Where you can get away with murder

Brazil solves only about one-third of its murder cases, according to a new report from the Sou da Paz Institute, a nonprofit focused on public security. The figure has changed little in nearly a decade, reflecting what experts describe as a chronic culture of impunity that strengthens organized crime.

Based on 2023 data from prosecutors and courts in 17 of Brazil’s 27 states (not all states provided quality data), the report defines a case as solved when at least one suspect is formally charged. Just 36% of murders met that threshold last year, a slight decline from 2023 and broadly consistent with results since 2015, when the institute began publishing its studies. The only exception was a peak of 44% in 2018.