🔗 Share this article Everyday Homicides in Mexico Drop 37% Under President Sheinbaum, Per Official Data The typical figure of daily killings per month in the country has dropped by thirty-seven percent since President Claudia Sheinbaum assumed power, per new government data. But, public safety analysts have advised that murder data may not point to enhanced countrywide security. Notable Drop in Daily Figures There was an mean of close to 55 homicides a day in the month of November versus roughly 87 when Claudia Sheinbaum began the presidency in September of last year. This information was shared by the chief of the country’s federal safety system, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the president’s regular news conference on Tuesday. “The result in murders that we have seen during these months is remarkably important,” Sheinbaum said, noting that the previous month the least figure of homicides were documented for any single November in the last decade. Recent Context and Government Plan Fierce drug cartel internal conflicts, alongside the government’s highly militarised efforts to take on the drug gangs, have made Mexico’s murder numbers rise sharply in recent times. The rate peaked at a record high of 36,773 killings in 2020, as reported by the country’s national statistics agency. That gave Mexico a murder figure over four times greater than the United States. However, killings have been on the decline, falling to 33,550 last year. Claudia Sheinbaum has linked her national security plan for an apparently sharper reduction in killings in the current year. At a media briefing in August, the head of state declared: “There is a plan, we have oversight of the plan, and we have specific monitoring municipality by municipality in some cases. The approach is effective. And we have to persist at it every day.” The main pillars of the President's security strategy encompass: Strengthening Mexico’s domestic security force. Enhancing intelligence and investigation work. Increased coordination between government agencies. Expert Skepticism and Statistical Limitations However, public safety experts cautioned that relying on murder statistics to assess the situation of improved security was flawed. This is especially true in light of the rise in other crimes such as people going missing. “It would be excellent news if this was a drop, but I think we can’t just focus on the murder numbers and think: ‘Oh well, good,’” said Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an specialist on Mexican criminal organizations. “I would be tentatively optimistic.” Per the public policy research organization Mexico Evalúa, homicides in total fell by over 20% in the first 10 months of the current year versus the identical timeframe last year. But, missing persons cases have increased by 15% and in some states have risen by up to 200%. “Statistics on murders is not valid for assessing the context of insecurity,” argued Armando Vargas, a security analyst at Mexico Evalúa. “Firstly, we have police and prosecutors who lack the capacity or the will to correctly recognize and classify remains. Second, organised [criminals] … have the ability to conceal violent acts through abductions.” Vargas pointed out that relying on month-to-month means of daily homicides was also concerning because it could mask periods when there were particularly high levels of murders. “Using the per-day average renders spikes of violent crime invisible,” he concluded. Detentions and Confiscations as Metrics of Progress Where the government can cite the effectiveness of its security strategy is on detentions and seizures. Nearly 40,000 individuals were arrested between last October and November 2025 for high-impact offenses, per official figures. More than 20,000 guns were seized and 311 tons of drugs seized. “Trump cannot accuse President Sheinbaum of inaction, because the reality is she is accomplishing a lot with these many thousands of arrests, many thousands of seizures, and all the operational weakening of organised crime. It’s highly in political terms advantageous,” said Vargas. Persistent Unrest and Public Frustration But despite these efforts, Mexico is still plagued by high violence, with a number of regions in the midst of cartel-driven bloodshed. In the previous month there was a high-profile killing of a well-liked local official in the state of Michoacan, among 10 mayors assassinated in the past 12 months. Weeks after, thousands of young people protested in the capital and throughout the nation to show their outrage at corruption and cartel violence. “The federal government shares [data] in a way to build a narrative of improvement. Politically it’s extremely effective, socially it’s highly problematic,” Vargas concluded.
The typical figure of daily killings per month in the country has dropped by thirty-seven percent since President Claudia Sheinbaum assumed power, per new government data. But, public safety analysts have advised that murder data may not point to enhanced countrywide security. Notable Drop in Daily Figures There was an mean of close to 55 homicides a day in the month of November versus roughly 87 when Claudia Sheinbaum began the presidency in September of last year. This information was shared by the chief of the country’s federal safety system, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the president’s regular news conference on Tuesday. “The result in murders that we have seen during these months is remarkably important,” Sheinbaum said, noting that the previous month the least figure of homicides were documented for any single November in the last decade. Recent Context and Government Plan Fierce drug cartel internal conflicts, alongside the government’s highly militarised efforts to take on the drug gangs, have made Mexico’s murder numbers rise sharply in recent times. The rate peaked at a record high of 36,773 killings in 2020, as reported by the country’s national statistics agency. That gave Mexico a murder figure over four times greater than the United States. However, killings have been on the decline, falling to 33,550 last year. Claudia Sheinbaum has linked her national security plan for an apparently sharper reduction in killings in the current year. At a media briefing in August, the head of state declared: “There is a plan, we have oversight of the plan, and we have specific monitoring municipality by municipality in some cases. The approach is effective. And we have to persist at it every day.” The main pillars of the President's security strategy encompass: Strengthening Mexico’s domestic security force. Enhancing intelligence and investigation work. Increased coordination between government agencies. Expert Skepticism and Statistical Limitations However, public safety experts cautioned that relying on murder statistics to assess the situation of improved security was flawed. This is especially true in light of the rise in other crimes such as people going missing. “It would be excellent news if this was a drop, but I think we can’t just focus on the murder numbers and think: ‘Oh well, good,’” said Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an specialist on Mexican criminal organizations. “I would be tentatively optimistic.” Per the public policy research organization Mexico Evalúa, homicides in total fell by over 20% in the first 10 months of the current year versus the identical timeframe last year. But, missing persons cases have increased by 15% and in some states have risen by up to 200%. “Statistics on murders is not valid for assessing the context of insecurity,” argued Armando Vargas, a security analyst at Mexico Evalúa. “Firstly, we have police and prosecutors who lack the capacity or the will to correctly recognize and classify remains. Second, organised [criminals] … have the ability to conceal violent acts through abductions.” Vargas pointed out that relying on month-to-month means of daily homicides was also concerning because it could mask periods when there were particularly high levels of murders. “Using the per-day average renders spikes of violent crime invisible,” he concluded. Detentions and Confiscations as Metrics of Progress Where the government can cite the effectiveness of its security strategy is on detentions and seizures. Nearly 40,000 individuals were arrested between last October and November 2025 for high-impact offenses, per official figures. More than 20,000 guns were seized and 311 tons of drugs seized. “Trump cannot accuse President Sheinbaum of inaction, because the reality is she is accomplishing a lot with these many thousands of arrests, many thousands of seizures, and all the operational weakening of organised crime. It’s highly in political terms advantageous,” said Vargas. Persistent Unrest and Public Frustration But despite these efforts, Mexico is still plagued by high violence, with a number of regions in the midst of cartel-driven bloodshed. In the previous month there was a high-profile killing of a well-liked local official in the state of Michoacan, among 10 mayors assassinated in the past 12 months. Weeks after, thousands of young people protested in the capital and throughout the nation to show their outrage at corruption and cartel violence. “The federal government shares [data] in a way to build a narrative of improvement. Politically it’s extremely effective, socially it’s highly problematic,” Vargas concluded.