Daily Killings in the nation Drop Thirty-Seven Percent In President Sheinbaum, Per Government Data

The typical count of per-day killings each month in Mexico has fallen by more than a third since Head of State Claudia Sheinbaum assumed power, per fresh government figures. But, security experts have warned that murder data might not point to better national stability.

Significant Drop in Daily Averages

There was an mean of close to 55 killings a day in the month of November compared with roughly 87 when Claudia Sheinbaum assumed the presidency in September. This announcement was provided by the head of the nation's national public security system, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the leader's daily news conference on Tuesday.

“The figures in killings that we’ve had during these months is extremely notable,” Claudia Sheinbaum remarked, noting that last month the smallest amount of murders were registered for any single November in the past decade.

Historical Background and Government Plan

Fierce organized crime internal conflicts, coupled with the government’s highly militarised campaigns to confront the cartels, have caused Mexico’s murder rate escalate in the past few years. The rate peaked at a peak of 36,773 homicides in 2020, as reported by the nation's official data agency.

That gave Mexico a homicide figure more than four times greater than that of the United States. From that point, homicides have been on the decline, dropping to 33,550 the previous year. Claudia Sheinbaum has credited her national security plan for an seemingly sharper decline in killings in the current year.

At a press conference in the summer, the head of state declared: “We have a strategy, there is monitoring of the plan, and there is specific tracking town by town in some cases. The strategy works. And we have to keep working at it daily.”

The key pillars of the President's security plan involve:

• Strengthening Mexico’s federal guard.
• Advancing information gathering and investigation work.
• Greater coordination between government agencies.

Analyst Skepticism and Data Limitations

But, public safety researchers cautioned that focusing solely on murder numbers to assess the situation of pacification was flawed. This is particularly true in light of the uptick in other criminal activities such as abductions.

“That would be excellent information if this was a reduction, but I think we must not just concentrate on the homicide numbers and say: ‘Oh well, great,’” stated Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an authority on Mexico's criminal organizations. “I would be guardedly positive.”

According to the public policy research organization Mexico Evalúa, killings overall dropped by over 20% in the first 10 months of the current year relative to the same period the previous year. However, missing persons cases have risen by 15% and in some regions have surged by up to 200%.

“Data on murders is not reliable for gauging the situation of insecurity,” said Armando Vargas, a safety expert at Mexico Evalúa. “First, we have law enforcement and prosecutors who lack the capacity or the will to correctly recognize and classify bodies. Second, organised [criminals] … have the means to conceal violence through disappearances.”

Vargas added that relying on month-to-month averages of daily killings was similarly an issue because it may obscure days when there were especially high numbers of killings.

“Employing the per-day average makes high peaks of violent crime less visible,” he said.

Arrests and Seizures as Metrics of Success

Where the administration can cite the success of its security plan is on arrests and seizures. Nearly 40,000 suspects were detained between last October and November 2025 for major crimes, according to official data. More than 20,000 firearms were confiscated and 311 tonnes of narcotics intercepted.

“The former US president can't accuse President Sheinbaum of doing nothing, because actually she is accomplishing a lot with these many thousands of detentions, many thousands of seizures, and all the operational weakening of organised crime. It’s extremely in political terms profitable,” stated Vargas.

Persistent Unrest and Public Anger

But notwithstanding these measures, Mexico is still beset by severe violence, with a number of regions in the grip of cartel-driven bloodshed. In the previous month there was a notable murder of a well-liked mayor in the region of Michoacan, among 10 mayors killed in the last year.

Weeks after, many thousands of young people protested in Mexico City and across the country to express their frustration at graft and drug violence.

“The administration frames [data] in a way to create a picture of safety. From a political standpoint it’s highly successful, from a social perspective it’s very questionable,” Vargas remarked.