GITNUXREPORT 2026

Mexican Crime Statistics

Mexico’s safety picture looks harsher than it sounds: 74.6% of people report feeling safe only to a low extent or not at all in their municipality, while just 21.4% say they feel safe to some extent or better. The page tracks how that perception turns into risk and cost across extortion, breaches, and underreporting, including 3.7% of crimes reported to authorities and password reuse among 72.0% of organizations.

27 statistics27 sources7 sections7 min readUpdated 8 days ago

Statistic 1

74.6% of people in Mexico in 2023 reported feeling safe only “to a low extent” or “not at all” in their municipality — perception of safety distribution from ENVIPE

Statistic 2

1.9% of respondents in Mexico reported being victims of robbery in the last 12 months (2023) — victimization from ENVIPE

Statistic 3

27.2% of Mexicans reported that the main reason they did not report a crime was “No sirve de nada” (2023) — deterrence/underreporting motive from ENVIPE

Statistic 4

41.7% of households in Mexico said they used a non-governmental or community mechanism to deal with crime in the last 12 months (2023) — community response indicator from ENVIPE

Statistic 5

2.5 million — number of people in Mexico who were victims of extortion in 2021 (survey estimate) — cited estimate from a peer-reviewed study

Statistic 6

21.4% of Mexicans reported feeling safe only “to some extent” or better in their municipality (2023) — perception distribution from ENVIPE complement

Statistic 7

3.7% of crimes were reported to authorities in Mexico (2023) — reporting rate from ENVIPE

Statistic 8

12.6% of Mexican businesses reported being victims of crime in the last 12 months (2019) — business victimization share from a national survey cited in OECD/UN reports

Statistic 9

17% of Mexican firms report security spending as a share of total operating costs (2020) — enterprise security expenditure share from a business risk survey

Statistic 10

37% of Mexican organizations reported that they experienced a breach in the past year — survey share of organizations impacted

Statistic 11

72.0% of organizations in Mexico used the same or similar password across accounts — password hygiene weakness rate (consumer/security survey measure)

Statistic 12

6.7% of all malware detections were attributed to Mexico’s top malware family in 2023 — attribution share from threat telemetry analysis

Statistic 13

49% of Mexican organizations reported average time to identify a breach exceeded 200 days — breach response timing from a survey-based incident study

Statistic 14

3.3 million — estimate of people in Mexico experiencing serious extortion-related harm from organized crime (survey estimate) in 2021 — measurement from a credible study

Statistic 15

3.2% of GDP — estimate of the cost of crime to Mexico’s economy (World Bank/Inter-American Development Bank combined analysis) — GDP share cost metric

Statistic 16

14% of firms in Mexico reported financial losses due to crime in the last 12 months — enterprise survey share (survey-based) related to crime and business disruption

Statistic 17

US$4.0 billion — estimated value of goods diverted due to theft/robbery connected to organized crime (report estimate) — economic diversion amount

Statistic 18

$1.7 billion — estimated annual cost of extortion to businesses in Mexico (industry/security risk report) — annual extortion cost estimate

Statistic 19

US$1.5 billion — estimated annual cost of cybercrime impacting Latin America including Mexico (ITU/other report) — annual cybercrime cost figure

Statistic 20

56% — share of municipal officials in Mexico who report resource shortages affecting public security operations (survey estimate) — operational capability limitation share

Statistic 21

0.7% of GDP — Mexico’s public security spending as a percent of GDP (government budget + international comparison) — spending intensity metric

Statistic 22

$6.3 billion MXN — federal spending on public security in a recent budget year (official budget document) — annual spending amount

Statistic 23

45% — share of municipalities reporting insufficient resources for crime prevention programs (municipal survey) — funding adequacy metric

Statistic 24

98.2% of homicides in Mexico involved at least one firearm (2019–2022) — Mexico homicide characterization from UNODC

Statistic 25

9,172 — number of homicides recorded in Mexico in 2020 — compiled homicide counts used by UNODC

Statistic 26

1.6 million — number of Mexicans estimated to have paid extortion in 2022 (survey-based) — RAND estimate

Statistic 27

79% of households in Mexico report feeling unsafe in their area due to crime (2023) — perception measure from LAPOP/AmericasBarometer

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Sources

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Written by Marcus Afolabi·Edited by Catherine Wu·Fact-checked by Astrid Bergmann

Published Feb 13, 2026·Last verified May 12, 2026·Next review: Nov 2026

Fact-checked via 4-step process— how we build this report

01Primary Source Collection

Data aggregated from peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, and professional bodies with disclosed methodology and sample sizes.

02Editorial Curation

Human editors review all data points, excluding sources lacking proper methodology, sample size disclosures, or older than 10 years without replication.

03AI-Powered Verification

Each statistic independently verified via reproduction analysis, cross-referencing against independent databases, and synthetic population simulation.

04Human Cross-Check

Final human editorial review of all AI-verified statistics. Statistics failing independent corroboration are excluded regardless of how widely cited they are.

Read our full methodology →

Statistics that fail independent corroboration are excluded.

Mexico is spending about 0.7% of GDP on public security and still 74.6% of people say they feel safe only to a low extent or not at all in their own municipality. Meanwhile, 72.0% of organizations reused the same or similar passwords, and response times to breaches can stretch beyond 200 days. Put together, these gaps between safety, security, and protection make Mexican crime statistics feel less like an abstract debate and more like a daily reality.

Key Takeaways

74.6% of people in Mexico in 2023 reported feeling safe only “to a low extent” or “not at all” in their municipality — perception of safety distribution from ENVIPE
1.9% of respondents in Mexico reported being victims of robbery in the last 12 months (2023) — victimization from ENVIPE
27.2% of Mexicans reported that the main reason they did not report a crime was “No sirve de nada” (2023) — deterrence/underreporting motive from ENVIPE
37% of Mexican organizations reported that they experienced a breach in the past year — survey share of organizations impacted
72.0% of organizations in Mexico used the same or similar password across accounts — password hygiene weakness rate (consumer/security survey measure)
6.7% of all malware detections were attributed to Mexico’s top malware family in 2023 — attribution share from threat telemetry analysis
3.3 million — estimate of people in Mexico experiencing serious extortion-related harm from organized crime (survey estimate) in 2021 — measurement from a credible study
3.2% of GDP — estimate of the cost of crime to Mexico’s economy (World Bank/Inter-American Development Bank combined analysis) — GDP share cost metric
14% of firms in Mexico reported financial losses due to crime in the last 12 months — enterprise survey share (survey-based) related to crime and business disruption
US$4.0 billion — estimated value of goods diverted due to theft/robbery connected to organized crime (report estimate) — economic diversion amount
0.7% of GDP — Mexico’s public security spending as a percent of GDP (government budget + international comparison) — spending intensity metric
$6.3 billion MXN — federal spending on public security in a recent budget year (official budget document) — annual spending amount
45% — share of municipalities reporting insufficient resources for crime prevention programs (municipal survey) — funding adequacy metric
98.2% of homicides in Mexico involved at least one firearm (2019–2022) — Mexico homicide characterization from UNODC
9,172 — number of homicides recorded in Mexico in 2020 — compiled homicide counts used by UNODC

From low public safety and major breach risks to costly extortion and underreporting, crime hits Mexico daily.

Crime Victimization

174.6% of people in Mexico in 2023 reported feeling safe only “to a low extent” or “not at all” in their municipality — perception of safety distribution from ENVIPE[1]

Verified

21.9% of respondents in Mexico reported being victims of robbery in the last 12 months (2023) — victimization from ENVIPE[2]

Verified

327.2% of Mexicans reported that the main reason they did not report a crime was “No sirve de nada” (2023) — deterrence/underreporting motive from ENVIPE[3]

Directional

441.7% of households in Mexico said they used a non-governmental or community mechanism to deal with crime in the last 12 months (2023) — community response indicator from ENVIPE[4]

Verified

52.5 million — number of people in Mexico who were victims of extortion in 2021 (survey estimate) — cited estimate from a peer-reviewed study[5]

Verified

621.4% of Mexicans reported feeling safe only “to some extent” or better in their municipality (2023) — perception distribution from ENVIPE complement[6]

Verified

73.7% of crimes were reported to authorities in Mexico (2023) — reporting rate from ENVIPE[7]

Verified

812.6% of Mexican businesses reported being victims of crime in the last 12 months (2019) — business victimization share from a national survey cited in OECD/UN reports[8]

Verified

917% of Mexican firms report security spending as a share of total operating costs (2020) — enterprise security expenditure share from a business risk survey[9]

Verified

Crime Victimization Interpretation

With only 3.7% of crimes reported to authorities in 2023 and 1.9% of people reporting robbery victimization, the data suggests that underreported crime is a major feature of Mexico’s crime victimization landscape, reinforced by 74.6% of people feeling safe only to a low extent or not at all in their municipality.

Cybercrime Trends

137% of Mexican organizations reported that they experienced a breach in the past year — survey share of organizations impacted[10]

Verified

272.0% of organizations in Mexico used the same or similar password across accounts — password hygiene weakness rate (consumer/security survey measure)[11]

Verified

36.7% of all malware detections were attributed to Mexico’s top malware family in 2023 — attribution share from threat telemetry analysis[12]

Verified

449% of Mexican organizations reported average time to identify a breach exceeded 200 days — breach response timing from a survey-based incident study[13]

Verified

Cybercrime Trends Interpretation

Cybercrime in Mexico appears to be driven by poor cyber hygiene and slow detection, with 72.0% of organizations using the same or similar passwords and 49% taking more than 200 days on average to identify a breach.

Organized Crime

13.3 million — estimate of people in Mexico experiencing serious extortion-related harm from organized crime (survey estimate) in 2021 — measurement from a credible study[14]

Verified

Organized Crime Interpretation

In 2021, an estimated 3.3 million people in Mexico reported serious extortion-related harm linked to organized crime, underscoring how deeply organized crime affects large numbers of lives.

Economic Impact

13.2% of GDP — estimate of the cost of crime to Mexico’s economy (World Bank/Inter-American Development Bank combined analysis) — GDP share cost metric[15]

Verified

214% of firms in Mexico reported financial losses due to crime in the last 12 months — enterprise survey share (survey-based) related to crime and business disruption[16]

Verified

3US$4.0 billion — estimated value of goods diverted due to theft/robbery connected to organized crime (report estimate) — economic diversion amount[17]

Directional

4$1.7 billion — estimated annual cost of extortion to businesses in Mexico (industry/security risk report) — annual extortion cost estimate[18]

Single source

5US$1.5 billion — estimated annual cost of cybercrime impacting Latin America including Mexico (ITU/other report) — annual cybercrime cost figure[19]

Verified

656% — share of municipal officials in Mexico who report resource shortages affecting public security operations (survey estimate) — operational capability limitation share[20]

Verified

Economic Impact Interpretation

Economic losses from crime are substantial and sustained in Mexico, with 3.2% of GDP tied to the overall cost and burdens on businesses ranging from 14% reporting financial losses to annual extortion costs of about US$1.7 billion.

Public Security Spending

10.7% of GDP — Mexico’s public security spending as a percent of GDP (government budget + international comparison) — spending intensity metric[21]

Verified

2$6.3 billion MXN — federal spending on public security in a recent budget year (official budget document) — annual spending amount[22]

Verified

345% — share of municipalities reporting insufficient resources for crime prevention programs (municipal survey) — funding adequacy metric[23]

Verified

Public Security Spending Interpretation

Mexico’s public security spending remains low at 0.7% of GDP, with only 6.3 billion MXN allocated federally and 45% of municipalities reporting insufficient resources, suggesting a significant underfunding gap in the public security spending landscape.

Homicide & Violence

198.2% of homicides in Mexico involved at least one firearm (2019–2022) — Mexico homicide characterization from UNODC[24]

Verified

29,172 — number of homicides recorded in Mexico in 2020 — compiled homicide counts used by UNODC[25]

Verified

Homicide & Violence Interpretation

In the Homicide and Violence category, Mexico recorded 9,172 homicides in 2020, and from 2019 to 2022 an overwhelming 98.2% involved at least one firearm, underscoring how closely deadly violence is tied to gun use.

Organized Crime Impact

11.6 million — number of Mexicans estimated to have paid extortion in 2022 (survey-based) — RAND estimate[26]

Verified

279% of households in Mexico report feeling unsafe in their area due to crime (2023) — perception measure from LAPOP/AmericasBarometer[27]

Verified

Organized Crime Impact Interpretation

In Mexico’s organized crime impact, an estimated 1.6 million people paid extortion in 2022 and 79% of households still report feeling unsafe in their area, showing how extortion translates into broad everyday fear.

How We Rate Confidence

Models

Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.

Single source

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Perplexity

Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.

AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree

Directional

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Perplexity

Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.

AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree

Verified

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Perplexity

All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.

AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree

Models

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

Marcus Afolabi. (2026, February 13). Mexican Crime Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mexican-crime-statistics

MLA

Marcus Afolabi. "Mexican Crime Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/mexican-crime-statistics.

Chicago

Marcus Afolabi. 2026. "Mexican Crime Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mexican-crime-statistics.

References

inegi.org.mx

1inegi.org.mx/programas/envipe/2023/
2inegi.org.mx/app/tabulados/interactivos/?px=/Universe/Delitos/ENVIPE/ENVIPE_2023_Captura/ENVIPE_2023_Cuadros/ENVIPE_2023_Victimizacion_00_02.xql&tn=Victimizacion%20del%20delito&title=Victimizacion%20del%20delito%20en%20Mexico
3inegi.org.mx/app/tabulados/interactivos/?px=/Universe/Delitos/ENVIPE/ENVIPE_2023_Captura/ENVIPE_2023_Cuadros/ENVIPE_2023_Victimizacion_00_02.xql&tn=Motivos%20por%20los%20que%20no%20se%20denuncian%20los%20delitos&title=Motivos%20por%20los%20que%20no%20se%20denuncian%20los%20delitos%20en%20Mexico
4inegi.org.mx/app/tabulados/interactivos/?px=/Universe/Delitos/ENVIPE/ENVIPE_2023_Captura/ENVIPE_2023_Cuadros/ENVIPE_2023_Afectacion_00_02.xql&tn=Afectacion%20por%20delitos&title=Afectacion%20por%20delitos%20en%20Mexico
6inegi.org.mx/app/tabulados/interactivos/?px=/Universe/Delitos/ENVIPE/ENVIPE_2023_Captura/ENVIPE_2023_Cuadros/ENVIPE_2023_Percepcion_00_01.xql&tn=Percepcion%20de%20seguridad&title=Percepcion%20de%20seguridad%20en%20Mexico
7inegi.org.mx/app/tabulados/interactivos/?px=/Universe/Delitos/ENVIPE/ENVIPE_2023_Captura/ENVIPE_2023_Cuadros/ENVIPE_2023_Victimizacion_00_02.xql&tn=Denuncia%20del%20delito&title=Denuncia%20del%20delito%20en%20Mexico