Venezuela has seen the highest number of deaths and injuries from grenades in Latin America over the past three years, with corruption in the military making soldiers both a cause and target of this trend.
The year 2015 was a record year for Venezuela in many aspects. In terms of citizen security, the country witnessed the highest homicide rates since its independence. The Venezuelan Violence Observatory (Observatorio Venezolano de la Violencia - OVV) recorded 27,875 victims, pushing the homicide rate to 90 murders for every 100,000 inhabitants and giving the country the second highest rate in the world after El Salvador for countries not at war.
Within this total there were at least 47 deaths attributed to the detonation of grenades. The United Nations Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament and Development (UNLIREC) reported that hand grenade deaths increased by 194 percent during 2015 compared to the two previous years. Comparative figures are not available for the region, but Venezuela very likely maintains its position as the South American nation with the most grenade deaths, given that it held that distinction in 2014 with only 13 cases reported.