Crime in Costa Rica: Looking Beyond Perception and Into the Data

I am genuinely curious about the crime situation in Costa Rica. More specifically, I am interested in how people perceive crime in the country and how public institutions respond to it.

To contribute meaningfully to this discussion, I want to share a series of statistics. I ask for the reader’s patience, as obtaining fully consistent and comparable crime data is difficult. International crime statistics often rely on different reporting methodologies, and in many cases, recent or complete data simply does not exist. Nevertheless, these figures provide a useful framework for understanding broader trends.

Homicide Rates

Let us begin with homicide rates.

In 2012, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported a global average homicide rate of 6.2 per 100,000 inhabitants.

That same report indicated that several jurisdictions — including Liechtenstein, Singapore, Iceland, Kuwait, and Hong Kong — reported zero homicides, making them the safest places in the world by this measure. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Honduras recorded the highest homicide rate at 90, followed by Venezuela at 54 and Belize at 45.

From a regional perspective, Asia emerged as the safest region with a homicide rate of 2.9, while the Americas recorded the highest regional rate at 16.3. This elevated figure is driven primarily by Latin America, which significantly exceeds homicide rates in the United States (4.7) and Canada (1.6).

Costa Rica’s homicide rate stood at 8.6, ranking the country 71st out of 218 countries worldwide. Put differently:

• A Canadian is approximately 5.3 times more likely to be murdered in Costa Rica than in Canada.

• An American is about 1.8 times more likely to be murdered in Costa Rica than in the United States.

• For the approximately 5,000 Venezuelans living in Costa Rica, the risk of homicide is significantly lower than if they were living in Venezuela.

Homicide Rates Within Costa Rica

National averages, however, often obscure important local realities.

Consider San Sebastián, a district in San José with a population of 40,224 (2011) and 14 reported homicides in 2012. Without adjusting for population changes between 2011 and 2012, this yields a homicide rate of 34.8 per 100,000 inhabitants, comparable to countries ranked among the most violent globally.

Even more concerning are the homicide rates in Limón (45.8) and Desamparados (44.32) — figures comparable to Belize, the country with the fourth highest homicide rate worldwide.

By contrast, Grecia and Atenas reported no homicides in 2012, placing them among the safest communities in Costa Rica. Tourist destinations such as Jacó, Tamarindo, and Escazú hovered near the national average of approximately 8.

The takeaway is clear: crime in Costa Rica is highly unevenly distributed geographically.

Crimes Against Property

Property crime presents a different — and in many ways more widespread — challenge.

According to the UNODC, in 2013 Costa Rica recorded the second-highest robbery rate in the world, with 984.2 robberies per 100,000 inhabitants, surpassed only by Belgium (1,616).

For comparison:

• Mexico: 595.7

• Peru: 263

• United States: 107

• El Salvador: 84

• Canada: 66

This means that a Canadian is nearly 15 times more likely to be robbed in Costa Rica than in Canada.

While Costa Rica’s homicide rate stands at 8.6, a person is 114.4 times more likely to be robbed than murdered. Given the high incidence of property crime, location matters significantly.

For example:

• Cóbano (Montezuma / Mal País) reported a robbery rate of 1,921, nearly double the national average.

• Grecia recorded a rate of 664, making a person 2.89 times more likely to be robbed in Cóbano than in Grecia, Santa Ana (705), or Escazú (643).

• Jacó exceeded even Cóbano, with a robbery rate of 1,997.

To put this in perspective for Canadians: upon arriving in Costa Rica, a visitor becomes 14.9 times more likely to be robbed, and if traveling to Santa Teresa or Jacó, that risk increases to 29 times. By contrast, Tilarán, with a rate of 114, remains far safer than Jacó despite being slightly riskier than Canada.

Car Theft and Vehicle Break-Ins

Car theft is common in Costa Rica, though the national rate is lower than in several developed countries.

In 2014, the OIJ reported 3,713 vehicles stolen, equivalent to 80.96 per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2013, UNODC data placed Costa Rica’s rate at 86.6.

For comparison:

• Uruguay: 479

• Italy: 300

• Sweden: 289

This means that, statistically, a vehicle is 3.3 times safer in Costa Rica than in Stockholm, though 15 times more likely to be stolen than in Panama.

Within Costa Rica, the highest number of thefts occurred in Alajuela, San José, Desamparados, and Heredia, but rate-based analysis reveals additional concerns:

• Garabito (Jacó / Tárcoles) recorded a rate of 138

• Jacó ranked among the highest nationwide

• Tamarindo stood out within Santa Cruz County despite the county’s low overall rate

Vehicle break-ins follow a similar pattern. While absolute numbers are higher in the Central Valley, tourist towns experience the highest rates.

• Jacó recorded 1,207 break-ins per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest in the country.

• San Rafael de Escazú, Cóbano, and Pozos de Santa Ana followed.

• Tilarán and Atenas remained among the safest.

For residents of safer towns, visiting tourist areas significantly increases risk.

Sexual Violence

Any discussion of crime would be incomplete without addressing sexual violence.

In 2013, Costa Rica ranked as the third highest country worldwide for reported rape, behind Sweden and the United Kingdom. These figures often reflect reporting practices rather than absolute incidence, as underreporting is common in many countries.

For example, Canada and Japan reported rates of 1.4 and 1.1, respectively.

Within Costa Rica:

• Garabito and Talamanca reported rates of 45 per 100,000

• A person from Japan would be 40.9 times more likely to be raped in Jacó than in Japan

What Does Costa Rica Do About Crime?

This leads to a critical question: How does Costa Rica respond institutionally to crime?

The prosecution conviction rate stands at 58%, meaning 42% of defendants are acquitted. While this figure appears reasonable in isolation, it becomes less reassuring when viewed in context.

In 2013, 117,823 crimes were reported, but only 18% resulted in an indictment. Ultimately, only 10% of reported crimes led to a conviction.

According to UNODC data:

• Costa Rica (2011): 149.3 convictions per 100,000 inhabitants

• Canada: 795.2 per 100,000

This does not indicate higher crime in Canada, but rather greater system efficiency. Canadian criminal cases average 211 days, compared to 637 days in Costa Rica.

By 2012:

• Costa Rica had 13,407 inmates (rate: 279 per 100,000)

• Canada had 41,049 inmates (rate: 117.6 per 100,000)

Crime is more prevalent in Costa Rica, while enforcement is less efficient.

A Comparison With Switzerland

Costa Rica is sometimes compared to Switzerland. The data suggests otherwise.

A resident of Switzerland is:

• 8.67 times wealthier

• 33% less likely to live in poverty

• 12 times less likely to be murdered

• 14 times less likely to be robbed

• 5 times less likely to be raped

Criminals in Switzerland are seven times more likely to be convicted, and cases are processed 4.5 times faster.

Final Thoughts

The objective of this analysis is not to sensationalize crime, but to present its reality.

Crime in Costa Rica is geographically concentrated, property-focused, and enabled by systemic inefficiencies. Countries with lower crime rates consistently demonstrate stronger enforcement and faster judicial outcomes.

Understanding these realities allows residents, visitors, and policymakers to engage with the issue constructively — not through denial, but through informed discussion.