Costa Rica recorded 169 homicides in the first half of the year compared to 242 murders during the same period in 2011, according to a report from Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ).
The OIJ said 113 of the 169 homicide victims were killed by firearms.
Costa Rica last year saw 10.3 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, a low percentage compared to its Central American neighbors.
Honduras has a murder rate of 86.2 people per 100,000. Guatemala has a rate of 41 and El Salvador’s rate is 26.5, according to official figures.
