São Paulo Recorded Lowest Homicide Rate Last Year Since 2001

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The state of São Paulo recorded the lowest murder rate in 2019 since the beginning of the historical series in 2001.

The number of cases dropped 5.8 percent in the year from 2,949 in 2018 to 2,778 in 2019. In terms of victims, there was a 6.4 percent drop, with 2,906 victims in 2019, compared to 3,104 in 2018. Both rates are the lowest in the series. The data were released on Friday, January 24th, by the Secretariat of Public Safety (SSP).

Despite the drop in homicides, rape cases increased last year. The state registered a 3.6 percent rise in this type of crime in 2019, with 12,374 cases compared to 11,944 in 2018.

The number of armed robberies decreased by 28.9 percent in 2019. There were 192 occurrences last year, compared to 270 in 2018. There was a 28.4 percent drop in the indicator of robbery victims followed by death, decreasing from 278 to 199 cases. According to the SSP, this is the first time the indicator has dropped below 200.

Robbery in general dropped 2.9 percent, with 7,714 fewer cases reported, 263,115 in 2018 and 255,401 in 2019. Extortion through kidnapping fell from 21 to 11, ten fewer cases. However, burglary in general, rose 3.4 percent in the period. The total increased from 504,896 to 522,163 in the comparison between the years 2018 and 2019.