COLOMBIA · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —The country Colombia, a major South American economy and security partner of the United States, tracks crime through monthly national police tables.
- —Why it matters Violence shapes travel, investment and the security talks between Bogotá and Washington, so a national count helps judge whether conditions are easing.
- —Why now The police published the January to September 2026 tables on Tuesday 20 October, and a Colombian TV channel put the daily averages in headlines on Thursday 22 October.
- —What happened Police counted 10,434 intentional homicides and 332 kidnappings in the first nine months of 2026, which is about 38 homicides and 1.2 kidnappings a day.
- —The numbers Homicides are 0.3% below the same nine months of 2025, while kidnappings are 40% lower than in 2025 but about 64% higher than in 2024.
- —What it means for you Travellers and investors should treat the national average as a backdrop only, because risk differs sharply between regions, cities and routes.
- —Still open Whether the provisional September drop to 967 homicides holds after revision, and whether kidnappings keep falling in the last three months of the year.
- —Power Index Colombia ranks 6th of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 51.9 points (October 2026 edition).
Colombia homicides ran at about 38 a day from January to September 2026, level with 2025, national police data show. Kidnappings averaged about 1.2 a day, far below last year’s pace but above 2024.
For US readers the figures set the backdrop for travel to Colombia, business there and the security talks between Bogotá and Washington. Canal 1 Noticias, a Colombian television channel, published the daily averages on Thursday 22 October 2026 from Defence Ministry data, and we matched them to the police tables.
Our guide Colombia Security 2026: Hotspots, Safer Cities, US Advisory maps where violence concentrates, and Colombia’s President Rejects Talks With Santa Marta Group covers the president’s refusal of talks with that armed group. The new figures add a national count to that picture.
What the Colombia Homicides Data Shows
The police table counts 10,434 intentional homicides from January to September 2026, a provisional figure published on Tuesday 20 October. The Defence Ministry number quoted by Canal 1 is 10,432, a gap of two cases that the sources do not explain.
Over the 273 days of those nine months, that is 38.2 homicides a day, against about 38.5 a day across all of 2025. The police counted 14,037 homicides in 2025 and 13,496 in 2024, which is about 36.9 a day in that leap year.
Canal 1 set the nine-month 2026 total beside the full years 2024 and 2025, so we compare like with like instead. Against the same nine months, 2026 is 0.3% below the 10,469 of 2025 and 5.4% above the 9,900 of 2024.
From January to August 2026 the monthly counts range from 1,093 in February to 1,255 in July. September shows 967, the lowest of the year, but the police say each month is extracted on the 16th day after the month closes and stays provisional until the following March.
September 2025 stands at 1,213 in the same series, so the apparent fall of about 20% should not be read as a trend until the figure is revised. The tables give no reason for the drop.
Kidnappings Fall but Stay Above 2024
The police count 332 kidnappings from January to September 2026, about 1.2 a day, and the Defence Ministry figure given by Canal 1 is 330. The police tables list the offence as illegal detention, or secuestro, and the 2026 figures are provisional.
In the same nine months of 2025 the count was 555, so 2026 is about 40% lower. The full-year total for 2025 was 702, more than double the 313 of 2024 and the highest in the police series that starts in 2020.
Canal 1 gives 701 for 2025, one case below the police series, a gap the sources do not explain. Against the same nine months of 2024, when police counted 203, 2026 is still about 64% higher.
Last year’s monthly counts peaked at 121 in September 2025 and 108 in June 2025, while 2026 months range from 25 in May to 52 in February. The sources reviewed do not explain what drove those spikes or the fall since.
The Government and the Numbers
Canal 1 reports that President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office in August, said he has signed at least 142 extraditions of criminal leaders in 72 days of government. We did not check that count against an official record.
Canal 1 also cites unnamed sectors who argue that the previous government’s “total peace” policy of talks with armed groups let criminal structures grow. The police and ministry figures do not test that argument, which remains a political claim.
Where the Numbers Come From
The National Police publish monthly tables of crimes against safety and coexistence, drawn from the SIEDCO database on the 16th day after each month closes. The latest table covers January to September 2026 and is marked provisional.
Canal 1 attributes its numbers to Defence Ministry data, and they match the police series within two cases for homicides and within two for kidnappings. We did not find a separate Defence Ministry release, so we cite the police tables as the primary source.
What It Means for You
Travellers should read national averages alongside local conditions, because the national count hides sharp differences between cities and rural areas. Our Colombia security guide covers hotspots and safer cities, and our Bogotá city guide covers life in the capital.
Investors and companies with Colombian exposure watch security because it shapes mining, oil and transport work in rural regions. The data give no company-level view, and flat Colombia homicides are neither a warning nor an all-clear.
For US policy watchers, the numbers frame the security talks between Bogotá and Washington that we followed in Colombia Security Cooperation With the US, What Comes Next. Whether kidnappings keep falling will be one test of the new government’s approach.
What Is Not Known
The police tables are provisional and no separate Defence Ministry release was found, so final 2026 totals may differ. The September count of 967 is the least settled number in the Colombia homicides series.
The sources do not say how many victims each kidnapping involved or which armed groups were behind them. Canal 1 also reported theft figures, which we did not check against the police table and so left out of this report.
The next monthly table will add October and show whether the September dip was a data lag. Until then, the nine-month totals are the best available count.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Colombia homicides are recorded each day in 2026?
Police counted 10,434 intentional homicides from January to September 2026, about 38.2 a day. That matches 2025, when the daily average was about 38.5.
Are kidnappings in Colombia rising or falling?
Kidnappings are down about 40% from the same nine months of 2025, with 332 against 555. They remain about 64% above the same period of 2024.
Where do the Colombia crime figures come from?
They come from monthly National Police tables published on 20 October 2026. Defence Ministry figures quoted by Canal 1 match them within two cases, and all 2026 figures are provisional until March 2027.
Is Colombia safe for US travellers?
Risk varies sharply by region and city, so a national average does not describe a single trip. US travellers should check the State Department’s current advisory for Colombia and local conditions before they go.
Why do these numbers matter to US readers?
They set the backdrop for travel, business and security cooperation between Colombia and the United States. A flat homicide count and falling kidnappings are a mixed signal, not a turning point.
Sources: National Police of Colombia, crime statistics tables (published 20 October 2026); Canal 1 Noticias, 22 October 2026; National Police of Colombia, monthly series 2020 to 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
The Rio Times · Power Map
See who really holds power in Latin America
Click to open the Power Map →