2025 has been Ecuador’s most deadly year

Ecuador will end 2025 with the highest murder rate in its history. The total will be above 9,000 and could approach 10,000, the Attorney General’s office says. As of November 30, 10,630 murders had been recorded in the country.

Ecuador will set a new record in 2025 for most murders.

The murders will easily exceed the 8,237 reported in 2023, the previous record.

According to crime tracking service InSight Crime, Ecuador will lead Latin America in murder rate for the third consecutive year and could rank as high as sixth in the world. It expects the country’s murder rate to end 2025 in the high-40s per 100,000 population.

“Unfortunately, the government’s efforts to control violent crime related to drug cartel and gang activity have not succeeded and little or no improvement is expected in 2026,” the service says, adding that lack of resources and corruption within the government are major obstacles.

InSight Crime, like other reporting agencies, points out that violent crime in Ecuador is “highly regionalized,” with more than 90% of murders occurring in six of the country’s 24 provinces, all located in the Pacific coastal area.

Guayas Province reports 5,469 murders through November, or 51% of the country’s total. It is followed by Manabí with 1,299, Los Ríos with 1,096 and El Oro with 757.

Paradoxically, many of Ecuador’s Andean and Amazonian provinces and cities are among the safest in Latin America. In 2024, Cuenca had the lowest murder rate of all Latin American cities with populations above 500,000. Other Andean cities also rate in the top ten for lowest rates in their population class.