Crime in El Salvador

Crime in El Salvador has been historically extremely high due to the presence of various gangs. As of 2011, there were an estimated 25,000 gang members at large in El Salvador; with another 43,500 in prison. The best-known gangs, called maras in colloquial Salvadoran Spanish, are Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and their rivals 18th Street; maras are hunted by death squads, including Sombra Negra. Newer rivals include the rising mara, The Rebels 13. El Salvador is one of the three countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America, along with neighboring Guatemala and Honduras, which are all afflicted with high levels of violence.

The homicide rate in El Salvador has plummeted drastically since the 2022 Salvadoran gang crackdown which has led the country to have the highest incarceration rate in the world at 1,086 people per 100,000 with an estimated 1.6% of the country's total population said to be currently incarcerated.