Ocoa, Independencia and Dajabón with highest intentional homicide rates, according to ONE

Santo Domingo — The intentional homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023 was 18.08%, according to data from the National Statistics Office (ONE), released in its 2024 publication catalog.

Meanwhile, the rate of violent injuries per 100,000 inhabitants was 79.4% in the same year.

The provinces with the highest intentional homicide rates were San José de Ocoa, Independencia, and Dajabón, with 18.98%, 18.33%, and 17.88%, respectively. Those with the lowest rates were Pedernales, Sánchez Ramírez, and Santiago Rodríguez, with 0.00%, 6.59%, and 5.25% per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively.

The ONE specified that the provinces with the highest rates of injuries in acts of violence per 100,000 inhabitants were Barahona (79.4%), La Romana (65.1%) and Peravia (57.3%).

The provinces with the lowest crude rate of injuries in acts of violence were El Seibo, Sanchez Ramirez, and Elias Piña, with 9.5 percent, 11.9 percent, and 15.8 percent per 100 inhabitants, respectively.

Likewise, 38.94% of those injured were involved in fights or disputes, and 30.58% in robberies or attempted robberies.

The national intentional homicide rate in 2023, according to the ONE, presents a decrease in 2022.

They stressed that homicides were mainly concentrated in the young population.

“The most affected groups were those aged 20-24, 25-29 and 30-34 years, with 16.23%, 19.44% and 14.84% of total homicides, respectively,” the document pointed out.

These statistics were gathered from the administrative records of the National Police Statistics and Cartography Office by ONE.

Men lead rates

The ONE indicated that men presented higher homicide rates than women, “with 20.64 per 100,000 men in 2023, compared to 2.5 per 100,000 women”.

Likewise, 59.4% of the homicides were committed with firearms, with a higher percentage in men (62.1%) than in women (37.3%).

The statistical institution also pointed out that men are much more exposed to violence than women in all age groups, with the most significant disparity observed in young people aged 20-24 and 25-29.

He indicated that the highest rates of injuries in violent events were recorded in 2021 and 2023, with 65.60 and 64.46 per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively, and that men were more affected than women in all years analyzed, with rates of 59.78%.

The circumstances of homicides show notable differences by sex.

“53.7% of homicides in women were related to family conflicts or gender violence, while in men they were 6.3%. In men, 49.6% of the homicides were due to quarrels or disputes,” states the ONE report.