Uruguay sees highest first-half homicide count since 2018 amid rising crime in key departments

Uruguay registered 195 homicides in the first six months of 2026, marking the highest number for the period since 2018. This figure represents a 6.6% increase compared to the first half of 2025, reversing a trend of lower homicide rates in the first semester since the 2018 peak.

“

Crime adapts to strategies.

The first quarter of 2026 saw a decrease in homicides, with 92 recorded deaths. However, the second quarter experienced a significant rise, with 103 homicides. This surge was particularly pronounced in Montevideo, where 25 of the country's 38 homicides in May occurred. The capital city saw its homicides increase by 45.8% in the second quarter compared to the first, rising from 48 to 70.

Diego Sanjurjo, manager of the Area of Statistics and Applied Criminology (AECA), noted that police strategies implemented since late 2025 had shown positive results for nearly six months. However, by March and April, increases began to appear in adjacent areas. Sanjurjo stated that "crime adapts to strategies" and that police are analyzing real-time data to adjust their response.

“

Almost 70% of the cases in the department were associated 'in one way or another' with the narcotics market.

The rise in homicides is concentrated in Montevideo and Canelones, which together recorded 144 homicides, up from 120 in the first half of 2025. In contrast, homicides decreased in other departments and within prisons. Sanjurjo highlighted that nearly 70% of cases in Canelones were associated with the drug trade, though he clarified this encompasses a broader range of incidents than just gang warfare, including the killing of consumers or sellers and territorial disputes.

“

It is a phenomenon 'much more heterogeneous than simply gangs killing each other'.