Post-pandemic social concentration of homicide victims in Peru: shifts in victim composition across social groups

Enriquez Canto Y. · International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion (2026) · DOI: 10.1080/17457300.2026.2698668

Resumen

Homicide is a major form of violent injury in Latin America, yet post-pandemic increases may reflect not only changes in overall levels of lethal violence but also changes in how victimization is socially distributed. This repeated cross-sectional study examined homicide deaths in Peru from 2017 to 2025 across pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods. Victims were characterized by sex, age, education, marital status, and ethnicity, and concentration was assessed within each dimension and across intersecting victim profiles. The post-pandemic period showed a measurable narrowing in the social composition of homicide victims. Deaths became increasingly concentrated among men, adults aged 30–59 years, and single individuals, with more modest concentration among those with secondary education and those classified as Mestizo. These findings suggest that post-pandemic homicide dynamics may involve changes in concentration as well as magnitude, with implications for surveillance, prevention targeting, and understanding violent injury in low- and middle-income settings.

Instituciones: Universidad Católica Sedes Sapientiae