QCOSTARICA — During Semana Santa or Easter Week in 2024, there were 18 homicides reported, marking a year that surpasses all previous records in Costa Rica’s history.
On Sunday, the first 91 days of the year, authorities reported 231 murders. At this time last year, there were 215.
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Authorities stated that the majority of homicides, specifically 66%, were driven by vendettas, or settling of scores. Additionally, in 30% of the cases, motives are yet to be determined while the remaining incidents were attributed to disputes or altercations.
Firearms are weapons of choice. 179 of the deaths were perpetrated with a firearm.
Six out of 10 of the victims were between the ages of 18 and 39; in 36 of the cases, the victim was between 40 and 49 years old. There were also 9 murders where the victim was a minor (under the age of 18)
February and March of this year were more deadly than the same months in 2023. February 2024 recorded 19 more homicides and in March, nine more cases compared to the previous year.
The province of San José leads the statistics with 58 murders (almost 1 in 4 murders in the entire country), followed by the province of Limón with 53 and the province of Puntarenas with 43. The provinces of Alajuela, Cartago, and Guanacaste recorded 26, 24, and 29 murders, respectively.
The province of Heredia has, for far, the lowest, with 8 murders.
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