Violent Deaths Decrease in the Legal Amazon but Remain Above Brazil's National Average

Land and resource disputes spread the issue across an area covering over half of the country's territory

Dec.11.2024 3:09PM

Amid disputes over territory and natural resources, intentional violent deaths have declined in Brazil’s Legal Amazon, which spans 772 municipalities across nine states. However, the region’s rates remain significantly higher than the national average.

In 2023, the region recorded 32.3 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, reflecting a 6.2% drop compared to 2021. This indicator, which includes victims of intentional homicide, robbery resulting in death, bodily harm leading to death, and killings by security agents, is 41.5% higher than the national rate of 22.8 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. Nationally, the average decline over the same period was 4.6%.

The data comes from the study "Cartographies of Violence in the Amazon", organized by the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety and the Mãe Crioula Institute. The high rates of violent deaths may be linked to the illegal rush for land and natural resources in the region.

The problem also involves organized crime factions, which have expanded their presence to 260 cities in the region this year, up from 178 recorded last year.

https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/brazil/2024/12/violent-deaths-decrease-in-the-legal-amazon-but-remain-above-brazils-national-average.shtml