Day-to-Day Murders in the nation Fall Over a Third Under Claudia Sheinbaum, As per Official Figures

The typical count of daily killings monthly in the country has decreased by more than a third since Head of State Claudia Sheinbaum assumed power, according to new official figures. But, public safety experts have warned that homicide data could fail to signal improved countrywide stability.

Significant Reduction in Per-Day Numbers

Officials reported an average of close to 55 killings a day in November as opposed to nearly 87 when Claudia Sheinbaum began the presidency in the previous September. This data was provided by the chief of the nation's federal public security system, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the leader's regular news conference on Tuesday.

“The result in homicides that we have seen in these months is remarkably significant,” Sheinbaum said, adding that the previous month the lowest figure of homicides were documented for any November in the past decade.

Recent Background and Official Strategy

Intense organized crime infighting, coupled with the administration's highly military operations to combat the drug gangs, have caused Mexico’s murder numbers rise sharply in the past few years. The rate hit a maximum of 36,773 killings in 2020, according to the nation's national statistics office.

That resulted in Mexico a homicide figure over four times higher than the United States. However, murders have been on the downward trend, dropping to 33,550 in the last calendar year. Sheinbaum has attributed her public safety plan for an ostensibly sharper drop in killings this year.

At a news briefing in the summer, the Mexican leader declared: “We have a strategy, we have monitoring of the plan, and we have detailed monitoring town by town in certain cases. The plan functions. And we have to keep working at it daily.”

The main components of Sheinbaum’s security strategy include:

• Strengthening Mexico’s domestic security force.
• Enhancing intelligence and investigative efforts.
• Greater coordination between various agencies.

Analyst Caution and Data Concerns

However, public safety analysts urged caution that relying on murder data to draw a conclusion of peace was problematic. This is especially true in light of the rise in different crimes such as people going missing.

“It would be very good information if this was a decrease, but I think we shouldn't just focus on the homicide numbers and think: ‘Alright, excellent,’” said Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an expert on Mexico's cartels. “I would be guardedly positive.”

Per the public policy analysis organization Mexico Evalúa, homicides overall dropped by over 20% in the first 10 months of this year compared with the same timeframe last year. But, missing persons cases have gone up by 15% and in some regions have surged by as much as 200%.

“Data on murders is not reliable for estimating the context of violence,” said Armando Vargas, a safety expert at Mexico Evalúa. “First, we have law enforcement and investigators who lack the resources or the desire to accurately identify and classify remains. Secondly, organized [criminals] … have the means to mask violent acts through abductions.”

Vargas noted that using monthly means of daily killings was additionally an issue because it could obscure days when there were notably spiking numbers of killings.

“Relying on the per-day mean makes surges of violence less visible,” he concluded.

Arrests and Confiscations as Measures of Progress

An area where the administration can highlight the success of its security strategy is on detentions and confiscations. Close to 40,000 suspects were apprehended between last October and November 2025 for high-impact crimes, per government data. More than 20,000 weapons were seized and 311 tonnes of drugs seized.

“The former US president cannot accuse President Sheinbaum of inaction, because in reality she is doing a lot with these many thousands of arrests, thousands of seizures, and all the operational degrading of criminal groups. It’s very politically beneficial,” stated Vargas.

Ongoing Violence and Societal Anger

However despite these actions, Mexico is still beset by high bloodshed, with a number of regions in the grip of cartel-related conflict. Recently there was a high-profile murder of a well-liked mayor in the region of Michoacan, among 10 local leaders killed in the past 12 months.

A short time later, thousands of protesters took to the streets in Mexico City and across the nation to show their anger at corruption and narco-violence.

“The administration shares [data] in a way to construct a narrative of improvement. Politically it’s highly successful, socially it’s very problematic,” Vargas remarked.