Is El Salvador Safe in 2026? Homicide Data vs. the Costs

As of September 2026 (facts checked 29 September 2026). This guide separates what official statistics say, what international bodies and rights groups say, and what travel-advice agencies tell visitors, because on El Salvador these three do not fully agree. For the regional comparison, see Safest countries in Latin America in 2026.

What the homicide numbers show

The fall in killings is large under any source. The World Bank series (intentional homicides per 100,000 people, UNODC-derived) runs from 107.64 in 2015 to 7.90 in 2022. The series showed no value for 2023 when we checked it. For 2023, the national police (PNC) reported 154 homicides and a rate of 2.4 per 100,000, against 495 killings in 2022.

For 2024 and 2025 the figures come from the government itself. Justice Minister Gustavo Villatoro announced 82 homicides in 2025 (a rate of 1.3 per 100,000) against 114 in 2024 (1.9), as relayed by the Tico Times. The Attorney General's office (Fiscalía) says the same: 82 homicides in 2025, 32 fewer than 2024, and 1,102 consecutive days without homicides. It breaks the 82 down as 43 from social intolerance, 31 from family conflict and 8 from general crime, and reports overall crime down 51.50% and theft down 60.41% between 2024 and 2025. Treat these as government statements, not independently audited data.

Two of those rows pull in different directions. Homicide is at record lows on official numbers, yet the Global Peace Index, which scores 23 indicators including militarisation and human rights, still places El Salvador 121st of 163. Numbeo is a crowd-perception survey and is context only. Its night-time score of 34.04 shows that perceived safety after dark is lower than the daytime score of 56.78.

The other side of the ledger: the state of exception

The drop in homicides came alongside a state of exception. It was requested after 62 homicides on 26 March 2022, approved on 27 March 2022 under Article 29 of the Constitution, and has been renewed repeatedly. The Assembly approved the 55th extension on 23 September 2026 by 57 votes to 3, for 30 days through 27 October 2026. The decree cites persisting gang-linked conduct. According to the Infobae report, over 93,162 people have been detained cumulatively (a government-reported total, not the current prison population).

Human Rights Watch reports that the measure suspended freedom of association and assembly, privacy of communications, the right to be told the reason for arrest, the right to remain silent and to counsel, and the original 72-hour judicial review limit (later changed in August 2022). Its World Report 2026 says the exception had been extended 45 times at the time of writing and cites more than 90,000 detained, including over 3,000 children, and at least 458 deaths in custody. HRW also says government restrictions on crime data, and changes to which killings are counted as homicides, make it hard to assess the accuracy of official claims.

Amnesty International's report of 15 July 2026 cites over 90,000 detentions and around 470 deaths in state custody. It says the patterns it documented (mass arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearance, deaths in custody) may constitute crimes against humanity under Article 7 of the Rome Statute. Its Ana Piquer is quoted: "Security cannot be built on arbitrariness, torture, enforced disappearances and the annulment of due process." The government presents its security policy as a success; Amnesty notes that framing.

Can you trust the official figures?

Reasonable people disagree. The government credits its security policy, and the Fiscalía credits coordinated efforts between the prosecution office and the security cabinet through expanded security measures. Critics say the exception regime carries a heavy cost and that the data cannot be checked. InSight Crime states that bodies found in unmarked graves, killings by police and murders in prisons are excluded from official data. HRW makes a similar point about data access. Cristosal and Socorro Jurídico Humanitario left El Salvador in 2025, per HRW and other reports, which reduces independent monitoring. The homicide decline itself is not in doubt. What remains contested is how complete the official count is and how much the exception regime contributed.

What travel advisories say

• Canada (updated 24 September 2026): "Exercise a high degree of caution." The advisory says: "Since 2022, gang activity in El Salvador has been severely disrupted, resulting in a major reduction in violent crime." It also says the state of exception remains active and that foreigners have been detained, sometimes arbitrarily.
• United Kingdom (FCDO): no advice against travel. Its safety page says security operations and gang-related violence do not usually affect tourists and visitors, but notes isolated attacks on tourists, including robbery, and that some embassies have had difficulty accessing detained citizens. The main page was last updated 17 June 2026.
• United States: we could not open travel.state.gov. Secondary sources report a move to Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) in mid-2026, previously Level 2. Check the current level on the State Department page before you travel.

Everyday risks visitors and residents report

The main advisories describe ordinary crime rather than gang violence. Canada lists frequent petty theft on public transport and in tourist areas, armed robberies on buses, and sexual assault on buses and beaches. On detentions, both Canada and the UK note that foreigners, or their embassies, have had problems, including difficulty with consular access.

Road safety and natural hazards

The World Bank's WHO-derived series puts road-traffic deaths at 20.9 per 100,000 in 2019 (20.8 in 2018), so roughly 21. That is a much higher rate than the homicide rate now reported, and for many residents it is the bigger statistical risk. Canada says serious road accidents are common and that intercity travel at night is hazardous.

El Salvador sits in a seismic zone. The 13 January 2001 earthquake was Mw 7.6 according to USGS strong-motion data (other sources say 7.7), followed by an M6.6 on 13 February 2001. Canada also lists active volcanoes and a hurricane season from mid-May to November.

Rain is a live issue as this guide is written. In late September 2026, Protección Civil reported about 450 emergencies from floods, landslides and fallen trees, linked to indirect moisture from Hurricane Polo, with 180 shelters prepared and two rivers overflowing without deaths or serious injuries reported. A forecast depression in early October could bring 400-500 mm of rain over three days. Check Protección Civil alerts in the rainy season, especially if you live or travel near rivers or slopes.

Challenges and downsides

• The exception suspends specific due-process and privacy rights, and rights groups report torture, enforced disappearances and deaths in custody. The government rejects this framing.
• Foreigners have been detained, in some cases described as arbitrary, and consular access has been difficult for some embassies.
• Official crime data is hard to verify, and key monitoring NGOs have left the country.
• Petty theft and robbery on buses and in tourist areas remain common, per Canada.
• Road deaths (about 21 per 100,000) and rainy-season floods and landslides affect everyone.
• Broader indices are weaker than homicide alone suggests: rank 121st of 163 on the 2026 Global Peace Index.

Where to verify

Check the advisories from your own government (Canada, UK FCDO, US State Department) shortly before departure. For crime figures, compare the PNC and Fiscalía with the World Bank series and with reporting from HRW, Amnesty and InSight Crime. For hazards, Protección Civil publishes alerts. For a wider view of costs, see cost of living in San Salvador, and for moving there, our El Salvador overview.