El Salvador Zero Homicides: No Killings Recorded in First Three Days of October
SECURITY · EL SALVADOR
Key Facts
- —The country El Salvador has lived under a state of exception, an emergency regime that suspends some legal guarantees, since 27 March 2022. It is the core of President Nayib Bukele’s campaign against gangs.
- —What happened The National Civil Police (PNC) reported no homicides on 1, 2 and 3 October 2026, Diario El Salvador and La Página reported on 4 October.
- —The numbers 234 zero-homicide days in 2026 as of 3 October (La Página, PNC data). September had 24; all of 2025 had 303 (Diario El Salvador, 2 and 4 October).
- —What it means for you Official data point to very low lethal violence for residents and visitors. They are daily police tallies, not audited statistics, and leave out some kinds of violent death.
- —Still open Whether the run holds through October, and whether outside researchers can check the count, which InSight Crime says omits deaths in clashes with security forces.
The El Salvador zero homicides run has carried into October. The National Civil Police (PNC) recorded no killing on each of the month’s first three days. Diario El Salvador and La Página both reported the police figures on Sunday 4 October.
The streak extends a year in which most days have passed without a recorded killing. The numbers come from the government alone, and independent checks remain limited.
What the police reported
The PNC posts a daily closing figure on its account on X, the social network. Local media then relay it, usually the next morning.
Diario El Salvador listed 1, 2 and 3 October as days with zero homicides. La Página, citing the same police data, put the 2026 total at 234 such days.
That figure matches the monthly breakdown Diario El Salvador published on 2 October, which counted 232 days up to 1 October. The paper’s own 4 October report gave 236, a gap it did not explain.
September closed with 24 days without a homicide, Diario El Salvador and Diario La Huella reported, citing the PNC. The best month this year was June, with 28.
For comparison, 2025 ended with 303 zero-homicide days, according to Diario El Salvador. The paper also cited 1,220 such days between 27 March 2022 and 1 October 2026.
How the El Salvador zero homicides count is made
A “zero” day means the police logged no homicide nationwide in that 24-hour period. It does not mean no one died violently.
InSight Crime is a research group that tracks organised crime. It says the official data do not follow the Bogotá Protocol, a regional standard for counting homicides. It reports that deaths in clashes between authorities and alleged gang members are excluded.
Bodies found in mass graves are also left out of the tally, according to the same analysis. On that basis, InSight Crime warned that the official decline may overstate the real fall in violence.
What critics say
Cristosal, a Salvadoran human rights group, has said that government transparency on homicides, prisons and security has declined under Bukele. InSight Crime cited that assessment in its review of 2024 data.
Rights groups also question the cost of the security model itself. The state of exception allows mass arrests with fewer legal safeguards, which critics say trades liberty for calm.
The policy behind the figures
The government credits the state of exception and its Territorial Control Plan, a phased national security strategy. Diario El Salvador credited joint police and army patrols for the October run.
Authorities report 93,162 arrests under the emergency regime, according to the same paper. Courts are still working through gang cases, such as the El Salvador Jails Barrio 18 Leader for 45 Years ruling this week.
The results underpin Bukele’s popularity, covered in Bukele Approval Hits 90% in El Salvador Online Poll. They also shape how investors and visitors see the country, as set out in El Salvador Explained 2026.
What Is Not Yet Known
It is not known whether October will end without a homicide, or how many killings fell outside the official definition. No independent daily count was available to check the police figures.
The reason for the gap between the 234 and 236 totals is also unclear. Neither outlet published the underlying police records.
Sources: Diario El Salvador, 4 October 2026; Diario El Salvador, 2 October 2026; La Página, 4 October 2026; Diario La Huella, 1 October 2026; InSight Crime, review of 2024 homicides. All counts are National Civil Police (PNC) figures as reported.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error