The number of homicides in Costa Rica in 2011 was lower than in 2010 by a margin of 53 cases, according to a blog post in the Christian Science Monitor by Mike Allison, an associate professor in the Political Science Department and a member of the Latin American and Women’s Studies Department at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

Citing news sources from the Agence France-Presse (AFP) and El Nuevo Herald in Miami, Mr. Allison also mentioned that the murder rate is now 10.3 per 100,000. In 2010, the homicide rate in Costa Rica stood at 11.5.

This is the second time in the last ten years that the homicide rate in Costa Rica has experienced a reduction. The first drop was seen in 2004, when there were 280 homicides, compared to 300 during the previous year.

Out of the 474 homicide that were reported in 2011, 378 were from Costa Rica, 55 from Nicaragua, and 14 from Colombia. Most of the murders took place in the capital city of San Jose, although the Caribbean port city of Limon also registered a significant amount of murders: 111 homicides, a figure that makes up 23.4 percent of the total in 2011. According to the AFP, the murder rate in the Caribbean zone of Costa Rica is exacerbated by disputes among drug traffickers.

Central America is considered the most violent region in the world due to a combined rate of 30 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the AFP. Violence, however, is not limited to murders. Mr. Allison points out that:

“Homicides aren’t the only measure of violence and the region’s numbers are still higher than everyone wants. However, better governance and creativity can bring about improvements in the daily lives of the region’s citizens.”

The report from the AFP cites public officials in Costa Rica and statistics from the United Nations.