Daily Homicides in the nation Drop Over a Third During President Sheinbaum, As per Official Statistics

The average figure of per-day killings per month in Mexico has dropped by more than a third since Head of State Claudia Sheinbaum began her term, as stated by fresh government data. Nevertheless, public safety experts have cautioned that murder numbers might not point to enhanced countrywide stability.

Significant Drop in Daily Figures

There was an mean of nearly 55 homicides a day in the month of November versus roughly 87 when Sheinbaum began the presidential office in September of last year. This information was provided by the director of the country’s national safety agency, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the leader's regular press briefing on a recent Tuesday.

“The figures in killings that we have seen over these months is very notable,” Sheinbaum remarked, explaining that in November the smallest number of murders were recorded for any single November in the last decade.

Historical Background and Official Strategy

Violent drug cartel infighting, combined with the administration's highly military campaigns to combat the drug gangs, have caused Mexico’s murder rate soar in recent times. The figure reached a peak of 36,773 homicides in 2020, per the nation's national statistics agency.

That meant Mexico a murder figure over four times greater than that of the United States. Since then, killings have been on the decrease, dropping to 33,550 the previous year. The President has attributed her national security approach for an apparently steeper drop in killings this year.

At a media briefing in August, the President said: “There is a strategy, we have monitoring of the plan, and we have specific tracking locality by locality in certain cases. The approach is effective. And we have to continue working at it every day.”

The key components of Sheinbaum’s safety strategy include:

• Strengthening Mexico’s domestic security force.
• Enhancing information gathering and investigative capabilities.
• Enhanced collaboration between government departments.

Analyst Caution and Data Concerns

However, public safety experts cautioned that relying on murder numbers to draw a conclusion of peace was problematic. This is especially true in light of the uptick in other criminal activities such as people going missing.

“It would be very good information if this was a decrease, but I think we must not just look at the homicide numbers and think: ‘Well then, good,’” said Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an authority on Mexican cartels. “I would be guardedly hopeful.”

According to the public policy analysis thinktank Mexico Evalúa, homicides overall fell by over 20% in the initial 10 months of the current year relative to the identical period the previous year. But, missing persons cases have risen by 15% and in certain states have risen by as much as 200%.

“Statistics on murders is not valid for estimating the situation of insecurity,” stated Armando Vargas, a security analyst at Mexico Evalúa. “Firstly, we have law enforcement and investigators who do not have the ability or the will to accurately recognize and categorize remains. Secondly, organised [criminals] … have the capability to mask violent acts through abductions.”

Vargas pointed out that using month-to-month averages of daily homicides was also concerning because it could hide days when there were notably elevated numbers of murders.

“Employing the per-day average renders surges of violent crime less visible,” he concluded.

Arrests and Seizures as Metrics of Success

Where the government can cite the success of its security strategy is on arrests and confiscations. Close to 40,000 suspects were apprehended between October 2024 and November 2025 for serious crimes, according to official figures. Over 20,000 firearms were taken and 311 tonnes of drugs intercepted.

“Trump can't accuse President Sheinbaum of not acting, because the reality is she is accomplishing a lot with these thousands of arrests, many thousands of confiscations, and all the operational weakening of criminal groups. It’s extremely in political terms beneficial,” said Vargas.

Ongoing Violence and Public Frustration

However in spite of these efforts, Mexico remains beset by severe bloodshed, with several states in the throes of cartel-related violence. In the previous month there was a high-profile killing of a popular mayor in the state of Michoacan, one of 10 mayors killed in the past year.

A short time after, thousands of young people protested in the capital and throughout the nation to voice their frustration at corruption and drug violence.

“The administration presents [data] in a manner to build a narrative of improvement. Politically it’s highly successful, socially it’s very problematic,” the analyst concluded.