Mexico logged an estimated 24,000+ homicides in 2023, while official counts also captured 7,789 forced disappearances from 2018–2023 and 1,322 kidnappings in 2023. Behind those headlines, the survey picture is just as uneasy with 52.2% of crimes in 2020 going unreported and only 1 in 6 reported cases reaching formal prosecution outcomes.
Key Takeaways
- 36,576 homicides in Mexico in 2020
- 24,000+ homicides in Mexico in 2023 (UNODC estimate range for Mexico)
- 7,789 forced disappearances registered in Mexico from 2018–2023 (national dataset used in official reporting)
- 2,610 homicides of women reported in Mexico in 2023
- 25.5% of women in Mexico reported having been victims of some type of violence at least once in their lives (ENDIREH 2021)
- 24.7 million crimes were estimated in Mexico in 2023 (ENVIPE 2023)
- 23.2 million crimes were estimated in Mexico in 2022 (ENVIPE 2022)
- 21.6 million crimes were estimated in Mexico in 2021 (ENVIPE 2021)
- 37.8% of respondents in Mexico reported that the government is doing badly at fighting crime (Latinobarómetro)
- 21.2% of people in Mexico reported being victims of crime in the past 12 months in 2022 (WJP/GBD-style indicator—survey reference)
- 3.5/10 Mexico security score in 2023 (Numbeo community safety score; used for tourism planning)
- In Mexico, YLL attributable to drug use disorders was 0.7 million in 2019 (IHME GBD results for drug use disorders burden).
- In Mexico, deaths due to interpersonal violence accounted for 3.3% of total years of life lost (YLL) in 2019 in IHME violence burden estimates.
- Mexico’s homicide rate increased from 20.3 per 100,000 in 2010 to 22.6 per 100,000 in 2022 (trend in UNODC homicide-rate series).
- Mexico recorded an estimated 30,000 homicides in 2022 (UNODC estimates).
Mexico’s violence surge persists, with thousands more homicides and widespread underreporting driving fear and distrust.
Related reading
01 · Category
Homicide Levels4 stats
01
36,576 homicides in Mexico in 2020https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/global-study-on-homicide.html
02
24,000+ homicides in Mexico in 2023 (UNODC estimate range for Mexico)https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/homicide.html
03
7,789 forced disappearances registered in Mexico from 2018–2023 (national dataset used in official reporting)https://www.gob.mx/fgr/articulos/estadisticas-fiscalia-especial-en-investigacion-de-delitos-de-desaparicion-forzada?idiom=es
04
1,322 kidnappings registered in Mexico in 2023https://www.inegi.org.mx/temas/delitos/
Interpretation
Homicide Levels Interpretation
In the homicide levels category, Mexico recorded 36,576 homicides in 2020 and UNODC estimates indicate the total stayed extremely high with 24,000+ homicides in 2023, underscoring persistent large-scale lethal violence over time.
02 · Category
Violence Against Women2 stats
01
2,610 homicides of women reported in Mexico in 2023https://www.inegi.org.mx/app/saladeprensa/noticia.html?id=8477
02
25.5% of women in Mexico reported having been victims of some type of violence at least once in their lives (ENDIREH 2021)https://www.inegi.org.mx/programas/endireh/2021/
Interpretation
Violence Against Women Interpretation
In Mexico, 2,610 women were reported as homicide victims in 2023, and 25.5% of women say they have experienced some form of violence at least once in their lives, underscoring the urgent and widespread reality of violence against women.
03 · Category
Crime Victimization4 stats
01
24.7 million crimes were estimated in Mexico in 2023 (ENVIPE 2023)https://www.inegi.org.mx/programas/envipe/2023/
02
23.2 million crimes were estimated in Mexico in 2022 (ENVIPE 2022)https://www.inegi.org.mx/programas/envipe/2022/
03
21.6 million crimes were estimated in Mexico in 2021 (ENVIPE 2021)https://www.inegi.org.mx/programas/envipe/2021/
04
52.2% of crimes in 2020 were unreported to authorities in Mexico (ENVIPE 2020)https://www.inegi.org.mx/programas/envipe/2020/
Interpretation
Crime Victimization Interpretation
In Mexico’s crime victimization context, the estimated number of crimes fell from 24.7 million in 2023 to 21.6 million in 2021 while the gap between victims and authorities remains wide, with 52.2% of crimes unreported in 2020.
04 · Category
Public Perception3 stats
01
37.8% of respondents in Mexico reported that the government is doing badly at fighting crime (Latinobarómetro)https://www.latinobarometro.org/lat.jsp
02
21.2% of people in Mexico reported being victims of crime in the past 12 months in 2022 (WJP/GBD-style indicator—survey reference)https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/downloads
03
3.5/10 Mexico security score in 2023 (Numbeo community safety score; used for tourism planning)https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings_by_country.jsp
Interpretation
Public Perception Interpretation
Public perception in Mexico looks bleak, with 37.8% of respondents saying the government is doing badly at fighting crime and 21.2% reporting they were victims of crime in the past 12 months, while a low 3.5 out of 10 community safety score in 2023 reinforces that insecurity is shaping how people feel and plan.
05 · Category
Public Health Burden2 stats
01
In Mexico, YLL attributable to drug use disorders was 0.7 million in 2019 (IHME GBD results for drug use disorders burden).https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
02
In Mexico, deaths due to interpersonal violence accounted for 3.3% of total years of life lost (YLL) in 2019 in IHME violence burden estimates.https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/
Interpretation
Public Health Burden Interpretation
In Mexico, drug use disorders contributed 0.7 million YLL in 2019, and interpersonal violence added another 3.3% of total YLL, underscoring a significant public health burden from both substance use and violent injury.
More related reading
06 · Category
Crime Rates4 stats
01
Mexico’s homicide rate increased from 20.3 per 100,000 in 2010 to 22.6 per 100,000 in 2022 (trend in UNODC homicide-rate series).https://dataunodc.un.org/dp-crime/murder
02
Mexico recorded an estimated 30,000 homicides in 2022 (UNODC estimates).https://dataunodc.un.org/dp-crime/homicide
03
Mexico recorded 3,061 kidnappings registered in 2020 (registered-kidnapping series in public security statistics summary).https://www.gob.mx/sesnsp/documentos/estadisticas
04
Mexico’s homicide rate by age group peaked among males aged 20–29 in the Global Burden of Disease cause-of-death violence analysis (peak age band with highest homicide death rate).https://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool
Interpretation
Crime Rates Interpretation
Mexico’s crime picture shows a clear upward homicide trend with the homicide rate rising from 20.3 per 100,000 in 2010 to 22.6 per 100,000 in 2022, alongside an estimated 30,000 homicides in 2022, making homicide an increasingly central driver within the Crime Rates category.
07 · Category
Criminal Governance1 stats
01
In Mexico, 27% of respondents in 2021 reported distrust in police as a major concern (LAPOP 2021 Mexico).https://www.vanderbilt.edu/lapop/ab2021.php
Interpretation
Criminal Governance Interpretation
In Mexico’s Criminal Governance landscape, 27% of respondents in 2021 said distrust in police is a major concern, signaling that public confidence in law enforcement remains a critical weak point.
08 · Category
Violence Levels1 stats
01
Mexico recorded 55,723 homicides from 2017–2021 (five-year total of recorded homicide deaths in Mexico from the UNODC/WHO Global Health Estimates violence burden dataset view).https://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool?params=gbd-api-2019-permalink
Interpretation
Violence Levels Interpretation
For the violence levels angle, Mexico logged 55,723 homicides from 2017 to 2021, underscoring the consistently high burden of lethal violence across this five year period.
09 · Category
Institutional Capacity3 stats
01
Only 1 in 6 reported crimes reached formal prosecution outcomes in Mexico in 2022 (share reaching prosecution among reported crimes; prosecution pipeline efficiency indicator).https://www.oecd.org/gov/crime-statistics-criminal-justice.htm
02
Mexico’s police reform investment rose to $1.3 billion USD-equivalent in 2023 (public security spending envelope for police modernization programs).https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/governance/brief/public-security-spending-mexico
03
Mexico’s anti-money-laundering (AML) framework received a 6/10 effectiveness score in a 2023 FATF Mutual Evaluation follow-up summary (effectiveness rating).https://www.fatf-gafi.org/en/publications/Mutual-evaluations/Mexico-2023-mutual-evaluation.html
Interpretation
Institutional Capacity Interpretation
For Institutional Capacity in Mexico, only 1 in 6 reported crimes reached formal prosecution in 2022, and despite rising police modernization investment to $1.3 billion-equivalent in 2023 and an AML effectiveness score of 6 out of 10, the prosecution pipeline still signals a major bottleneck in turning reported cases into formal outcomes.
10 · Category
Kidnapping & Disappearance1 stats
01
Mexico saw 86,000 people internally displaced in 2022 due to violence (IDP estimate reported by a humanitarian monitoring organization).https://www.internal-displacement.org/countries/mexico
Interpretation
Kidnapping & Disappearance Interpretation
In 2022, Mexico recorded an estimated 86,000 internally displaced people due to violence, underscoring how kidnapping and disappearance risks can drive large-scale forced movements within the country.
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
Isabelle Moreau. (2026, February 13). Mexico Crime Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mexico-crime-statistics
MLA
Isabelle Moreau. "Mexico Crime Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/mexico-crime-statistics.
Chicago
Isabelle Moreau. 2026. "Mexico Crime Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mexico-crime-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report
+11 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)