Nearshore Americas
costa rica crime

Costa Rica’s Murder Rate Nearly Doubled since 2000

During the first 15 years of this century, Costa Rica has seen a huge rise in violent crime, particularly associated with the illegal narcotics trade, according to a new report from InsightCrime.

Between 2000 and 2015, the country’s murder rate went from 6.3 to 11.5 per 100,000 citizens — nearly doubling in volume. Up to 70% of this violence stems from territorial battles between local drug gangs.

“Criminality in the country now revolves increasingly around the drug trade, whereas previously it largely consisted of bank robbery, vehicular theft, and kidnapping,” explained Costa Rican Security Minister Gustavo Mata, highlighting how this dynamic is fairly new to the Central American nation.

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Matt Kendall

During his 2+ years as Chief Editor at Nearshore Americas, Matt Kendall operated at the heart of both the Nearshore BPO and IT services industries, reporting on the most impactful stories and trends in the sector.

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