Mexico recorded 30,523 murders in 2023, and firearms were used in 72% of cases, putting gun violence at the center of the national homicide picture. Cartel trafficking feeds that cycle with CJNG acquiring about 70% of its guns from the United States. The distribution of harm varies sharply by state, so the headline totals do not explain which routes and armed groups drive the worst outbreaks.
Key Takeaways
- Cartels like CJNG acquired 70% of guns from US per 2023 study.
- In 2023, Mexican authorities seized 21,530 firearms nationwide per SSPC.
- In 2023, Mexico saw 30,523 murders, with firearms used in 72% of cases according to preliminary data from the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC).
- In 2022, Mexico had 101,000 gun injuries requiring medical attention per health ministry estimates.
- Guanajuato had highest gun violence rate at 65 homicides per 100k in 2023.
Gun violence in Mexico remains a serious threat, with many lives affected each year and urgent action needed.
Related reading
01 · Category
Cartel and Trafficking21 stats
01
Cartels like CJNG acquired 70% of guns from US per 2023 study.
02
Sinaloa Cartel smuggled 10,000 firearms from US in 2022 estimates.
03
CJNG responsible for 35% of gun violence homicides in 2023.
04
Gulf Cartel gun trafficking routes supplied 5,000 weapons yearly.
05
Los Zetas remnants trafficked 2,500 guns via Nuevo Laredo in 2022.
06
Cartel gun violence displaced 300,000 people in 2023.
07
CJNG used drones with guns in 150 attacks in Michoacán 2022-2023.
08
Sinaloa Cartel gun labs produced 1,000 modified weapons in 2023.
09
Cartels imported 80% of assault rifles from Texas gun shops per ATF.
10
La Familia Michoacana trafficked 1,800 guns via Guerrero ports 2022.
11
Cartel gun extortion affected 20,000 businesses in 2023.
12
CJNG gun violence in Jalisco caused 4,500 deaths 2020-2023.
13
Beltrán-Leyva cartel remnants smuggled 900 guns in Sonora 2023.
14
Cartels used 3D printed guns in 50 incidents in 2023.
15
Gulf Cartel drone gun drops in Tamaulipas: 200 cases 2022.
16
Cartel turf wars with guns killed 12,000 in 2022 per InSight.
17
CJNG trafficked Barrett .50 cal rifles, 75 seized in 2023.
18
Sinaloa Cartel gun bribes to officials: 500 cases investigated 2023.
19
Cartels sourced 15,000 guns via straw purchases in US 2022.
20
Los Chapitos faction smuggled 3,000 guns post-Chapito arrest 2023.
21
Cartel gun violence in Guerrero ports: 2,500 incidents 2022-2023.
Interpretation
Cartel and Trafficking Interpretation
The grim toll of Mexico's cartel wars is largely measured in American bullets, from smuggled assault rifles to drone-dropped handguns, fueling a devastating cycle of violence that bleeds across the border and back again.
02 · Category
Firearms Confiscated25 stats
01
In 2023, Mexican authorities seized 21,530 firearms nationwide per SSPC.
02
Guanajuato led with 3,288 guns seized in 2023.
03
Michoacán seizures: 2,150 firearms in 2022.
04
Jalisco confiscated 1,980 guns linked to CJNG in 2023.
05
Sinaloa authorities seized 1,750 firearms in 2022.
06
Baja California gun seizures: 2,400 in 2023.
07
Chihuahua confiscated 1,600 firearms in 2022.
08
Zacatecas seized 1,450 guns amid cartel violence in 2023.
09
Colima authorities took 980 firearms off streets in 2022.
10
Sonora gun seizures: 1,300 in 2023.
11
Tamaulipas confiscated 1,200 firearms in 2022.
12
Guerrero seized 1,100 guns in 2023.
13
Morelos gun confiscations: 850 in 2022.
14
Veracruz authorities seized 1,050 firearms in 2023.
15
Puebla confiscated 950 guns in 2022.
16
Quintana Roo seizures: 750 firearms in 2023.
17
Hidalgo gun seizures: 650 in 2022.
18
Nayarit confiscated 550 firearms in 2023.
19
Durango seized 700 guns in 2022.
20
Oaxaca authorities took 600 firearms in 2023.
21
Aguascalientes gun seizures: 450 in 2022.
22
Of seized guns in 2023, 45% were from the US per ATF trace data.
23
SEDENA reported seizing 5,000 AR-15 style rifles in 2022.
24
2,500 handguns confiscated at borders in 2023.
25
High-caliber weapons like .50 BMG seized 150 times in 2022.
Interpretation
Firearms Confiscated Interpretation
Mexico's authorities are playing a relentless, high-stakes game of keep-away with an arsenal large enough to arm a small army, tragically proving that the demand for illegal firearms remains as steady as the flow from across the northern border.
03 · Category
Homicides and Fatalities29 stats
01
In 2023, Mexico saw 30,523 murders, with firearms used in 72% of cases according to preliminary data from the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC).
02
From 2018 to 2022, gun-related homicides in Mexico increased by 25%, reaching over 25,000 annually by 2022 per INEGI data.
03
In Guanajuato state alone, 2,385 people were killed with guns in 2022, accounting for 15% of national total.
04
Mexico's 2021 intentional homicide rate was 28.2 per 100,000 inhabitants, predominantly firearm-driven.
05
Between January and August 2023, 15,664 homicides occurred, 66% involving firearms per SESNSP.
06
Firearms were used in 78% of the 4,383 homicides in Mexico City in 2022.
07
Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) responsible for 1,200 gun homicides in 2022 per government reports.
08
Sinaloa Cartel gun violence led to 1,150 deaths in 2023 across its territories.
09
Colima had Mexico's highest gun homicide rate at 103 per 100,000 in 2022.
10
Tijuana recorded 1,295 gun murders in 2022, per local prosecutor's office.
11
In 2020, 91% of homicides in Guerrero state involved firearms.
12
Michoacán saw 1,800 gun homicides in 2023 linked to cartel wars.
13
National average of 91 gun homicides per day in 2022 per SESNSP.
14
Chihuahua state had 1,012 firearm homicides in 2021.
15
Baja California gun homicides totaled 1,564 in 2023.
16
Firearms caused 19,891 homicides in 2019, up 20% from 2018.
17
Zacatecas reported 1,200 gun deaths amid cartel turf wars in 2022.
18
Sonora gun homicides reached 1,100 in 2023.
19
Durango had 650 firearm homicides in 2022.
20
Morelos state gun murders: 784 in 2023.
21
Nationwide, 72.4% of homicides were by gun in first half of 2023.
22
Tamaulipas gun homicides: 900 in 2022.
23
Nayarit recorded 450 gun deaths in 2023.
24
Aguascalientes had 250 firearm homicides in 2022.
25
Puebla gun homicides totaled 800 in 2023.
26
Veracruz saw 1,100 gun murders in 2022.
27
Oaxaca had 400 firearm homicides in 2023.
28
Quintana Roo gun deaths: 650 in 2022.
29
Hidalgo reported 500 gun homicides in 2023.
Interpretation
Homicides and Fatalities Interpretation
The grim arithmetic of cartel conflict dictates that in modern Mexico, a murder is statistically a coin flip weighted heavily toward gunfire, with the nation's various states competing in a macabre league table where the only trophy is a brief and bloody territorial dominance.
More related reading
04 · Category
Injuries and Non-Fatal Violence26 stats
01
In 2022, Mexico had 101,000 gun injuries requiring medical attention per health ministry estimates.
02
Non-fatal gunshot wounds numbered 45,000 in 2021 across public hospitals.
03
In Guerrero, 12,500 non-fatal gun injuries reported from 2015-2020.
04
Mexico City hospitals treated 8,200 gunshot victims in 2022, mostly non-fatal.
05
National gun injury rate: 78 per 100,000 in 2019 per PAHO data.
06
Sinaloa state saw 15,000 non-fatal shootings since 2018.
07
Tijuana emergency rooms handled 4,500 gun injuries in 2022.
08
Guanajuato reported 10,200 non-fatal gun wounds in 2021-2023.
09
Colima had 2,800 gunshot injuries in 2020-2022 period.
10
Michoacán hospitals recorded 7,500 non-fatal gun injuries in 2022.
11
Baja California non-fatal shootings: 9,000 cases in 2023.
12
Jalisco gun injuries totaled 12,000 in 2022 per health reports.
13
Chihuahua saw 6,500 non-fatal gun violence incidents in 2021.
14
Zacatecas reported 4,200 gunshot wounds non-fatal in 2022-2023.
15
Sonora non-fatal gun injuries: 5,500 in 2023.
16
Tamaulipas had 3,800 non-fatal shootings in 2022.
17
Morelos gun injuries non-fatal: 2,900 in 2023.
18
Veracruz recorded 6,200 non-fatal gun wounds in 2022.
19
Puebla non-fatal gun violence: 4,100 cases in 2023.
20
Guerrero saw 11,000 non-fatal gun injuries 2019-2023.
21
Quintana Roo gun injuries: 3,200 non-fatal in 2022.
22
Hidalgo reported 2,500 gunshot injuries in 2023.
23
Nayarit non-fatal shootings: 1,800 in 2022-2023.
24
Durango gun injuries: 2,100 non-fatal in 2022.
25
Aguascalientes had 1,200 non-fatal gun wounds in 2023.
26
Oaxaca recorded 2,700 non-fatal gun injuries in 2022.
Interpretation
Injuries and Non-Fatal Violence Interpretation
The sheer volume of these statistics, where even a 'non-fatal' tally feels like a macabre national scoreboard, paints a chilling portrait of a country where escaping a gunshot is almost as common a story as surviving one.
05 · Category
Regional and Demographic Data24 stats
01
Guanajuato had highest gun violence rate at 65 homicides per 100k in 2023.
02
45% of gun homicide victims in Mexico were aged 15-29 in 2022.
03
Males comprised 92% of firearm homicide victims nationwide 2023.
04
Tijuana municipality gun death rate: 120 per 100k in 2022.
05
Colima city had 150 gun homicides per 100k residents 2023.
06
60% of gun violence victims in urban areas vs 40% rural 2022.
07
Indigenous communities suffered 5% of gun homicides despite 15% population.
08
Youth under 18: 8% of gun fatalities in 2023.
09
Ciudad Juárez gun homicide rate: 80 per 100k 2022.
10
Acapulco port area gun deaths doubled to 500 in 2023.
11
25% of female gun victims killed by intimate partners 2022.
12
Northern states accounted for 55% of gun homicides 2023.
13
Manlio Fabio Altamirano, Colima: highest municipal gun rate 200/100k.
14
70% of gun victims had prior criminal records per SESNSP.
15
Pacific coast states 40% of national gun violence 2022.
16
Elderly over 60: only 2% of gun homicide victims 2023.
17
Celaya, Guanajuato: 110 gun deaths per 100k 2023.
18
Migrants faced 10% higher gun violence risk in border states.
19
Low-income neighborhoods 80% of gun incidents in Mexico City.
20
Children under 12: 1.5% gun fatalities but rising 2023.
21
Centro, Zacatecas: 95 gun homicides per 100k 2022.
22
Women gun victims up 15% in Sinaloa 2023.
23
Rural Michoacán avocado regions: 3x gun violence rate.
24
85% gun victims male in urban vs 75% rural areas 2022.
Interpretation
Regional and Demographic Data Interpretation
The numbers paint a grim portrait of a nation besieged, where a young man's life in a hotspot like Colima is tragically cheap, while the violence spares the elderly but increasingly not even the children, revealing a crisis that is both geographically concentrated and ruthlessly efficient in its targets.
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
Gabrielle Fontaine. (2026, February 13). Mexico Gun Violence Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mexico-gun-violence-statistics
MLA
Gabrielle Fontaine. "Mexico Gun Violence Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/mexico-gun-violence-statistics.
Chicago
Gabrielle Fontaine. 2026. "Mexico Gun Violence Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mexico-gun-violence-statistics.
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