Day-to-Day Killings in the nation Drop 37% In the Sheinbaum Administration, According to Official Figures

The average figure of everyday killings monthly in the country has decreased by more than a third since Head of State Claudia Sheinbaum began her term, according to recent government statistics. Nevertheless, public safety specialists have advised that murder data may not indicate better countrywide security.

Significant Drop in Daily Figures

There was an mean of close to 55 killings a day in the month of November as opposed to nearly 87 when Sheinbaum took the leadership in the previous September. This announcement was delivered by the chief of the nation's federal safety system, Marcela Figueroa Franco, during the leader's regular press briefing on a recent Tuesday.

“The figures in killings that we have seen over these past months is extremely significant,” Claudia Sheinbaum stated, noting that last month the least number of murders were recorded for any November in the past decade.

Historical Context and Government Plan

Fierce drug cartel internal conflicts, combined with the government’s heavily militarised campaigns to take on the drug gangs, have led to Mexico’s murder numbers rise sharply in recent years. The figure reached a peak of 36,773 killings in 2020, according to the country’s national statistics office.

That gave Mexico a murder figure over four times higher than the US. However, murders have been on the decline, dropping to 33,550 last year. Claudia Sheinbaum has credited her public safety plan for an ostensibly steeper drop in killings this year.

At a news briefing in the summer, the Mexican leader stated: “There is a strategy, we have monitoring of the plan, and we have detailed monitoring municipality by municipality in certain cases. The strategy is effective. And we have to persist at it daily.”

The main elements of Sheinbaum’s safety strategy involve:

• Strengthening Mexico’s federal guard.
• Improving intelligence and investigative work.
• Greater cooperation between government authorities.

Expert Warnings and Statistical Concerns

Nevertheless, security experts cautioned that using murder numbers to draw a conclusion of improved security was problematic. This is particularly true in light of the increase in different crimes such as abductions.

“It would be excellent news if this was a decrease, but I think we shouldn't just concentrate on the homicide numbers and say: ‘Oh well, excellent,’” stated Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, an specialist on Mexican cartels. “I would be cautiously hopeful.”

Per the public policy analysis organization Mexico Evalúa, murders overall dropped by over 20% in the initial 10 months of the current year relative to the identical timeframe last year. Yet, missing persons cases have increased by 15% and in some states have surged by up to 200%.

“Numbers on murders is not valid for assessing the situation of insecurity,” stated Armando Vargas, a security analyst at Mexico Evalúa. “Firstly, we have police and investigators who lack the capacity or the inclination to correctly identify and categorize remains. Second, organized [criminals] … have the means to mask violent acts through abductions.”

Vargas pointed out that using month-to-month averages of daily homicides was also problematic because it might hide periods when there were especially spiking numbers of killings.

“Using the per-day mean renders surges of violent crime unseen,” he said.

Detentions and Seizures as Metrics of Success

Where the government can cite the effectiveness of its safety plan is on arrests and confiscations. Close to 40,000 individuals were apprehended between October 2024 and November 2025 for serious offenses, according to official data. Over 20,000 guns were confiscated and 311 tons of drugs confiscated.

“Trump cannot accuse President Sheinbaum of not acting, because the reality is she is accomplishing a lot with these many thousands of detentions, many thousands of confiscations, and all the operational weakening of organised crime. It’s extremely in political terms advantageous,” commented Vargas.

Ongoing Unrest and Public Frustration

However notwithstanding these efforts, Mexico is still plagued by high violence, with several regions in the grip of cartel-related violence. Last month there was a prominent killing of a well-liked local official in the state of Michoacan, among 10 local leaders murdered in the past 12 months.

Weeks later, many thousands of youth demonstrated in Mexico City and across the country to show their outrage at corruption and narco-violence.

“The government shares [data] in a way to build a narrative of security. Politically it’s extremely effective, socially it’s extremely questionable,” the analyst remarked.