María Elena

María Elena, located in the Antofagasta region, is among the communes with the highest reported crime incidence in Chile. CEAD data show a rising trend, placing it at national rank null of 346 communes with an official rate of 12,754.7 reported incidents per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025.

María Elena is one of the communes that make up the Antofagasta region. Within the region, it holds regional rank null, 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, María Elena is considerably above average: the 2025 rate of 12,754.7 per 100,000 inhabitants exceeds the national mean by approximately 120%. This comparison is calculated against the per-capita mean of participating communes, providing a meaningful benchmark of relative incidence.

Within the Antofagasta region, María Elena stands considerably above the regional average: its 2025 rate exceeds the regional per-capita mean by approximately 68%. The regional comparison draws on the mean of non-low-population communes within Antofagasta, providing a geographically relevant benchmark.

In 2025, the leading category in María Elena'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 María Elena'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 María Elena's data is San Pedro de Atacama (Antofagasta), identified as the nearest comparable commune within the same region based on reported incidence. In 2025, San Pedro de Atacama recorded approximately 9,738.3 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with 12,754.7 for María Elena. Because María Elena has a small resident population, its rate is statistically volatile, so this comparison is offered as the nearest available reference rather than a claim of shared incidence tier. San Pedro de Atacama holds national rank 8 of 346.

Note: this commune has a small resident population. As a result, the rate per 100,000 inhabitants is statistically sensitive to small variations in absolute event counts. Year-on-year fluctuations may reflect statistical volatility rather than real changes in underlying trends. This commune is excluded from national rankings for this reason. Comparisons with national or regional averages should be interpreted with this caveat in mind.

Looking at the full CEAD time series, María Elena recorded 4,823.5 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants in 2005. Since then, the reported rate has increased, reaching 12,754.7 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 12,754.7 incidents per 100,000 inhabitants for María Elena 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.