Cartagena

Cartagena, located in the Valparaíso region, is among the communes with the highest reported crime incidence in Chile. CEAD data show a rising trend, placing it at national rank 1 of 346 communes with an official rate of 14,711 reported incidents per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025.

Cartagena is one of the communes that make up the Valparaíso region. Within the region, it holds regional rank 1, a position that reflects its incidence level relative to other communes in the same administrative area. Regional comparisons are particularly relevant because they account for shared socioeconomic conditions, urban density patterns, and local reporting infrastructure that may influence measured incidence across the region.

Relative to the national average computed across non-low-population communes, Cartagena is considerably above average: the 2025 rate of 14,711 per 100,000 inhabitants exceeds the national mean by approximately 153%. This comparison is calculated against the per-capita mean of participating communes, providing a meaningful benchmark of relative incidence.

Within the Valparaíso region, Cartagena stands considerably above the regional average: its 2025 rate exceeds the regional per-capita mean by approximately 127%. The regional comparison draws on the mean of non-low-population communes within Valparaíso, providing a geographically relevant benchmark.

In 2025, the leading category in Cartagena's reported crime profile was public-order incidents, which accounted for the largest share of total reported incidents. The second most prevalent category was crimes against persons. This composition reflects Cartagena's particular urban and socioeconomic characteristics. The CEAD breakdown covers seven crime families: crimes against persons, property crimes, violent robbery, public-order incidents, domestic violence, drug-related offenses, and weapons offenses. The relative weight of each category in the total rate is visible in the incidence-by-category chart above.

A useful reference point for contextualizing Cartagena's data is El Tabo (Valparaíso), identified as the nearest comparable commune within the same region based on reported incidence. In 2025, El Tabo recorded approximately 14,217.9 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with 14,711 for Cartagena. The two communes share a similar incidence tier, making the comparison informative for understanding Cartagena's position relative to a concrete peer rather than an abstract national average. El Tabo holds national rank 2 of 346.

Looking at the full CEAD time series, Cartagena recorded 16,401.3 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants in 2005. Since then, the reported rate has decreased, reaching 14,711 in 2025. The multi-year series is displayed in the sparkline chart above, which shows annual values from 2005 through 2025. The most recent year of partial data (if available) is shown at reduced opacity to indicate that the figure is not yet complete. Year-on-year fluctuations are normal and can reflect changes in recording practices, population estimates, or law enforcement priorities rather than changes in underlying behavior.

The data presented here are sourced from CEAD (Centro de Estudios y Análisis del Delito), the official Chilean body that compiles police-reported crime statistics. All figures represent reported incidents — actual incidence may differ due to under-reporting, which varies by crime type and territory. The 2025 rate of 14,711 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants for Cartagena reflects the most recent complete annual data available at the time of this publication. For more information on methodology and the rate-per-100,000 definition, see the methodology section.