The Regional Human Development Report 2013-14 for Latin America maps the problems of crime and violence in the region, and offers important recommendations for improving public policies on citizen security. The report builds on UNDP’s Central America Human Development Report launched in 2009, and the Caribbean Human Development Report of 2012.

This report analyzes the phenomenon of citizen security in-depth, studying successful experiences, and proposing concrete recommendations for improvements.

Highlights

• The region registers more than 100,000 homicides per year.
• In 11 of the 18 assessed countries the rate is higher than 10 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.
• One in every three Latin Americans reported being a victim of a violent crime in 2012.
• In all assessed countries, more than 80 percent of inmates did not complete 12 years of schooling.
• Most countries with an urban population growth above 2% per year also reported increases in homicide rates
• Five out of 10 Latin Americans perceive that security in their country has deteriorated.
• Without the excess mortality due to homicides the region’s GDP would have been 0.5 % higher.