Everyday Homicides in the nation Fall Thirty-Seven Percent Under President Sheinbaum, According to Official Statistics

The typical figure of everyday killings per month in Mexico has fallen by 37% since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office, per new official figures. But, security experts have advised that murder figures might not indicate better countrywide safety.

Notable Decline in Daily Figures

Officials reported an average of close to 55 homicides a day in November as opposed to roughly 87 when Claudia Sheinbaum assumed the presidency in September of last year. This announcement was shared by the director of the country’s federal safety agency, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the leader's daily news conference on a recent Tuesday.

“The outcome in killings that have been recorded over these months is extremely notable,” Claudia Sheinbaum remarked, explaining that last month the smallest amount of homicides were registered for any single November in the past 10 years.

Recent Background and Government Plan

Intense drug cartel internal conflicts, combined with the administration's heavily militarised operations to combat the drug gangs, have led to Mexico’s murder numbers soar in recent years. The figure peaked at a maximum of 36,773 homicides in 2020, as reported by the nation's national statistics agency.

That gave Mexico a murder rate over 4x higher than the United States. However, homicides have been on the decline, declining to 33,550 in the last calendar year. The President has linked her public safety approach for an seemingly more pronounced decline in homicides in the current year.

At a press conference in the summer, the head of state stated: “We have a strategy, there is oversight of the plan, and we have specific monitoring municipality by municipality in certain cases. The approach is effective. And we have to keep working at it daily.”

The main components of the President's safety plan include:

• Strengthening Mexico’s domestic security force.
• Improving intelligence and investigation work.
• Greater collaboration between various agencies.

Expert Caution and Statistical Concerns

Nevertheless, public safety researchers warned that using murder data to paint a picture of peace was flawed. This is notably true in light of the rise in other criminal activities such as people going missing.

“That would be excellent information if this were a reduction, but I think we shouldn't just focus on the homicide numbers and think: ‘Well then, excellent,’” said Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an expert on Mexico's organised crime. “I would be tentatively optimistic.”

According to the public policy analysis thinktank Mexico Evalúa, murders overall declined by more than 20% in the initial 10 months of this year relative to the same period last year. However, missing persons cases have gone up by 15% and in some regions have surged by up to 200%.

“Statistics on homicides is not reliable for assessing the reality of violence,” said Armando Vargas, a safety expert at Mexico Evalúa. “Firstly, we have law enforcement and investigators who do not have the capacity or the inclination to accurately recognize and classify corpses. Second, organized [criminals] … have the ability to conceal violence through disappearances.”

Vargas added that using monthly averages of everyday killings was similarly concerning because it might mask periods when there were notably elevated numbers of killings.

“Using the daily mean makes surges of violence unseen,” he said.

Arrests and Seizures as Measures of Progress

Where the government can highlight the effectiveness of its security strategy is on arrests and seizures. Close to 40,000 individuals were apprehended between last October and November 2025 for major crimes, according to official figures. Over 20,000 weapons were confiscated and 311 tonnes of narcotics intercepted.

“The former US president cannot claim President Sheinbaum of not acting, because actually she is doing a lot with these many thousands of arrests, many thousands of seizures, and all the tactical weakening of organised crime. It’s highly in political terms profitable,” commented Vargas.

Ongoing Violence and Societal Anger

Yet in spite of these efforts, Mexico continues to be beset by high violence, with a number of states in the midst of cartel-driven conflict. Recently there was a notable killing of a popular mayor in the state of Michoacan, among 10 local leaders assassinated in the past 12 months.

A short time later, many thousands of protesters protested in the capital and across the country to voice their anger at graft and cartel violence.

“The administration shares [data] in a manner to build a picture of safety. From a political standpoint it’s extremely potent, from a social perspective it’s extremely problematic,” Vargas concluded.