El Salvador Logs Nine Days of Zero Homicides

EL SALVADOR · SECURITY

El Salvador’s national police said the country ended Monday, 9 November, with zero homicides, the ninth day in a row without one in November. The police post the count each evening on the social platform X, and every day from 1 to 9 November shows zero.

For US readers the number matters because El Salvador is a holiday destination, the home country of one of the largest Hispanic communities in the United States, and rated Level 1, the lowest risk tier, by the State Department. The homicide figures themselves are the police’s own count.

El Salvador recorded more than 6,000 homicides in 2015. Zero-homicide days have since become common there.

What the Police Reported

The National Civil Police (PNC), the country’s national police force, wrote on its official X account that it “finished Monday, 9 November, with 0 homicides in the country”. That extends a streak that began on Sunday, 1 November, and now covers nine consecutive days.

The same account reported zero homicides for Sunday, 8 November, when the streak stood at eight days. Authorities credit patrols by the police and the armed forces, part of a plan to keep control of the national territory.

How the Government Explains It

The government credits its Territorial Control Plan, a security programme of police and army patrols, and the state of exception, an emergency regime in force since March 2022 that limits some constitutional rights. The Legislative Assembly, the country’s parliament, has extended the regime repeatedly.

President Nayib Bukele’s government says these measures have made El Salvador the safest country in the western hemisphere. That is the government’s claim, and Human Rights Watch, a US-based rights group, has criticised the mass arrests carried out under the state of exception.

What It Means for You

A US traveller can read the streak next to the State Department’s Level 1 rating, the lowest of its four advisory levels. Visitors should still check the current advisory before they travel.

For businesses and investors, a long run of quiet days is a sign of stability. It rests, however, on one government’s reporting and on an emergency regime.

What Is Not Known

The daily post gives a single national total of homicides. We found no official independent check of it, and the count does not cover other crimes or missing persons.

What Comes Next

The police are due to publish the count for Tuesday, 10 November, on X this evening. If it holds at zero, the streak reaches ten days, and readers can compare it with zero-homicide days in early October and with our El Salvador coverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days without homicides has El Salvador reported in November 2026?

The national police reported zero homicides on each day from 1 to 9 November 2026, nine days in a row. The police publish the figure daily on X.

Who publishes the daily homicide figure?

The National Civil Police posts the count each evening on its official X account. The government presents it as proof that its security policy works.

Is El Salvador safe for US travellers?

The US State Department rates it Level 1, “Exercise Normal Precautions”, its lowest tier. That is the lowest of its four advisory levels.

What is the state of exception?

It is an emergency regime in force since March 2022 that limits some rights, including some protections for people under arrest. The Legislative Assembly has extended it repeatedly.

Sources: National Civil Police (PNC), official X account, post of 9 November 2026: x.com/PNCSV; US Department of State, El Salvador travel advisory (travel.state.gov); Human Rights Watch statements on El Salvador (hrw.org); photo: Wikimedia Commons file “Vista aérea de Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador.jpg” (CC0).