🔗 Share this article Daily Murders in the nation Decline 37% During President Sheinbaum, According to Official Data The average figure of everyday killings each month in the country has decreased by 37% since Head of State Claudia Sheinbaum assumed power, as stated by new official data. However, security analysts have advised that homicide data may not indicate better national security. Marked Reduction in Per-Day Figures Officials reported an mean of almost 55 homicides a day in November compared with almost 87 when Claudia Sheinbaum began the presidential office in September of last year. This announcement was provided by the director of the country’s national safety system, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the president’s regular press briefing on Tuesday. “The outcome in murders that have been recorded over these months is very important,” the President said, noting that in November the lowest number of murders were documented for any single November in the last decade. Recent Background and Official Strategy Fierce drug cartel rivalries, coupled with the administration's highly military operations to take on the cartels, have made Mexico’s murder rate rise sharply in recent years. The figure reached a maximum of 36,773 killings in 2020, according to the nation's official data office. That gave Mexico a homicide rate more than four times higher than the United States. However, homicides have been on the decrease, dropping to 33,550 in the last calendar year. Sheinbaum has linked her public safety approach for an ostensibly more pronounced reduction in killings in the current year. At a press conference in the summer, the Mexican leader said: “We have a plan, we have tracking of the plan, and there is detailed tracking municipality by municipality in certain cases. The approach works. And we have to continue working at it daily.” The central elements of Sheinbaum’s safety plan include: Strengthening Mexico’s federal guard. Improving information gathering and investigation efforts. Increased cooperation between government departments. Analyst Skepticism and Data Limitations Nevertheless, security researchers warned that using murder data to paint a picture of pacification was flawed. This is particularly true in light of the uptick in other crimes such as forced disappearances. “That would be excellent information if this was a drop, but I think we must not just look at the homicide numbers and say: ‘Alright, excellent,’” stated Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an expert on Mexican organised crime. “I would be tentatively positive.” As reported by the public policy research organization Mexico Evalúa, homicides overall dropped by over 20% in the first 10 months of this year compared with the same timeframe last year. Yet, missing persons cases have gone up by 15% and in certain states have increased by as much as 200%. “Numbers on murders is not reliable for assessing the situation of public insecurity,” said Armando Vargas, a safety analyst at Mexico Evalúa. “First, we have law enforcement and prosecutors who lack the capacity or the desire to properly recognize and classify corpses. Second, organized [criminals] … have the capability to conceal violent acts through disappearances.” Vargas noted that using monthly means of everyday homicides was similarly problematic because it may hide periods when there were especially high levels of killings. “Using the daily average makes high peaks of violent crime unseen,” he stated. Arrests and Seizures as Metrics of Progress Where the administration can highlight the effectiveness of its security strategy is on arrests and confiscations. Close to 40,000 people were apprehended between last October and November 2025 for high-impact crimes, according to government data. More than 20,000 weapons were taken and 311 tons of drugs confiscated. “Donald Trump can't accuse President Sheinbaum of doing nothing, because the reality is she is accomplishing a lot with these many thousands of arrests, many thousands of confiscations, and all the tactical weakening of criminal groups. It’s highly in political terms advantageous,” commented Vargas. Ongoing Unrest and Public Anger But despite these efforts, Mexico continues to be plagued by extreme violence, with a number of regions in the throes of cartel-driven conflict. Recently there was a high-profile killing of a well-liked local official in the region of Michoacan, one of 10 mayors killed in the past 12 months. Weeks after, thousands of protesters took to the streets in the capital and throughout the country to express their outrage at corruption and cartel violence. “The administration presents [data] in a way to create a narrative of improvement. Politically it’s highly effective, from a social perspective it’s highly questionable,” Vargas said.
The average figure of everyday killings each month in the country has decreased by 37% since Head of State Claudia Sheinbaum assumed power, as stated by new official data. However, security analysts have advised that homicide data may not indicate better national security. Marked Reduction in Per-Day Figures Officials reported an mean of almost 55 homicides a day in November compared with almost 87 when Claudia Sheinbaum began the presidential office in September of last year. This announcement was provided by the director of the country’s national safety system, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the president’s regular press briefing on Tuesday. “The outcome in murders that have been recorded over these months is very important,” the President said, noting that in November the lowest number of murders were documented for any single November in the last decade. Recent Background and Official Strategy Fierce drug cartel rivalries, coupled with the administration's highly military operations to take on the cartels, have made Mexico’s murder rate rise sharply in recent years. The figure reached a maximum of 36,773 killings in 2020, according to the nation's official data office. That gave Mexico a homicide rate more than four times higher than the United States. However, homicides have been on the decrease, dropping to 33,550 in the last calendar year. Sheinbaum has linked her public safety approach for an ostensibly more pronounced reduction in killings in the current year. At a press conference in the summer, the Mexican leader said: “We have a plan, we have tracking of the plan, and there is detailed tracking municipality by municipality in certain cases. The approach works. And we have to continue working at it daily.” The central elements of Sheinbaum’s safety plan include: Strengthening Mexico’s federal guard. Improving information gathering and investigation efforts. Increased cooperation between government departments. Analyst Skepticism and Data Limitations Nevertheless, security researchers warned that using murder data to paint a picture of pacification was flawed. This is particularly true in light of the uptick in other crimes such as forced disappearances. “That would be excellent information if this was a drop, but I think we must not just look at the homicide numbers and say: ‘Alright, excellent,’” stated Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an expert on Mexican organised crime. “I would be tentatively positive.” As reported by the public policy research organization Mexico Evalúa, homicides overall dropped by over 20% in the first 10 months of this year compared with the same timeframe last year. Yet, missing persons cases have gone up by 15% and in certain states have increased by as much as 200%. “Numbers on murders is not reliable for assessing the situation of public insecurity,” said Armando Vargas, a safety analyst at Mexico Evalúa. “First, we have law enforcement and prosecutors who lack the capacity or the desire to properly recognize and classify corpses. Second, organized [criminals] … have the capability to conceal violent acts through disappearances.” Vargas noted that using monthly means of everyday homicides was similarly problematic because it may hide periods when there were especially high levels of killings. “Using the daily average makes high peaks of violent crime unseen,” he stated. Arrests and Seizures as Metrics of Progress Where the administration can highlight the effectiveness of its security strategy is on arrests and confiscations. Close to 40,000 people were apprehended between last October and November 2025 for high-impact crimes, according to government data. More than 20,000 weapons were taken and 311 tons of drugs confiscated. “Donald Trump can't accuse President Sheinbaum of doing nothing, because the reality is she is accomplishing a lot with these many thousands of arrests, many thousands of confiscations, and all the tactical weakening of criminal groups. It’s highly in political terms advantageous,” commented Vargas. Ongoing Unrest and Public Anger But despite these efforts, Mexico continues to be plagued by extreme violence, with a number of regions in the throes of cartel-driven conflict. Recently there was a high-profile killing of a well-liked local official in the region of Michoacan, one of 10 mayors killed in the past 12 months. Weeks after, thousands of protesters took to the streets in the capital and throughout the country to express their outrage at corruption and cartel violence. “The administration presents [data] in a way to create a narrative of improvement. Politically it’s highly effective, from a social perspective it’s highly questionable,” Vargas said.