According to the most recent statistical bulletin of the Colombian Institute of legal Medicinecorresponding to November 2022, it is possible to determine that the violent deaths in Colombia they have increased by 6.9% compared to the period January-November 2021. Of the total of 25,272 violent deaths that have occurred so far, 47.6% were homicides. The figures for December are still missing, the month with the most historical records of violent deaths each year.
Specifically, there have been 1,632 more deaths than last year. Homicides increased slightly: there were 183 more homicides, for a variation of 1.54% and a total of 12,045 deaths. On the other hand, people who lost their lives in traffic accidents increased by 12.9%: 7,432 people have died, 853 more than the previous year.
In non-road accidents, 3,211 people have died, 362 more than in 2021; 12.71% more. Deaths by suicide increased by 9.9%: so far 2,584 people have lost their lives for this reason, 234 more than last year.
In total, 47.6% of violent deaths in Colombia during January and November corresponded to homicides, while 29.41% of cases were road accidents and 12.71% were accidental deaths. Finally, 10.22% of these deaths were suicides.
Men are the ones who have perished the most in violent conditions this year, according to the forensic entity. 92.3% of people who died due to homicides were men, as were 81.8% of those who died in traffic events, 83.3% of those who lost their lives in non-road accidents, and 79.6% of those who died in traffic accidents. % of those who took their lives.
When reviewing the Legal Medicine data by age groups, the Colombians most involved in violent deaths are those between the ages of 20 and 34. Of the total homicides, this age group accounted for 53.72% of the dead. They also put 37.7% of deaths in road accidents, 20.3% of those killed in other accidents and 35.6% of suicides.
The report also includes figures for minors who died in violent circumstances. 579 minors were victims of homicide, of which 520 were adolescents. 437 minors died in road accidents and 441 perished in off-road accidents —of which 188 were 4 years old or younger.
Regarding the cases of suicide in minors, 293 lost their lives by their own hands and 277 of them were minors between 12 and 17 years of age. In total, 1,750 children and adolescents died violently between January and November of this year.
The city with the most reports of violent deaths is, by far, Bogotá: there were 921 homicides, 553 deaths in traffic accidents, 294 accidental deaths and 358 suicides, for a total of 2,126 cases. In second place is Cali, with 855 homicides, 288 deaths on the roads, 140 accidental deaths and 102 suicides, for a total of 1,385 deaths. Medellín is third, by far, with 901 reports of violent deaths in all causes, followed by Cartagena, with 555 cases.
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