| Belize Murder Rate Among World’s Highest |
| Tue, January 4, 2011 |
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| 2010 was a record year for murders - and the new high mark for homicides is far, far higher than the previous record holder.
That would be 2008 when 103 murders were recorded; unofficially 2010 has seen 132.
That is 29 more than the previous record in 2008 - an increase of 29% - which is the greatest year to year increase since 2001 when the number of murders surged by 40%.
And even more alarming is that the 132 murders pushes Belize's murder rate per one hundred thousand to 40.
That puts Belize officially among the highest in the world - and most likely in the top 10 worldwide.
The highest murder rate in the world for 2009 was in El Salvador with 72 murders per hundred thousand, second was Honduras, third, Jamaica, fourth Guatemala and fifth Venezuela. Trinidad and Tobago was sixth with 43 homicides per hundred thousand - and now Belize is right behind that figure.
It is a depressing statistic but we can't say quote how we rank yet for 2010 - as the world wide figures for 2010 have not been published.
Of note is that the spike in homicides for 2010 showed a startling number of youth and female killings: 9 victims were under 16; and 17 females were killed.
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