Daily Murders in the nation Drop Over a Third In the Sheinbaum Administration, As per Government Figures

The typical count of everyday murders monthly in Mexico has fallen by more than a third since President Claudia Sheinbaum assumed power, according to fresh government data. However, public safety experts have warned that homicide figures might not signal better countrywide safety.

Significant Reduction in Per-Day Numbers

Officials reported an average of nearly 55 murders a day in November as opposed to almost 87 when the President assumed the presidential office in September. This data was delivered by the director of the country’s national public security system, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the president’s daily press briefing on Tuesday.

“The figures in murders that we’ve had in these past months is extremely significant,” the President stated, noting that last month the least number of homicides were registered for any single November in the past decade.

Recent Context and Official Strategy

Violent cartel internal conflicts, coupled with the government’s highly militarised operations to take on the drug gangs, have led to Mexico’s murder rate escalate in recent years. The rate reached a record high of 36,773 killings in 2020, according to the nation's official data office.

That resulted in Mexico a murder rate over 4x higher than the US. However, killings have been on the decrease, falling to 33,550 the previous year. The President has linked her national security plan for an ostensibly steeper reduction in homicides this year.

At a press conference in August, the President said: “There is a strategy, we have monitoring of the plan, and there is specific monitoring locality by locality in some cases. The plan is effective. And we have to continue working at it daily.”

The key elements of Sheinbaum’s security plan encompass:

• Reinforcing Mexico’s national guard.
• Enhancing intelligence and investigation capabilities.
• Increased coordination between various authorities.

Expert Warnings and Data Concerns

However, security experts warned that focusing solely on murder data to paint a picture of peace was misleading. This is particularly true considering the uptick in other criminal activities such as people going missing.

“That would be very good news if this were a reduction, but I think we can’t just look at the murder numbers and say: ‘Well then, good,’” commented Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an specialist on Mexican cartels. “I would be guardedly hopeful.”

As reported by the policy analysis organization Mexico Evalúa, murders overall declined by over 20% in the initial 10 months of the current year compared with the same period the previous year. However, missing persons cases have increased by 15% and in certain states have increased by as much as 200%.

“Numbers on murders is not useful for estimating the situation of public insecurity,” stated Armando Vargas, a security analyst at Mexico Evalúa. “Firstly, we have law enforcement and prosecutors who lack the resources or the inclination to correctly recognize and classify corpses. Secondly, organized [criminals] … have the capability to conceal violent acts through abductions.”

Vargas noted that relying on month-to-month means of daily killings was additionally an issue because it may hide days when there were especially high levels of murders.

“Using the daily average renders high peaks of violent crime less visible,” he concluded.

Arrests and Confiscations as Metrics of Success

Where the government can cite the effectiveness of its security strategy is on arrests and confiscations. Close to 40,000 individuals were apprehended between October 2024 and November 2025 for major crimes, according to official data. Over 20,000 weapons were confiscated and 311 tonnes of drugs intercepted.

“Donald Trump can't accuse President Sheinbaum of not acting, because the reality is she is doing a lot with these many thousands of detentions, thousands of seizures, and all the tactical degrading of organised crime. It’s highly in political terms beneficial,” stated Vargas.

Ongoing Unrest and Public Frustration

But notwithstanding these actions, Mexico remains grappling with high violence, with several states in the throes of cartel-driven bloodshed. In the previous month there was a notable killing of a popular local official in the region of Michoacan, among 10 mayors killed in the last year.

A short time later, thousands of protesters took to the streets in the capital and throughout the nation to express their outrage at corruption and drug violence.

“The administration presents [data] in a manner to create a picture of improvement. From a political standpoint it’s highly effective, socially it’s highly debatable,” the analyst concluded.