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Machalí

Low incidence Population: 64,751
3,949
Rate per 100,000 inhabitants (2025)
More reported crime than 34%
of Chile's communes
CEAD 2025 · #230 of 346 · 1 = most reported incidence
More reported crime than 36%
of communes in O'Higgins
CEAD 2025 · #21 of 33 · 1 = most reported incidence

Annual evolution (2005–present)

Declining
32% below national average
31% below regional average

Reported incidence by crime category (2025)

Life crimes 972
Property crimes 995
Violent robbery 128
Disorder 1165
Domestic violence 585
Drug crimes 30
Weapons 73

Note: this is CEAD’s "Drug Crimes" family — criminal offences under Ley 20.000 (trafficking, micro-trafficking and cultivation). It is a low-volume, mostly police-detected category. Public drug or alcohol consumption is classified by CEAD under Disorder, not here, so this figure understates total drug-related police activity.

Homicides (2025)

0 per 100,000 inhabitants (0 cases)

Source: CEAD, subgroup 101 Life Crimes (2025)

Crime evolution by category (2005–present)

Life crimes

2005–2026

Property crimes

2005–2026

Violent robbery

2005–2026

Disorder

2005–2026

Domestic violence

2005–2026

Drug crimes

2005–2026

Weapons

2005–2026

Homicide

2005–2026

Faded points indicate partial-year data.

Composite Crime Index (2024)

14 Very Low
#290 of 346 nationally · #28 in O'Higgins
Composite of reported crimes (CEAD/SPD), adjusted for SII economic activity. Does not reflect unreported crime. Reference year: 2024.

Household Victimization (ENUSC 2024)

4.5% (2024)
95% confidence interval: 3.0% – 6.8%
INE experimental estimate (SAE-modeled). Proportion of households reporting at least one violent crime. Covers 136 of 346 comunas. Distinct from CEAD reported-crime index — measures victimization survey responses, not police denuncias. Source: INE Estadísticas Experimentales, Seguridad Ciudadana.

Comparable commune (same region)

Palmilla O'Higgins
3,886 per 100k inh. #234 of 346 Stable

View on Map

See Machalí on the interactive Chile crime map →

Similar Communes in This Region

Communes in O'Higgins with similar reported CEAD incidence rates:

Commune Rate per 100k
National rank Trend
Palmilla 3,886 #234 Stable
Pichidegua 3,875 #236 Stable
Coltauco 4,099 #224 Stable
Chépica 3,799 #243 Declining
Olivar 4,539 #204 Stable

Glossary

Rankings by Crime Type

According to CEAD records, Machalí (O'Higgins region) has seen a declining trend in reported crime incidence. The commune ranked 230 of 346 nationally in 2025, with an official rate of 3,949.1 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants.

Machalí is one of the communes that make up the O'Higgins region. Within the region, it holds regional rank 21, 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.

Machalí's reported incidence rate in 2025 falls moderately below the per-capita national mean across Chilean communes — approximately 32% lower. This relative position reflects reported data only; actual differences may be influenced by local reporting patterns and the commune's demographic profile.

Machalí's reported incidence in 2025 was approximately 31% below the per-capita mean for the O'Higgins region. Among O'Higgins communes, this places Machalí on the lower side of the regional distribution.

In 2025, the leading category in Machalí's reported crime profile was public-order incidents, which accounted for the largest share of total reported incidents. The second most prevalent category was property crimes. This composition reflects Machalí'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 Machalí's data is Palmilla (O'Higgins), identified as the nearest comparable commune within the same region based on reported incidence. In 2025, Palmilla recorded approximately 3,885.6 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with 3,949.1 for Machalí. The two communes share a similar incidence tier, making the comparison informative for understanding Machalí's position relative to a concrete peer rather than an abstract national average. Palmilla holds national rank 234 of 346.

Looking at the full CEAD time series, Machalí recorded 4,870.8 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants in 2005. Since then, the reported rate has decreased, reaching 3,949.1 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 3,949.1 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants for Machalí 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.