Why does El Salvador have high murder rates?

Without doubt, El Salvador's gangs are brutal and violent – but they are neither the only ones using force, nor the root cause of violence. ... read more

The 2015 murder rate of about 104 homicides per 100,000 people, an increase of about 70 percent from the year before, is estimated to be among the highest in the world for countries not at war, far surpassing neighboring Honduras, which had held the title of murder capital in recent years. El Salvador’s police have responded aggressively to the fighting between tens of thousands of gang members, with a crackdown involving neighborhood raids and arrests. read more

More than 3,830 people have been murdered in El Salvador this year. With one killing on average every hour, August is on course to be the deadliest month since the 1992 peace accord. On current trends, the homicide rate will pass 90 per 100,000 people in 2015, overtaking that of Honduras as the highest in the world (not including battlegrounds like Syria). read more

I know El Salvadors is going down a lot compared to 1995 when it was the highest rate ever recorder for any country, but it's still the second highest rate right behind Honduras. read more