Everyday Killings in Mexico Decline Thirty-Seven Percent In Claudia Sheinbaum, According to Government Figures

The mean number of everyday killings monthly in the country has dropped by 37% since Head of State Claudia Sheinbaum took office, according to recent administrative statistics. Nevertheless, security analysts have advised that homicide numbers might not point to enhanced countrywide stability.

Notable Drop in Per-Day Numbers

Officials reported an mean of almost 55 killings a day in the month of November as opposed to nearly 87 when Sheinbaum assumed the leadership in September of last year. This announcement was delivered by the head of the country’s national public security system, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the president’s regular press briefing on Tuesday.

“The result in homicides that have been recorded over these months is very significant,” Sheinbaum said, noting that last month the lowest number of homicides were documented for any single November in the past decade.

Historical Background and Government Plan

Fierce organized crime internal conflicts, coupled with the administration's heavily militarised efforts to confront the trafficking organizations, have led to Mexico’s homicide numbers escalate in recent times. The rate reached a maximum of 36,773 killings in 2020, as reported by the country’s official data agency.

That resulted in Mexico a murder rate more than 4x greater than the United States. From that point, murders have been on the downward trend, declining to 33,550 in the last calendar year. Sheinbaum has linked her national security strategy for an apparently sharper drop in killings in the current year.

At a news briefing in the summer, the head of state declared: “We have a plan, there is monitoring of the strategy, and there is detailed monitoring municipality by municipality in certain cases. The plan works. And we have to continue working at it each day.”

The main components of Sheinbaum’s security strategy encompass:

• Bolstering Mexico’s national guard.
• Improving information gathering and investigation capabilities.
• Enhanced cooperation between government departments.

Analyst Skepticism and Statistical Concerns

But, public safety researchers warned that using murder numbers to assess the situation of improved security was problematic. This is particularly true in light of the rise in different criminal activities such as forced disappearances.

“That would be very good information if this was a reduction, but I think we can’t just focus on the homicide numbers and think: ‘Alright, good,’” said Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an authority on Mexican criminal organizations. “I would be guardedly positive.”

According to the public policy analysis organization Mexico Evalúa, killings in total declined by more than 20% in the initial 10 months of this year versus the identical timeframe last year. However, disappearances have increased by 15% and in certain regions have risen by as much as 200%.

“Data on homicides is no longer reliable for assessing the situation of violence,” argued Armando Vargas, a security expert at Mexico Evalúa. “Firstly, we have police and prosecutors who do not have the resources or the desire to correctly identify and categorize corpses. Second, organised [criminals] … have the capability to conceal violence through disappearances.”

Vargas noted that relying on month-to-month averages of daily homicides was additionally concerning because it may mask periods when there were especially elevated levels of murders.

“Employing the daily mean renders spikes of violent crime unseen,” he stated.

Detentions and Confiscations as Measures of Progress

An area where the government can point to the success of its security strategy is on arrests and seizures. Close to 40,000 people were apprehended between last October and November 2025 for major offenses, according to official data. Over 20,000 weapons were seized and 311 tonnes of narcotics seized.

“Donald Trump cannot claim President Sheinbaum of inaction, because in reality she is doing a lot with these thousands of arrests, thousands of seizures, and all the tactical degrading of organised crime. It’s very politically beneficial,” said Vargas.

Ongoing Violence and Public Frustration

However notwithstanding these efforts, Mexico continues to be beset by severe violence, with a number of regions in the midst of cartel-related bloodshed. In the previous month there was a notable killing of a well-liked mayor in the region of Michoacan, one of 10 mayors killed in the last year.

A short time after, thousands of protesters demonstrated in Mexico City and across the country to voice their frustration at corruption and drug violence.

“The federal government presents [data] in a manner to build a picture of safety. From a political standpoint it’s highly potent, socially it’s very debatable,” Vargas concluded.