Day-to-Day Murders in the nation Decline Thirty-Seven Percent During Claudia Sheinbaum, Per Government Figures

The mean figure of daily killings each month in Mexico has fallen by thirty-seven percent since President Claudia Sheinbaum began her term, as stated by fresh administrative data. But, public safety specialists have cautioned that murder figures might not point to enhanced countrywide safety.

Marked Drop in Per-Day Figures

Officials reported an average of almost 55 murders a day in November compared with roughly 87 when the President assumed the leadership in September. This information was shared by the chief of the country’s national public security agency, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the leader's regular news conference on Tuesday.

“The figures in killings that we’ve had during these past months is very notable,” Sheinbaum remarked, noting that in November the least amount of murders were documented for any November in the last decade.

Historical Context and Government Plan

Intense cartel rivalries, coupled with the government’s highly militarised efforts to take on the cartels, have made Mexico’s homicide rate escalate in the past few years. The figure reached a maximum of 36,773 killings in 2020, according to the nation's national statistics office.

That gave Mexico a murder rate more than four times greater than the United States. However, killings have been on the decline, dropping to 33,550 in the last calendar year. The President has credited her public safety plan for an ostensibly sharper drop in killings in the current year.

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

The main pillars of Sheinbaum’s safety plan encompass:

• Bolstering Mexico’s national guard.
• Advancing information gathering and investigative efforts.
• Increased cooperation between government authorities.

Analyst Caution and Data Limitations

Nevertheless, security researchers urged caution that using murder data to assess the situation of improved security was flawed. This is particularly true in light of the rise in other crimes such as abductions.

“That would be excellent information if this were a drop, but I think we shouldn't just focus on the homicide numbers and conclude: ‘Well then, excellent,’” stated Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an authority on Mexican cartels. “I would be tentatively positive.”

Per the policy analysis organization Mexico Evalúa, killings in total dropped by more than 20% in the initial 10 months of this year versus the same timeframe last year. However, disappearances have increased by 15% and in certain states have surged by up to 200%.

“Numbers on homicides is no longer reliable for estimating the context of violence,” stated Armando Vargas, a safety analyst at Mexico Evalúa. “First, we have law enforcement and investigators who lack the ability or the will to properly recognize and classify remains. Secondly, organized [criminals] … have the capability to hide violent acts through abductions.”

Vargas noted that using month-to-month means of everyday killings was additionally concerning because it could mask periods when there were especially elevated levels of killings.

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

Detentions and Seizures as Metrics of Progress

An area where the government can highlight the effectiveness of its security plan is on arrests and confiscations. Almost 40,000 suspects were apprehended between last October and November 2025 for major offenses, per official figures. More than 20,000 weapons were seized and 311 tons of drugs seized.

“Donald Trump can't accuse President Sheinbaum of not acting, because the reality is she is doing a lot with these thousands of detentions, thousands of seizures, and all the tactical degrading of criminal groups. It’s extremely politically beneficial,” stated Vargas.

Ongoing Unrest and Societal Frustration

However notwithstanding these measures, Mexico is still grappling with extreme violence, with multiple states in the midst of cartel-related bloodshed. Recently there was a high-profile assassination of a popular mayor in the region of Michoacan, among 10 mayors assassinated in the past year.

Weeks after, thousands of protesters took to the streets in Mexico City and throughout the nation to show their anger at graft and cartel violence.

“The government shares [data] in a manner to construct a narrative of safety. Politically it’s very potent, socially it’s very questionable,” the analyst concluded.