On average, 25 people were murdered every 100,000 inhabitants in Mexico in 2022, down from 28 homicide cases per 100,000 people the previous year. Mexico's murder rate increased remarkably between 2015 and 2018. Between January and June of 2023, the homicide rate stood at 12 cases.

Crime and violence in Mexico

Street violence and crime are some of the most pressing problems affecting Mexican society today. A recent survey revealed that, on average, almost 76 percent of the adult population felt unsafe. The perceived level of insecurity in Mexico is more worrisome among women than men. In recent years, violence against women in Mexico has significantly worsened.

Violence against women in Mexico

The number of femicides registered in Mexico has more than doubled between 2015 and 2023. Up to 827 women were murdered in Mexico in 2023 solely on account of their gender. Over the past decade, Mexico adopted this federal criminal typification to address the increasing cases of homicide motivated by gender. Mexico State was the region with the largest number of femicides reported as such in 2023, whereas Colima stood out as the Mexican state with the highest prevalence of femicides, based on 100,000 women.

The number of people murdered in Mexico amounted to almost 33,300 in 2021, a slightly lower figure to the one registered one year earlier. Mexico ranked as the second Latin American country with the highest number of intentional homicides in 2022, only exceeded by Brazil.

Colima was the city in Mexico that led the ranking of highest homicide rates in 2023. The city had a murder rate of approximately ****** per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Ciudad Obregón, with a homicide rate of ******. That year, those two cities had the highest homicide rates not only in Mexico, but in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In the last four years, May has been the most violent month in Mexico in three of them, exception for 2023, when June was the most violent month of the year. The peak of violence happened in May 2021, when an average of 150 people were murdered every day. On the other hand, October 2023 was the least violent month in this period of time, with an average of 125 people murdered daily.

Historical dataset showing Mexico murder/homicide rate per 100K population by year from 1990 to 2021.

This project provides a comprehensive dataset on intentional homicides in Mexico from 1990 to 2023, disaggregated by sex and state. It includes both raw data and tools for visualization, making it a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and analysts studying violence trends, gender disparities, and regional patterns.ContentsHomicide Data: Total number of male and female victims per state and year.Population Data: Corresponding male and female population estimates for each state and year.Homicide Rates: Per 100,000 inhabitants, calculated for both sexes.Choropleth Map Script: A Python script that generates homicide rate maps using a GeoJSON file.GeoJSON File: A spatial dataset defining Mexico's state boundaries, used for mapping.Sample Figure: A pre-generated homicide rate map for 2023 as an example.Requirements File: A requirements.txt file listing necessary dependencies for running the script.SourcesHomicide Data: INEGI - Vital Statistics MicrodataPopulation Data: Mexican Population Projections 2020-2070This dataset enables spatial analysis and data visualization, helping users explore homicide trends across Mexico in a structured and reproducible way.

Mexico MX: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data was reported at 34.248 Ratio in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 29.307 Ratio for 2015. Mexico MX: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data is updated yearly, averaging 22.261 Ratio from Dec 2000 (Median) to 2016, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 41.322 Ratio in 2011 and a record low of 13.965 Ratio in 2007. Mexico MX: Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Intentional homicides, male are estimates of unlawful male homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control, and predatory violence and killing by armed groups. Intentional homicide does not include all intentional killing; the difference is usually in the organization of the killing. Individuals or small groups usually commit homicide, whereas killing in armed conflict is usually committed by fairly cohesive groups of up to several hundred members and is thus usually excluded.; ; UN Office on Drugs and Crime's International Homicide Statistics database.; ;

Historical dataset showing Mexico crime rate per 100K population by year from 1990 to 2021.

Actual value and historical data chart for Mexico Intentional Homicides Per 100 000 People

Yearly (annual) dataset of the Mexico Homicide Rate, including historical data, latest releases, and long-term trends from 1990-12-31 to 2021-12-31. Available for free download in CSV format.

In 2024, a total of ****** homicides were registered in Mexico, over 1.1** murder victims more than the death toll reported a year earlier. The number of homicides in Mexico, including intentional homicides and cases of manslaughter, grew between 2015 and 2018, before plateauing around ****** victims per year. Kidnapping in Mexico In Mexico, even with a ** percent reduction in the kidnapping rate, which amounted to *** reported cases in 2023, the region continues to witness the distressing reality of **** individuals being subjected to violent abduction daily. These heinous acts are chiefly perpetrated in various settings, including workplaces, residences, and public areas. Furthermore, the state with the highest recorded kidnapping incidence is Mexico State, marking a significant disparity in numbers. This dire situation positions the country as the third highest in terms of kidnapping occurrences throughout Latin America. The increasing cases of human trafficking Regarded as a grievous form of exploitation encompassing coerced labor or sexual servitude, the prevalence of human trafficking in the nation exhibits a disquieting escalation. This trend coincides with a decline in cases involving children, shifting the focus towards teens and adolescents, particularly females, who are now the primary target demographic. Perpetrators manipulate victims through deceitful practices and fraudulent schemes, effectively entrapping them in a web of organized criminal activities that deprive them of their freedom.

The average for 2017 based on 97 countries was 7.4 homicides per 100,000 people. The highest value was in El Salvador: 61.8 homicides per 100,000 people and the lowest value was in Japan: 0.2 homicides per 100,000 people. The indicator is available from 1990 to 2017. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2023, Mexico State was the Mexican federal entity with the highest number of homicides, including cases of murder and manslaughter. A total of ***** people were killed in Guanajuato in that year, the second highest figure. Mexico is one of the Latin American countries with the highest murder rates.

Translated and Tidy dataset of official crime stats for the Country of Mexico.

Data Card for Mexican Crime Statistics Dataset

Title: Mexican Crime Statistics: Comprehensive Incident Dataset

Subtitle: An Extensive Compilation of Criminal Incidents in Mexico, Sourced from Official Government Data

Source: Official Mexican Government Website

Description: This dataset is a compilation of criminal incidents reported across Mexico. It includes detailed records of various criminal activities, offering insights into crime patterns and trends in different regions. The dataset is ideal for analysis in criminology, public policy, and data science.

• Dataset Description:

year: The year when the crime was reported. This is a numeric field representing the calendar year (e.g., 2015).

entity_code: A numeric code representing a specific entity (state or region) within Mexico. Each number corresponds to a unique entity.

entity: The name of the Mexican state or region where the crime occurred. This is a textual field (e.g., Aguascalientes).

affected_legal_good: A categorical field describing the broad category of the legal good (i.e., personal or societal interest) affected by the crime. Examples include 'Personal freedom' and 'Sexual freedom and security'.

type_of_crime: A categorical field indicating the general type of crime. This field is more specific than 'affected_legal_good' but less specific than 'subtype_of_crime'. Examples include 'Abduction', 'Sexual abuse', and 'Robbery'.

subtype_of_crime: A further categorization of the type of crime. This field provides more specific details within the general type of crime. Examples include 'Sexual Harassment', 'Simple Rape', and 'Home Burglary'.

modality: The specific nature or method of the crime. This field details how the crime was committed or any specific characteristic that differentiates it within its subtype. Examples include 'With violence', 'Without violence', 'Sexual Bullying'.

month: The month when the crime was reported. This is a textual field representing the month (e.g., January).

count: The number of reported incidents for the specific crime type, subtype, and modality in the given entity and month. This is a numeric field

• Dataset Composition:

Type of Data: Structured data, CSV format Number of Records: Shape (332416, 9) Date Range: 2015-2023 ( up to October) Nov - Dec not release yet

• Use Cases:

Intended Use: Research in criminology, public policy analysis, crime trend analysis Example Analyses: Crime rate trends over time, regional crime analysis, type of crime frequency analysis

• Data Collection Method:

Collection Process: Data aggregated from official crime reports and records maintained by the Mexican government Data Authenticity: Sourced from Gobierno de Mexico

• Data Quality:

Accuracy: Official - part of the Mexican Government's push for openness Completeness: Comprehensive coverage of reported incidents within the specified period Limitations: Possible underreporting or inconsistencies in crime reporting across regions. Nov 2023- Dec 2023 not release yet

• Maintenance Plan:

Update Frequency: Quarterly (or as new data becomes available)

This database adapts the Piccato, P., Hidalgo, S., & Lajous, A. (2008). Estadísticas del crimen en México: Series Históricas 1926—2008. for analysis in decades paired with Mexican National Statistics Institute Censuses (INEGI) by imputing the non-systematic absences of homicide rates with population growth rates. The database allows studying crime rates for homicide, rape, robbery, smuggling with socioeconomic data in Mexico through the second half of the XX Century.

A total of *** persons were murdered in Mexico City in 2024. The highest number of intentional homicides was registered in March 2023, with ** victims.

This dataset is the result from the merge of both datasets from SESNSP. [https://www.gob.mx/sesnsp/acciones-y-programas/datos-abiertos-de-incidencia-delictiva]

Raw datasets were merged to show the number of victims when available, as well as transformed for better classification.

Transformation:

• 'Feminicidio' classified into 'Homicidio'
• All 'Violación' substrings are classified into 'Violación' as a whole and aggregated as subtypes.
• 'Hostigamiento sexual', 'Acoso sexual', and 'Abuso sexual' are classified as 'Delito sexual' and aggregated as subtypes.
• subtypes under 'Robo' were renamed for better classification:
  • 'Robo de coche de 4 ruedas' value renamed as 'Robo de vehículo Automotor (4 R)'
  • 'Robo de motocicleta' value renamed as 'Robo de vehículo Automotor (4 R)'
  • 'embarcaciones' substring value renamed as 'Robo de embarcaciones (pequeñas & grandes)'
• 'herramienta industrial' substring value renamed as 'Robo de maquinaria (herr. indust. o agrícola)'
• 'herramienta industrial' substring value renamed as 'Robo de maquinaria (herr. indust. o agrícola)'
• 'herramienta industrial' substring value renamed as 'Robo de maquinaria (herr. indust. o agrícola)'
• 'herramienta industrial' substring value renamed as 'Robo de maquinaria (herr. indust. o agrícola)'
• 'tractores' substring value renamed as 'Robo de maquinaria (tractores)'
• 'cables, tubos' substring value renamed as 'Robo de material destinado a serv. públicos'
• 'transeúnte' substring value renamed as 'Robo a transeúnte en espacio o vía pública'

• 'transporte público' substring value renamed as 'Robo en transporte público (indiv. & collect.)'

• 'Robo' is classified now as 'Robo con violencia' and 'Robo sin violencia'.

• 'Secuestro' as type was aggregated using 'Modalidad'

• 'Modalidad' is not considered.

In 2023, the State of Mexico was the federal entity with the most crimes per 100,000 inhabitants in Mexico. That year, ****** crimes were registered, above Aguascalientes and Mexico City both with over ****** crimes. Economically, the cost of crime in Mexico surpassed *** billion Mexican pesos.

In 2024, the highest homicide rate among 22 Latin American and Caribbean countries surveyed was in Haiti, with around 62 murders committed per 100,000 inhabitants. Trinidad and Tobago came in second, with a homicide rate of 46, while Honduras ranked seventh, with 25. In the same year, the lowest rate was recorded in El Salvador, with a homicide rate of 1.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. A violence-ridden region Violence and crime are some of the most pressing problems affecting Latin American society nowadays. More than 40 of the 50 most dangerous cities in the world are located in this region, as well as one of the twenty countries with the least peace in the world according to the Global Peace Index. Despite governments’ large spending on security and high imprisonment rates, drug and weapon trafficking, organized crime, and gangs have turned violence into an epidemic that affects the whole region and a solution to this issue appears to be hardly attainable. The cost of violence in Mexico Mexico stands out as an example of the great cost that violence inflicts upon a country, since beyond claiming human lives, it also affects everyday life and has a negative impact on the economy. Mexicans have a high perceived level of insecurity, as they do not only fear becoming victims of homicide, but also of other common crimes, such as assault or rape. Such fear prevents people from performing everyday activities, for instance, going out at night, taking a taxi or going to the movies or the theater. Furthermore, the economic toll of violence in Mexico is more than considerable. For example, the cost of homicide and violent crime amounted to 2099.8 and 1778.1 billion Mexican pesos in 2023, respectively.

Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in Mexico was reported at 6.161 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Mexico - Death rate, crude - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.