Crime and violence in Ecuador – statistics & facts

On August 9th, 2023, the presidential candidate from Movimiento Construye (MC25), Fernando Villavicencio, was violently assassinated in a political rally in Quito with three headshots. The main proposals from Villavicencio were to fight against the mass insecurity the country has been experiencing and against the present state of corruption from the police to the institutions. Current president Guillermo Lasso declared the State of Emergency the day after, and confirmed the presence of a Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) task force to help with the investigations. Six Colombian nationals have been captured concerning the assassination.

Economic cost of violence

The homicide of Fernando Villavicencio was not the first nor the last homicide of relevant politicians or leaders in the national territory. Less than a week later, Pedro Briones, leader of a regional political party in Esmeraldas, was also assassinated. While in July 2023, the mayor of Manta, Agustín Intriago, became another homicide victim, to mention a few of the victims. Crime in the country does not seem to slow down, and with it also the monetary impact. The economic cost of violence increased over 10 percent from 2019 to 2022, reaching 12,23 billion U.S. dollars. The economic impact per capita also increased, reaching around 1,127 USD per capita during that same year.

The increasing number of homicides

During a survey in August 2023, Ecuadorians stated that the main problem of the country was crime with over 40 percent of the respondents. Other main issues were corruption, drug trafficking, and cartels. The number of intentional homicides in the South American country has surged from less than one thousand cases in 2016 to over 2,500 in 2022. That same year, Ecuador ranked sixth with the highest homicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean, above other countries such as Mexico, Brazil, and Puerto Rico.

One femicide every 26 hours

Ecuador lacked the legal framework for femicides until August 10th, 2014. From 2018 to 2022, the number of reported femicides increased almost four times to 332 cases, which represents the homicide of a woman on account of her gender approximately every 26 hours. Slightly lower than half of the victims of femicides were killed by someone close to them, either a family member, a partner, or someone with a close relationship with the victim.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Mar 1, 2024

Key insights

Victimization rate
23%
Homicide rate
25.9 per 100.000 inhabitants
Share of people that paid a bribe to a police officer in the last 12 months
13%
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Homicide rate in Ecuador from 2014 to 2023 (in number of homicides per 100,000 inhabitants)

Violent Crime

Ecuador: homicide rate 2014-2023

Approval rate of Guillermo Lasso in Ecuador from March 2022 to May 2023

Politics & Government

Approval of the government of Guillermo Lasso in Ecuador 2022-2023

Most common crimes in Ecuador in 2022

Violent Crime

Reported crimes in Ecuador in 2022, by type of felony

Related topics

Crime and violence in Latin America

3

Other interesting statistics

Further reportsGet the best reports to understand your industry

Femicide in Latin America
Femicide in Latin America
Homicide in South America
Homicide in South America
Crime in Central America
Crime in Central America
Crime and violence in Colombia
Crime and violence in Colombia
Homicides and femicides in Mexico
Homicides and femicides in Mexico

Contact

Get in touch with us. We are happy to help.
Statista Locations
Contact Meredith Alda
Meredith Alda
Sales Manager– Contact (United States)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Contact Yolanda Mega
Yolanda Mega
Operations Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
asia.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

Contact Kisara Mizuno
Kisara Mizuno
Senior Business Development Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
asia.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

Contact Lodovica Biagi
Lodovica Biagi
Director of Operations– Contact (Europe)
Email
eu.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

Contact Carolina Dulin
Carolina Dulin
Group Director - LATAM– Contact (Latin America)
Email
latam@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Menu