I am always asked about crime in Costa Rica by people on my retirement tours and at the many lectures I give. Recently, I obtained some figures that should dispel any fears you may have about crime in Costa Rica. These numbers mostly reflect crimes against citizens the of countries below and not against foreigners.

Homicide rates per 100,000 inhabitants

Honduras = 66.9
El Salvador = 65
Guatemala = 47
Nicaragua = 13
Costa Rica = 11

With the exception of Nicaragua and Panama, who does not make these figures available for obvious reasons, Costa Rica is by far a safer place to live than its neighbors. In Honduras between 2005 and 2009 there were almost 19,000 murders.

Mexico says it wants to lure 5 million retirees in coming years. The country is downright unsafe and is quickly becoming the murder capital of the New World as drug cartels fight for their slice of the market. Violence is rampant in Michoacán, in the Juarez and Tijuana areas. Kidnappings are also on the rise. It is only a matter of time before the drug cartels target the lucrative retiree market.