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Mexico's homicide rate in 2025

Mexico recorded 23,609 homicide victims in 2025 — about 17.7 per 100,000, a -21.5% drop from 2024. The decline has accelerated into 2026.

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The latest numbers

In 2025, Mexico registered 23,609 victims of intentional homicide (homicidio doloso), per the country's public-security secretariat (SESNSP) — about 17.7 per 100,000 people and a -21.5% decline from the 30,060 recorded in 2024.

The trend has continued in 2026. Through January–May 2026, SESNSP counted 7,617 homicide victims nationwide — down -29.8% from the 10,844 recorded in the same five months of 2025. (2026 figures are year-to-date and compared like-for-like against the same window a year earlier.)

Why Mexico has two official homicide numbers: INEGI vs SESNSP

Mexico publishes two official homicide counts, and they don't match. The reason is that two agencies measure different things.

SESNSP — the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System — reports víctimas de homicidio doloso (carpetas de investigación): homicide investigations opened by state prosecutors. Its figures are monthly and timely, but they count only cases that were reported to authorities and turned into a formal investigation.

INEGI — the national statistics institute — builds its count from death certificates (mortality registry, via SEMEFO). This captures homicides that were never formally investigated, which is why INEGI's count runs higher every year. The trade-off is timing: INEGI's annual figures are released with a longer lag (the 2024 report came out in August 1, 2025).

Year INEGI (deaths) INEGI rate SESNSP (victims) SESNSP rate* Gap (INEGI − SESNSP)
2024 33,241 25.6 30,060 22.7 3,181 (10.6%)
2023 32,252 24.9 29,735 22.7 2,517 (8.5%)

INEGI counts are death-certificate based (2024 preliminary); SESNSP counts are investigation-file based. *SESNSP publishes counts only; the per-100,000 rate shown is a Latinometrics calculation (SESNSP victims ÷ CONAPO mid-year population). INEGI and CONAPO use different population models, which is itself part of why a single "Mexico homicide rate" can vary by source.

Homicides by state, adjusted for population

Mexico's 32 states ranked by their 2025 homicide rate per 100,000 — the population-adjusted view. Colima and Morelos are the deadliest by rate, far above high-volume states like the State of Mexico whose large populations dilute the rate. Bar length and color both track the rate; the count and year-over-year change are shown alongside. Sort by rate, raw count, or year-over-year change.

Sort by:
  1. 1 Colima 81.1 /100k
  2. 2 Morelos 54.4 /100k
  3. 3 Sinaloa 52 /100k
  4. 4 Chihuahua 44.4 /100k
  5. 5 Baja California 41.5 /100k
  6. 6 Guanajuato 38.8 /100k
  7. 7 Tabasco 37.1 /100k
  8. 8 Guerrero 36.4 /100k
  9. 9 Sonora 36.2 /100k
  10. 10 Michoacán 25.1 /100k
  11. 11 Oaxaca 20.2 /100k
  12. 12 Nayarit 14.6 /100k
  13. 13 Baja California Sur 14.5 /100k
  14. 14 Quintana Roo 13.8 /100k
  15. 15 Jalisco 13.4 /100k
  16. 16 Puebla 12.7 /100k
  17. 17 Veracruz 11.7 /100k
  18. 18 Campeche 11.7 /100k
  19. 19 Nuevo León 11.3 /100k
  20. 20 Mexico City 9.3 /100k
  21. 21 Hidalgo 8.8 /100k
  22. 22 State of Mexico 8.6 /100k
  23. 23 Zacatecas 8.4 /100k
  24. 24 Tlaxcala 8.4 /100k
  25. 25 San Luis Potosí 6.9 /100k
  26. 26 Aguascalientes 6.5 /100k
  27. 27 Chiapas 6 /100k
  28. 28 Tamaulipas 5.9 /100k
  29. 29 Querétaro 5.8 /100k
  30. 30 Durango 3.1 /100k
  31. 31 Coahuila 2.2 /100k
  32. 32 Yucatán 1.4 /100k

Source: SESNSP, víctimas de homicidio doloso (May 2026 cut). Rate per 100,000 is a Latinometrics calculation using CONAPO 2025 mid-year state population. Each row shows the 2025 rate, the 2025 homicide count, and the change from 2024.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Mexico's homicide rate in 2025?

Mexico recorded 23,609 victims of intentional homicide (homicidio doloso) in 2025 according to SESNSP, a rate of about 17.7 per 100,000 people and a 21.5% drop from 2024. The decline has continued into 2026: 7,617 victims in the first five months, down 29.8% versus the same period a year earlier.

Why does Mexico report two different homicide numbers (INEGI vs SESNSP)?

Mexico has two official homicide counts because two agencies measure different things. SESNSP publishes monthly counts of homicide investigations opened by state prosecutors (carpetas de investigación), so its figures are timely but reflect cases reported to authorities. INEGI builds its count from death certificates in the national mortality statistics, which captures homicides that were never formally investigated but is released with a longer lag. In 2024, INEGI counted 33,241 homicide deaths versus SESNSP's 30,060 — a gap of 3,181 (about 10.6%), with INEGI higher.

How many murders were there in Mexico in 2024?

For 2024, SESNSP reported 30,060 victims of intentional homicide, while INEGI registered 33,241 homicide deaths (a preliminary figure, rate 25.6 per 100,000). The two differ because they use different sources: investigation files versus death certificates.

Which Mexican state has the most homicides?

Guanajuato has led Mexico in homicide victims for years, with 2,539 in 2025, followed by Chihuahua (1,797) and Baja California (1,714). By rate per 100,000, Colima is highest at about 81, far above the national rate. Sinaloa was the only major state where homicides rose in 2025 (up 66.6%), driven by an internal cartel conflict.

Is violence in Mexico going up or down?

Down. National homicide victims fell from 30,060 in 2024 to 23,609 in 2025 (SESNSP), and 2026 is running 29.8% below 2025 through May. Most states declined; the main exception is Sinaloa, where a cartel war pushed homicides sharply higher.

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