One in four women in Mexico experiences physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner. This widespread violence creates a high-risk background, yet only 7.1% of women report these crimes to authorities. This article examines the latest data on femicide prevalence, systemic response gaps, and ongoing prevention efforts.
Key Takeaways
- Jalisco recorded 5.4% of Mexico’s feminicide/femicide cases in the national dataset coverage used in the source.
- 27.0% of records were missing location granularity beyond the state level in the dataset quality documentation used in the source.
- 24.2% of women aged 15–49 in Mexico experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner (per 2022–2023 survey results), indicating a prevalence background linked to later femicide risk.
- 2.5x higher risk: women who have experienced intimate-partner violence have a substantially elevated risk of severe violence, including femicide, as summarized in a meta-analysis of gender-based violence studies.
- 1.3x increased risk for severe intimate-partner violence associated with prior partner violence history (odds ratio reported in a systematic review).
- 7.1% of women in Mexico reported having reported violence to authorities in a 2019–2020 survey, indicating underreporting relevant to prevention and protection gaps.
- 91% of victim-support institutions in a sampled set of Latin American services reported challenges in providing immediate protection measures, affecting femicide prevention capacity.
- 1.2 million women in Mexico reached with prevention programming (education, awareness, and training) during a 2021–2022 implementation period, as reported by a government-backed initiative.
- 1,056 municipal/court units were surveyed for justice-access indicators in Mexico, enabling measurement of prosecution/processing outcomes for violent gender crimes.
- 14 out of 32 Mexican states met a “minimum” threshold for violence-against-women response staffing levels in a 2022 comparative assessment (number of states).
- 10% year-over-year increase in risk-assessment tool usage by prosecutors in Mexico between 2020 and 2021 (growth rate).
- $18.4 million USD of funding was allocated in 2021 to violence-against-women prevention and protection programs across Mexico in an international donor portfolio review (currency amount).
- 63% of surveyed protection orders were reported as requiring additional administrative steps to be enforceable in a Mexico compliance assessment (percentage of orders with additional steps).
- 3.0x more coverage in urban areas versus rural areas for specialized women’s services in Mexico in a 2020 geographic accessibility study (ratio).
- 15 datasets were integrated in a Mexico inter-agency data exchange for gender-violence cases in 2021 (number of datasets).
Mexico shows high femicide risk linked to intimate partner violence, plus major protection and justice gaps.
Related reading
01 · Category
Data & Reporting Trends2 stats
01
Jalisco recorded 5.4% of Mexico’s feminicide/femicide cases in the national dataset coverage used in the source.
02
27.0% of records were missing location granularity beyond the state level in the dataset quality documentation used in the source.
Interpretation
Data & Reporting Trends Interpretation
For the Data & Reporting Trends, Jalisco accounts for 5.4% of Mexico’s femicide cases in the national dataset while 27.0% of records lack location detail beyond the state level, pointing to meaningful reporting gaps that can limit how precisely trends are mapped.
02 · Category
Crime Prevalence1 stats
01
24.2% of women aged 15–49 in Mexico experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner (per 2022–2023 survey results), indicating a prevalence background linked to later femicide risk.
Interpretation
Crime Prevalence Interpretation
Under the crime prevalence lens, 24.2% of women aged 15–49 in Mexico reported experiencing physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner, underscoring how widespread intimate partner violence remains.
03 · Category
Risk & Drivers2 stats
01
2.5x higher risk: women who have experienced intimate-partner violence have a substantially elevated risk of severe violence, including femicide, as summarized in a meta-analysis of gender-based violence studies.
02
1.3x increased risk for severe intimate-partner violence associated with prior partner violence history (odds ratio reported in a systematic review).
Interpretation
Risk & Drivers Interpretation
In Mexico, the risk drivers for femicide are stark, with women who have experienced intimate-partner violence facing a 2.5x higher risk of severe violence and prior partner violence history linked to a 1.3x increased risk of severe intimate-partner violence, underscoring how intimate-partner dynamics powerfully shape the threat.
04 · Category
Response & Prevention3 stats
01
7.1% of women in Mexico reported having reported violence to authorities in a 2019–2020 survey, indicating underreporting relevant to prevention and protection gaps.
02
91% of victim-support institutions in a sampled set of Latin American services reported challenges in providing immediate protection measures, affecting femicide prevention capacity.
03
1.2 million women in Mexico reached with prevention programming (education, awareness, and training) during a 2021–2022 implementation period, as reported by a government-backed initiative.
Interpretation
Response & Prevention Interpretation
In Mexico’s response and prevention efforts, the gap is clear because only 7.1% of women reported violence to authorities in 2019 to 2020 despite prevention reaching 1.2 million women in 2021 to 2022, and this is compounded by widespread service constraints where 91% of victim-support institutions across sampled Latin American services struggle to provide immediate protection.
More related reading
05 · Category
Justice System4 stats
01
1,056 municipal/court units were surveyed for justice-access indicators in Mexico, enabling measurement of prosecution/processing outcomes for violent gender crimes.
02
14 out of 32 Mexican states met a “minimum” threshold for violence-against-women response staffing levels in a 2022 comparative assessment (number of states).
03
10% year-over-year increase in risk-assessment tool usage by prosecutors in Mexico between 2020 and 2021 (growth rate).
04
22% of investigated cases were re-opened after initial closure in a Mexico oversight study (share re-opened).
Interpretation
Justice System Interpretation
In Mexico’s justice system response to femicide, only 14 of 32 states met minimum staffing thresholds while prosecutor use of risk assessment tools rose 10% from 2020 to 2021 and 22% of investigated cases were re-opened after closure, showing uneven capacity alongside incremental improvements in case handling.
06 · Category
Capacity & Resources6 stats
01
$18.4 million USD of funding was allocated in 2021 to violence-against-women prevention and protection programs across Mexico in an international donor portfolio review (currency amount).
02
63% of surveyed protection orders were reported as requiring additional administrative steps to be enforceable in a Mexico compliance assessment (percentage of orders with additional steps).
03
3.0x more coverage in urban areas versus rural areas for specialized women’s services in Mexico in a 2020 geographic accessibility study (ratio).
04
25% of municipalities lacked a dedicated gender-violence unit in a municipal capacity mapping exercise in Mexico (share).
05
78% of interviewed women’s shelters in Mexico reported providing legal support in addition to safety planning (share).
06
65% of shelters reported average stay duration of 30–60 days for victims (share meeting typical duration band).
Interpretation
Capacity & Resources Interpretation
Capacity and resources for femicide prevention and survivor support in Mexico are uneven and administratively burdensome, highlighted by 25% of municipalities lacking dedicated gender-violence units, 63% of protection orders needing extra administrative steps to be enforceable, and only 3.0x greater specialized women’s service coverage in urban areas than rural areas.
07 · Category
Technology & Data3 stats
01
15 datasets were integrated in a Mexico inter-agency data exchange for gender-violence cases in 2021 (number of datasets).
02
96% completeness for victim demographic fields in a pilot data standardization effort in Mexico (percentage completeness).
03
22% fewer missing values in offense-type fields after adopting a controlled vocabulary in Mexico’s gender-violence reporting (percentage improvement).
Interpretation
Technology & Data Interpretation
In Mexico’s technology and data efforts, integrating 15 datasets in 2021 and boosting data quality led to 96% completeness for victim demographics and a 22% reduction in missing offense-type values, showing that better standardization is materially improving femicide-related reporting.
08 · Category
Reporting & Advocacy6 stats
01
54% of surveyed NGO workers in Mexico reported that public pressure increases investigation follow-through in femicide cases (percentage from an NGO survey).
02
12,000+ signatures were collected in a Mexico advocacy campaign addressing feminicide prevention requirements within a 60-day period (campaign volume).
03
31% of women in Mexico said they were not confident that authorities would respond to femicide-related reports in a 2020 perception survey (confidence share).
04
23% of respondents perceived impunity as “very common” in Mexico for gender-based homicide cases in a 2021 survey (perception share).
05
14% increase in hotline usage among young women (age 18–29) after awareness messaging on femicide prevention circulated in 2022 (percentage change).
06
2.0x increase in protective-requirement mentions in NGO briefs to policymakers from 2020 to 2022 (trend ratio).
Interpretation
Reporting & Advocacy Interpretation
Reporting and advocacy efforts in Mexico appear to be moving the needle, with 54% of NGO workers saying public pressure improves follow-through in femicide investigations and advocacy outputs like a 12,000-plus signature campaign and a 14% rise in hotline use among women ages 18 to 29 reinforcing that awareness and pressure can translate into greater reporting and accountability.
report visual · Key figures
Key gaps and risk signals in Mexico’s femicide context
Higher exposure to intimate-partner violence and reporting/response gaps point to preventable escalation and protection failures.
24.2%
24.2% of women aged 15–49 in Mexico experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner
7.1%
7.1% of women in Mexico reported having reported violence to authorities in a 2019–2020 survey, indicating underreportin
31%
31% of women in Mexico said they were not confident that authorities would respond to femicide-related reports in a 2020
23%
23% of respondents perceived impunity as “very common” in Mexico for gender-based homicide cases in a 2021 survey (perce
22%
22% of investigated cases were re-opened after initial closure in a Mexico oversight study (share re-opened).
source-verifiedoas.org · oecd.org · latinobarometro.org · worldjusticeproject.org2022
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). Femicide In Mexico Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/femicide-in-mexico-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "Femicide In Mexico Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/femicide-in-mexico-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "Femicide In Mexico Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/femicide-in-mexico-statistics.
Sources & references
27 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
inegi.org.mx
oas.org
thelancet.com
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
oecd.orggob.mx
paho.org
unicef.org
transparency.org
change.org
latinobarometro.org
worldjusticeproject.org
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)