violence[4].
Violent crime in the Caribbean is driving high rates of premature death, injury, and trauma[5], undermining human capital development. Widespread firearm use and gender-based violence severely strain health systems and the social fabric of countries. The impact extends beyond physical harm, fuelling mental health issues, chronic stress, and substance abuse, especially among vulnerable youth. These health burdens overwhelm services and entrench cycles of violence, undermining community well-being and resilience.
The data revealed that the direct costs of crime and violence in LAC is staggering, accounting for 3.44 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2022, a figure largely unchanged from previous years[6]. The Caribbean had the highest cost (3.83 percent), as compared to Central America (3.46 percent), the Andean Region (3.22 percent), and the Southern Cone (3.2 percent). This burden outpaces spending on public education and social welfare, diverting critical resources. Indirect costs are equally devastating, undermining tourism, deterring investment, reducing productivity, and triggering emigration of skilled workers.
Yet, the path forward is clear. Evidence from places like Cali, Colombia [7], and programmes such as Cure Violence in the US demonstrate that comprehensive, data-driven, and community-centred strategies can reduce violence[8]. Key measures include strengthening law enforcement, enacting stricter gun control, improving public trust in justice systems, investing in youth education and employment, and expanding mental health and substance abuse services[9].
Crucially, success depends on political will, institutional resilience, and coordinated, multisectoral efforts. Without bold action, countries in the Caribbean risk prolonged cycles of violence that will continue to sap human capital, stifle economic growth, and erode social cohesion.
As World Bank Group Vice-President for LAC Carlos Felipe Jaramillo aptly noted, addressing violence is central to solving the region’s most pressing challenges of growth, inequality, and poverty[2]. The time for concerted action is now.
