An article in today’s La Nacion Costa Rica’s largest and most influential newspaper analyzes the most recent data from the Organismo de Investigación Judicial more commonly referred to as the OIJ (Pronounced O-Eee-Hota).

The average homicide rate in Costa Rica for 2011 was 10.3 per 100,000 people.

Although any murder rate is disturbing, when you consider that Honduras has a homicide rate of 85, El Salvador (65), Guatemala (41) and Venezuela (50) – using United Nations data – Costa Rica at 10.3 looks like an oasis of peace and security in comparison.

The San José and Limón areas clearly have the highest homicide rates in the country in the first six months of 2012.

According to the OIJ between January and June 2012 there were 169 murders in all of Costa Rica, 62 of which were in San José, 47 in Limón and 19 each in Puntarenas and Alajuela.

This is 73 less murders than during the same period last year…

Before we look into this further, please ask yourself two very important questions:

1. Question #1:

   Do I live in one of the highest crime areas in the U.S. listed above?

   I’m guessing the answer is probably – No!

2. Question #2:

   Am I seriously considering living and retiring in the highest crime area of Costa Rica? Limón or San José?

   Again I’m guessing the answer to this is also – No!

We don’t want articles like this one: US Citizens Murdered in Costa Rica – 0.016438356616 American citizens slaughtered daily in Costa Rica in 2010 scaring you off…

I ask you this because the percentage of VIP Members on WeLoveCostaRica.com who live or want to live in the San José and Limón areas is very small, so what would the murder rate be in Costa Rica if we deducted all the murders and population in those areas?

1. According to our ‘friends’ at CIA/FaceBook (Ha!) the population of Costa Rica is 4,636,348
2. According to Wikipedia the population of the San José area is 1,715,485
3. According to Wikipedia the population of the Limón area is 105,000

Now I’m no mathematician but I’m thinking that if we deduct the population and the number of murders in San José and Limón from those totals, we could then calculate the homicide rate per 100,000 people in Costa Rica for the remainder of the country, right?

.. and please do write to me here if my calculations are all wrong, OK?

• So we have 4,636,348 population minus 1,715,485 minus 105,000 = 2,815,863 right?
• And we deduct 109 murders in San José and Limón from the total 169 = 60 murders

Which means that the homicide rate for Costa Rica excluding the San José and Limón areas is 2.13 per 100,000 people, right? Which is probably about the same murder rate as there is in Walmart stores!

The key to staying safe living in Costa Rica or anywhere else for that matter is:

1. Do not get involved in the sale or transportation of illegal drugs anywhere in Costa Rica because that makes up a huge percentage of the murders and…
2. Stay away from the most dangerous areas wherever you go in the world… Even though the “most dangerous” places in Costa Rica are way safer than places like the capital of the United States of America Washington D.C. (40+), St. Louis (40+), Baltimore and Detroit (35) Newark (30+) or Kansas City, Buffalo and Cincinnati (20+)

I have been repeatedly accused of glossing over the Costa Rica crime facts which is somewhat strange since we have more articles about crime on this website than any other site that I have visited:

• See 26 articles on WeLoveCostaRica.com with the word “crime” in the headline on WeLoveCostaRica.com here.
• See 16 articles on WeLoveCostaRica.com with the word “murder” in the headline on WeLoveCostaRica.com here.

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.