Violence costs too much!
More than 14 billion dollars. This is the annual cost of violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, as revealed in estimates in the study "Economic costs of violence in the countries of northern Central America" published by the UNDP InfoSegura Regional Project.
Although the data indicate that in recent years the rate of occurrence of some crimes shows a downward trend, we must take into account how the costs of disappearances, physical, sexual or psychological violence against women and girls, robberies, thefts and extortion must be added to the unquantifiable loss of human lives as a result of violence. In 2019, the total cost of violence in these three countries was US$14,704.62 million dollars in 2019, which is practically the national budget of Honduras ($14,805 million dollars) in 2022.
The objective of the report is to quantify the economics of violence in the countries of northern Central America. From an accounting perspective, all the tangible and intangible costs of violence are added up, classified into five major categories: i) health costs; ii) institutional costs; iii) prevention costs in private security; iv) material losses; and v) indirect costs related to the effect insecurity has on investment and economic growth.
Breaking down the total figure for the three countries in 2019, the economic costs of violence amounted to US$3,727 million in El Salvador, which is 13.86% of national GDP; US$7,495 million in Guatemala, or 9.74% of GDP; and US$3,482 million for the case of Honduras, that is, 13.87% of GDP. Expressed in terms of the 2019 tax burden, the resources lost due to the phenomenon of violence were equivalent to 79%, 97% and 93% of all tax revenue in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, respectively.
The report states that combined medical-hospital costs for rape, violence against women and domestic violence represent slightly more than 50% of total health expenditures, which undoubtedly hinders progress on Sustainable Development Goal 5. Per country medical-hospital costs associated with violence against women and girls totalled US$31.7 million in El Salvador. The cost amounted to US$80.1 million in Guatemala, and US$16.8 million in Honduras. There is no data available for the item "costs due to violence against women."
Insecurity has a negative impact on societal life, undermines peaceful coexistence and threatens people's capabilities, options and freedoms. Reducing violence in all its forms is a prerequisite for achieving higher levels of human development and is a central objective of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Download the report "Costs of violence in the countries of northern Central America":
