Everyday Killings in the nation Drop 37% In Claudia Sheinbaum, As per Government Statistics

The average count of daily homicides per month in Mexico has decreased by more than a third since Head of State Claudia Sheinbaum assumed power, according to new government figures. However, security analysts have cautioned that murder figures could fail to point to enhanced national safety.

Marked Decline in Daily Figures

There was an mean of nearly 55 homicides a day in last November versus nearly 87 when Sheinbaum began the presidential office in September of last year. This information was shared by the head of the nation's national safety agency, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the leader's daily news conference on a recent Tuesday.

“The figures in homicides that we have seen during these months is remarkably important,” Claudia Sheinbaum remarked, noting that the previous month the least amount of murders were recorded for any single November in the last 10 years.

Historical Background and Government Plan

Fierce drug cartel rivalries, combined with the administration's highly military operations to take on the drug gangs, have led to Mexico’s homicide numbers rise sharply in the past few years. The rate hit a record high of 36,773 homicides in 2020, per the country’s national statistics agency.

That resulted in Mexico a murder rate over 4x higher than the US. From that point, killings have been on the decrease, dropping to 33,550 last year. Claudia Sheinbaum has linked her national security approach for an apparently more pronounced drop in homicides this year.

At a news briefing in the summer, the head of state stated: “We have a plan, we have oversight of the plan, and there is specific monitoring municipality by municipality in some cases. The strategy functions. And we have to keep working at it every day.”

The central pillars of the President's security strategy include:

• Strengthening Mexico’s domestic security force.
• Enhancing intelligence and investigative work.
• Enhanced cooperation between government agencies.

Expert Warnings and Statistical Concerns

Nevertheless, public safety analysts warned that using homicide data to paint a picture of peace was problematic. This is notably true considering the rise in other criminal activities such as people going missing.

“This would be excellent news if this was a decrease, but I think we shouldn't just focus on the murder numbers and say: ‘Oh well, good,’” commented Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an authority on Mexican criminal organizations. “I would be tentatively hopeful.”

As reported by the public policy research organization Mexico Evalúa, killings in total dropped by over 20% in the initial 10 months of this year versus the same timeframe last year. However, disappearances have risen by 15% and in some states have risen by as much as 200%.

“Statistics on murders is not valid for gauging the reality of public insecurity,” stated Armando Vargas, a security analyst at Mexico Evalúa. “Firstly, we have law enforcement and investigators who do not have the resources or the desire to accurately identify and classify corpses. Second, organized [criminals] … have the means to hide violence through abductions.”

Vargas pointed out that relying on month-to-month means of everyday killings was additionally an issue because it might obscure days when there were especially spiking numbers of murders.

“Employing the daily mean renders surges of violent crime invisible,” he said.

Detentions and Seizures as Measures of Success

Where the government can cite the success of its safety strategy is on arrests and seizures. Close to 40,000 individuals were apprehended between October 2024 and November 2025 for serious crimes, per official figures. Over 20,000 weapons were confiscated and 311 tons of narcotics seized.

“The former US president cannot accuse President Sheinbaum of not acting, because actually she is accomplishing a lot with these thousands of arrests, thousands of confiscations, and all the operational degrading of organised crime. It’s extremely in political terms beneficial,” commented Vargas.

Persistent Unrest and Societal Anger

However in spite of these actions, Mexico remains grappling with high violence, with several regions in the grip of cartel-driven conflict. Recently there was a prominent murder of a well-liked mayor in the state of Michoacan, among 10 mayors murdered in the past 12 months.

Weeks later, many thousands of youth took to the streets in the capital and across the country to voice their anger at graft and narco-violence.

“The government shares [data] in a manner to build a picture of safety. From a political standpoint it’s extremely effective, socially it’s extremely questionable,” Vargas remarked.