UNICRI report: homicides fall worldwide even as organised crime grows more networked

30 September 2026

A new UN report, Crime and Justice in a Changing World, was presented at the 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi. It was prepared by the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). Homicides fell from 5.9 per 100,000 people in 2015 to 5.2 in 2023. Latin America and the Caribbean and sub-Saharan Africa together account for roughly two thirds of all homicide victims. Criminal networks are diversifying into trafficking, migrant smuggling and the exploitation of natural resources.