A Jan. 23 US Department of State Travel Warning stated that tens of thousands of US citizens safely visit El Salvador each year but that crime and violence are serious problems countrywide.
In 2011, El Salvador had the second-highest murder rate in the world: 71 per 100,000 people. (To compare, the murder rate in Massachusetts, similar in area and population, was 2.6 per 100,000.) In 2012, a truce between two main street gangs led to a decline in homicides but had little impact on robbery, assault and other violent crimes. In March 2012, Peace Corps El Salvador greatly reduced the number of its volunteers.
US citizens do not appear to be targeted based on their nationality; still, 22 US citizens have been murdered in El Salvador since January 2010, while 230 reported having passports stolen. Armed robberies of climbers and hikers in national parks are common; the embassy advises hiring a local guide certified by the national or local tourist authority when hiking in back-country areas, even in national parks.
A tourist police force (POLITUR) patrols 19 tourist destinations.
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