Over the past decade, the homicide rate in Brazil has decreased by 20.3%. The contrast is particularly stark with 2014–2017, which are considered the most violent years in the country’s recent history. The earlier period was associated with rising inter-gang warfare, a crisis of trust in the police, economic instability, and a lack of coordination between federal and regional authorities in combating organized crime.
Since then, the situation has changed. Compared with 2017, the homicide rate has fallen by 30.2% and reached the lowest level in 11 years. In 2024, Brazil dropped to 24th place in the world by the homicide rate, compared with 15th in 2014. Although the country still leads in the absolute number of victims, its relative level of violence has been steadily declining. The positive trend is especially clear in areas of São Paulo and Minas Gerais.
The decline in violence is linked to demographic changes such as population aging, shifts in security policy, social integration programs, as well as a truce between the two largest criminal groups. Today, Brazil is taking confident steps toward a safer way of life: not only the statistics are changing, but also the country’s image in the eyes of the world.
