Factors correlated with mortality from violence in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2000-2021: an ecological study

This study aimed to analyze the factors correlated with the mortality rate from violence in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Data were used for 24 LAC countries from 2000 to 2021. We estimated a fixed-effects model, reporting the coefficients and their 95% confidence intervals, to assess the effect of changes in demographic indicators (median age of the population) and socioeconomic indicators (annual GDP variation rate, unemployment rate, infant mortality rate, and mean schooling) on the intentional homicide rate (IHR) and the interpersonal violence mortality rate (IVMR). In addition, the distinct effects were evaluated when IVMR was analyzed by gender. Overall, the results showed that worse socioeconomic indicators (lower annual GDP variation rate, higher unemployment rate, and higher child mortality rate) are correlated with higher IHR and IVMR. Furthermore, the results also suggest that the trend of population aging in LAC is favorable to the alleviation of mortality due to violence. These findings suggest that public policy strategies should adopt a multidimensional approach to promote the security and well-being of society.