HomeNewsBriefEl Salvador, Venezuela Feel Less Safe Than War-torn Syria: Gallup
BRIEF

El Salvador, Venezuela Feel Less Safe Than War-torn Syria: Gallup

EL SALVADOR / 1 AUG 2016 BY VENEZUELA INVESTIGATIVE UNIT EN

A new Gallup poll shows people in El Salvador and Venezuela feel less safe than in Syria and a host of other conflict-ridden nations, providing a global context for the severity of the security problem in these countries and throughout Latin America.

Gallup's 2016 Global Law and Order Report paints a grim picture of security perceptions in Latin America. Venezuela and El Salvador ranked as the worst and second-to-worst worldwide with scores of 35 and 48, respectively. Peru tied with Syria for third worst with a score of 50, and Bolivia came in next at 51.

The poll graded 133 countries on a 100-point scale based on responses to three questions related to security and trust in local police forces. 

Venezuela received the lowest score of any country in the world since 2005, according to Gallup. Just 14 percent of Venezuelans said they feel safe walking alone at night; Syria and Afghanistan were the next-to-lowest with 32 percent each. Six of the bottom 10 countries worldwide for feeling safe at night were in Latin America or the Caribbean, while Nordic countries occupied many of the top spots. (See Gallup graph below)

16-08-01-LatAm-World-Safe

As a region, Latin America and the Caribbean was perceived as less safe overall than any other in the world for the seventh year in a row. (See Gallup graph below) 

16-08-01-LatAm-Gallup

No country in Latin America or the Caribbean scored above the global average of 72. (See Gallup graph below) Chile and Nicaragua ranked the highest, both receiving scores of 65. Paraguay, meanwhile, saw the biggest change in security perceptions between 2014 and 2015, jumping from 46 to 60. Gallup noted that it surveyed Paraguayans shortly after Pope Francis's visit to the country in July 2015.

16-08-01-LatAm-Security-Poll

InSight Crime Analysis

These are disturbing but not altogether surprising results. Venezuela's low ranking reflects that country's descent into a worsening economic and security crisis, while El Salvador likely became the most homicidal country in the world last year with a murder rate of over 100 per 100,000 residents. That citizens of these countries feel more vulnerable to violence than those scarred by years of intense warfare like Syria and Afghanistan lends some credence to claims that the region's crime-driven conflicts should be considered a humanitarian crisis

Nor is it startling that Latin America and the Caribbean scored the worst among the world's regions. The Latin America and the Caribbean region is the most violent in the world, and many countries have murder rates above 10 per 100,000, the threshold for what the World Health Organization qualifies as an "epidemic."

SEE ALSO: InDepth Coverage of Homicides

Perceptions of insecurity do not always match reality, however. Peru and Bolivia's poor scores are consistent with a 2014 security perceptions index released by the Latin American Public Opinion Project, but these Andean nations are generally regarded as some of the safest in Latin America. Last year, Bolivia and Peru registered murder rates of 5 per 100,000 and 7 per 100,000, respectively, among the lowest in the entire region. 

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

CONTRABAND / 15 MAY 2023

The illegal sale of scrap metal has become another earner for government officials and military figures in Venezuela.

PERU / 6 DEC 2022

Peru is taking steps to tackle the threat of Venezuelan mega-gang Tren de Aragua, and have recently captured 30 members…

BARRIO 18 / 29 NOV 2022

Honduras declared a state of exception as extortion cases rise, suspending constitutional rights in cities and deploying thousands of troops.

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

All Eyes on Ecuador

2 JUN 2023

Our coverage of organized crime in Ecuador continues to be a valuable resource for international and local news outlets. Internationally, Reuters cited our 2022 Homicide Round-Up,…

WORK WITH US

Open Position: Social Media and Engagement Strategist

27 MAY 2023

InSight Crime is looking for a Social Media and Engagement Strategist who will be focused on maintaining and improving InSight Crime’s reputation and interaction with its audiences through publishing activities…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Receives Great Reception

27 MAY 2023

Several of InSight Crime’s most recent articles about Venezuela have been well received by regional media. Our article on Venezuela’s colectivos expanding beyond their political role to control access to…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime's Chemical Precursor Report Continues

19 MAY 2023

For the second week in a row, our investigation into the flow of precursor chemicals for the manufacture of synthetic drugs in Mexico has been cited by multiple regional media…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime’s Chemical Precursor Report Widely Cited

THE ORGANIZATION / 12 MAY 2023

We are proud to see that our recently published investigation into the supply chain of chemical precursors feeding Mexico’s synthetic drug production has been warmly received.