While Brazil, according to United Nations data, holds the record as the country with the highest number of homicides in the world, a new trend has brought hope for changing this grim statistic. According to a report published on July 24 by the non-governmental organization Brazilian Forum on Public Security (FBSP), homicides have decreased across the country: In 2024, Brazil recorded 44,127 homicides – the lowest number since 2012. This marks a 5.4% decrease compared to 2023 and a 25% drop compared to 2012.

Following this announcement, several MPs from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's camp were quick to credit these results to government policy. "These are encouraging data for continuing the fight for a safer country," said Senator Humberto Costa, a member of the left-wing Workers' Party, on X.

Are they hoping these numbers will restore the public's perception of the president's security policies? According to a survey by AtlasIntel and Bloomberg published on July 8, 52% of Brazilians believed public security had deteriorated under Lula's government compared to the period of his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022).

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