The 2022 year accounted for 654 murders, with a rate of 12.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, figures deemed as unprecedented in a nation characterized by peace; however, experts revealed 2023 will be the most violent in history.

The OIJ’s Director Randall Zuñiga told the press that it is necessary to invest more in security to recover the country.

Zuñiga argued that the majority of murders are related to criminal bands linked to local drug trafficking and its expansion to different territories, which end in conflicts.

According to official data, the capital San Jose registered 163 homicides, the Limon province 159, the western Puntarenas province 105 and Guanacaste 67, while the central provinces of Alajuela, Cartago and Heredia reported 74, 50 and 36 respectively.

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