Everyday Killings in the nation Decline Over a Third During President Sheinbaum, Per Government Data

The mean count of per-day killings per month in the country has dropped by more than a third since Head of State Claudia Sheinbaum began her term, as stated by recent administrative statistics. Nevertheless, public safety experts have cautioned that murder data could fail to point to better countrywide safety.

Notable Reduction in Daily Averages

Officials reported an mean of nearly 55 homicides a day in last November as opposed to roughly 87 when Claudia Sheinbaum began the presidential office in the previous September. This information was shared by the chief of the country’s federal public security agency, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the leader's regular press briefing on a recent Tuesday.

“The result in murders that have been recorded in these months is extremely notable,” Claudia Sheinbaum remarked, adding that in November the lowest figure of homicides were recorded for any November in the last 10 years.

Historical Context and Government Strategy

Violent drug cartel infighting, combined with the administration's highly militarised campaigns to combat the drug gangs, have caused Mexico’s homicide rate soar in the past few years. The rate hit a peak of 36,773 homicides in 2020, per the country’s official data agency.

That meant Mexico a homicide figure over 4x higher than that of the United States. However, murders have been on the decrease, falling to 33,550 the previous year. The President has linked her public safety plan for an seemingly more pronounced decline in killings in the current year.

At a media briefing in the summer, the head of state said: “We have a strategy, there is tracking of the plan, and we have specific tracking locality by locality in certain cases. The plan is effective. And we have to continue working at it every day.”

The key components of the President's security plan encompass:

• Reinforcing Mexico’s domestic security force.
• Enhancing intelligence and investigation efforts.
• Enhanced coordination between various departments.

Analyst Caution and Data Concerns

But, public safety researchers urged caution that using murder numbers to assess the situation of peace was misleading. This is especially true given the increase in other criminal activities such as people going missing.

“This would be positive information if this was a drop, but I think we can’t just focus on the murder data and say: ‘Oh well, good,’” said Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an expert on Mexican cartels. “I would be guardedly optimistic.”

As reported by the policy research thinktank Mexico Evalúa, killings overall fell by more than 20% in the initial 10 months of the current year versus the same timeframe last year. However, missing persons cases have increased by 15% and in certain states have surged by up to 200%.

“Numbers on homicides is not valid for assessing the context of insecurity,” said Armando Vargas, a security expert at Mexico Evalúa. “First, we have law enforcement and prosecutors who lack the resources or the inclination to properly identify and categorize remains. Secondly, organized [criminals] … have the ability to conceal violence through abductions.”

Vargas pointed out that relying on monthly means of everyday killings was additionally problematic because it could obscure periods when there were notably spiking numbers of killings.

“Relying on the daily average renders spikes of violent crime less visible,” he concluded.

Arrests and Confiscations as Measures of Progress

An area where the government can point to the success of its security plan is on arrests and confiscations. Almost 40,000 people were detained between October 2024 and November 2025 for high-impact crimes, according to government figures. Over 20,000 guns were seized and 311 tonnes of drugs intercepted.

“Donald Trump can't claim President Sheinbaum of not acting, because the reality is she is doing a lot with these many thousands of detentions, many thousands of seizures, and all the tactical weakening of criminal groups. It’s very politically advantageous,” said Vargas.

Persistent Unrest and Societal Frustration

However despite these efforts, Mexico remains beset by severe violence, with several regions in the grip of cartel-related conflict. Last month there was a prominent murder of a popular mayor in the state of Michoacan, one of 10 local leaders killed in the last 12 months.

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

“The government shares [data] in a manner to create a narrative of improvement. Politically it’s extremely successful, from a social perspective it’s very debatable,” Vargas said.