Crime and Safety in Chile

Mounted Carabineros of Santiago

When considering relocating to a foreign country, crime and safety are always important considerations. Who wants to move to a foreign country to be the victim of a crime or perish in a natural disaster? No place is free of crime and danger but with some smart planning, you can decrease your chances of becoming a victim.

The shocking headlines of "Canadian Tourist Dies in Valparaiso" had many wondering how this could happen in Chile. Canadian Peter Winterburn was actually not a tourist but had lived and worked in Chile before and several months prior had moved back to Chile. He was familiar with the language, culture, and the city he lived in. He was just the victim of a random senseless crime. Here is a link on that for further reading -
https://chiletoday.cl/site/shocked-reactions-after-canadian-tourist-dies-in-valparaiso/

Carabineros on parade

According to Statista.com homicide rates for Chile are the lowest in Latin America. Chile ranks at 2.7 homicides per 100,000 people while Panama and Costa Rica, popular expat havens, are triple or more at 9.6 and 11.9 respectively for the year 2018. To put it more in perspective, the USA homicide rate in 2017 was 5.4 while Canada was only 1.8 which makes it the lowest in all the Americas. “They ought to give Chileans travel advisory warnings for the USA,” jokes Jim Dorchak, 6 yr. American expat living in Chile. “Chilean people as a whole are generally more restrained, reserved, and less aggressive than some of their Latino neighbors which may account for the country’s lower homicide rate,” notes Jim.

Numbeo.com has statistics on general crime levels throughout the Americas for 2019. Their statistics are based on surveys of the overall level of crime in a given area. The information found on Numbeo.com is people's perceptions based on what they see happening in their home countries or cities. It measures the safety of walking during daylight and during the night, worries of being mugged or robbed, worries of physical attacks, drug problems. It also summarizes the problem of property and violent crimes. Canada ranks number 1 with the lowest crime index of 39.51, Panama is number 2 with 46.43, Chile is number 3 with 46.81, and the USA is number 4 with 47.13.

Safearound.com ranks Chile, the only Latin American country, in the top 30 safest countries in the world. The USA is ranked number 49. Uruguay and Venezuela recently issued warnings for their citizens traveling to the USA to avoid large crowds and certain cities like Baltimore, Detroit, and Albuquerque because of indiscriminate violence. Safearound.com takes into account all kinds of crimes such as mugging, rape, robberies, road death toll, the occurrence of terrorist attacks and wars, to build their own ranking of the world's most dangerous cities and countries.

The eruption of Volcan Calbuco in 2016

But wait! You may be thinking. What about all those earthquakes, and volcanoes, and tsunamis!! If the criminals don't get you, one of those will!!

Chile is a land of over 500 volcanoes. Its borders are within the Pacific Ring of Fire, one of the most dynamically unstable and active regions on Earth. There are 90 potentially active volcanoes and 60 of these have a historical record of activity. Despite this fact, Chile is still a relatively safe place to live as long as it is not on the side of a volcano! There aren't a lot of recorded deaths from volcanoes or from earthquakes either.
The strongest earthquake in recorded history was a 9.5+ quake in 1960 in Valdivia, Chile. The death toll was 1,655. The 8.4 quake in 2015 had a death toll of 13. The 8.2 quake of 2014 and only 7 died. The 2010 quake of 8.8 had a high death toll of 525 because of the tsunami aftermath.
So all the earthquakes in the past 60 years including the largest in recorded history with a combined death toll of less than 5,000. And you wonder why especially after seeing the aftermath of the 7.0 Haitian earthquake in 2010. Several factors are in play here. Chile is not as heavily populated, the buildings are better quality and built to withstand earthquakes, and Chile is much better prepared to pick up in the aftermath.

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