Everyday Murders in the nation Decline Over a Third In the Sheinbaum Administration, As per Government Data

The mean count of daily murders per month in Mexico has decreased by more than a third since Head of State Claudia Sheinbaum took office, according to recent administrative data. Nevertheless, public safety analysts have warned that homicide figures could fail to signal enhanced countrywide security.

Marked Reduction in Per-Day Numbers

Officials reported an mean of nearly 55 killings a day in last November compared with nearly 87 when Sheinbaum began the presidential office in the previous September. This data was delivered by the director of the country’s national safety agency, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the leader's regular news conference on a recent Tuesday.

“The figures in killings that we’ve had during these past months is very important,” the President remarked, noting that the previous month the lowest amount of homicides were documented for any November in the last decade.

Recent Context and Official Strategy

Intense drug cartel infighting, coupled with the government’s highly military operations to combat the trafficking organizations, have led to Mexico’s murder rate soar in recent years. The figure hit a maximum of 36,773 killings in 2020, per the nation's official data agency.

That gave Mexico a murder figure over 4x higher than the United States. However, homicides have been on the decline, falling to 33,550 the previous year. Sheinbaum has linked her national security strategy for an ostensibly sharper decline in killings this year.

At a press conference in the summer, the Mexican leader stated: “We have a strategy, we have oversight of the strategy, and there is detailed tracking town by town in some cases. The strategy functions. And we have to persist at it daily.”

The central components of Sheinbaum’s safety strategy include:

• Strengthening Mexico’s national guard.
• Advancing information gathering and investigation efforts.
• Greater coordination between various agencies.

Analyst Caution and Statistical Limitations

Nevertheless, public safety experts urged caution that focusing solely on homicide statistics to paint a picture of peace was flawed. This is notably true considering the uptick in other crimes such as forced disappearances.

“It would be positive information if this was a decrease, but I think we can’t just look at the homicide numbers and say: ‘Alright, great,’” stated Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an specialist on Mexico's cartels. “I would be guardedly positive.”

According to the public policy analysis organization Mexico Evalúa, homicides overall fell by over 20% in the first 10 months of the current year compared with the identical timeframe the previous year. Yet, missing persons cases have risen by 15% and in some regions have increased by up to 200%.

“Numbers on murders is no longer reliable for assessing the context of insecurity,” said Armando Vargas, a security expert at Mexico Evalúa. “First, we have police and prosecutors who do not have the ability or the inclination to properly identify and classify bodies. Second, organized [criminals] … have the ability to conceal violence through disappearances.”

Vargas added that relying on month-to-month means of daily homicides was similarly problematic because it might obscure days when there were notably spiking levels of killings.

“Employing the daily mean makes surges of violent crime unseen,” he stated.

Detentions and Confiscations as Metrics of Progress

Where the administration can point to the effectiveness of its security strategy is on arrests and confiscations. Nearly 40,000 suspects were apprehended between last October and November 2025 for major offenses, according to government figures. More than 20,000 weapons were confiscated and 311 tonnes of narcotics intercepted.

“Trump cannot accuse President Sheinbaum of inaction, because the reality is she is doing a lot with these many thousands of detentions, many thousands of confiscations, and all the operational weakening of organised crime. It’s extremely in political terms advantageous,” stated Vargas.

Persistent Violence and Public Frustration

But despite these efforts, Mexico remains plagued by high bloodshed, with multiple states in the midst of cartel-fueled conflict. In the previous month there was a prominent killing of a well-liked mayor in the state of Michoacan, among 10 mayors assassinated in the past 12 months.

A short time later, many thousands of young people took to the streets in Mexico City and across the nation to voice their frustration at corruption and drug violence.

“The government shares [data] in a way to construct a picture of security. From a political standpoint it’s extremely successful, from a social perspective it’s highly questionable,” the analyst remarked.