Counting the cost of crime in Latin America

Growing public concerns about high crime levels and the apparent success of El Salvador in reducing levels of violence are making law and order a key issue in Latin America’s busy electoral calendar. High crime rates exert a heavy social and economic cost on the region – by our estimates, it reduces Latin America’s potential GDP growth by ~0.25%-pts. But it’s an extremely complex issue, success in tackling crime is far from guaranteed, and it’s only one part of the region’s growth problem.