Mexico's Homicide Toll Tops 300,000 Over the Last Decade, New Report Says

Between 2015 and 2024, more than 300,000 people were killed in Mexico — a death toll equivalent to wiping out the entire population of U.S. cities like Newark or Cincinnati — according to the latest report by the Mexico Peace Index, which tracks violence and key trends shaping peace across the country.

According to the report, the number of homicides in Mexico has nearly doubled over the past decade. In 2015, the national average was 15.1 homicides per 100,000 people; by 2019, that figure had risen to 28.2.

Despite government efforts to curb cartel-related violence, the national rate remains well above levels recorded a decade ago. Over the past two years, including the most recent reporting period, Mexico has averaged 23.3 homicides per 100,000 people.

"Despite moderate improvements over the past five years, Mexico is significantly less peaceful than it was in 2015," the Mexico Peace Index stated in the report. "During that period, peace in the country has deteriorated by 13.4 percent, with many crime indicators substantially higher than a decade ago."

Among the indicators cited is the homicide rate, which has risen by 55 percent since 2015, with more than 300,000 reported killings through 2024.

Rates of crimes involving firearms, extortion and drug dealing have also climbed significantly — increasing by 71 percent, 46 percent and 161 percent, respectively.

Among the report's key findings is the rise in violence targeting public officials. According to last year's data, 2024 was the deadliest year on record for politicians, with at least 201 politically motivated homicides. Most of the victims held local government positions.

In an interview with El Sol de México, Carlos Juárez, director of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), said organized crime remains the primary driver behind the country's elevated homicide rates.

Since 2015, the annual number of homicides linked to organized crime has increased more than sixfold — from nearly 3,000 per year to almost 18,000 in 2024.

Among organized crime-related offenses, drug dealing saw the sharpest rise over the 10-year period, increasing by 161 percent. Extortion also surged, with a 45 percent increase since 2015.

Despite the elevated levels of violence and homicides nationwide, the 2024 report reveals that Mexico is not spending enough money to combat the problem.

According to the data, Mexico's spending on public security and on its criminal justice system amounted to just 0.7 percent of its GDP, which is less than half the average for Latin American countries.

Similarly, spending on public security dropped by 30 percent between 2015 and 2024, while spending on the justice system decreased by 12 percent.

For Juárez, the 2024 report is a call to authorities to strengthen and allocate more money to both federal and local security, as well as to dedicate more resources to the education sector.

"This violence crisis should urge us to invest more in education than in violence prevention," Juárez said. "However, so far we haven't seen those strategies. In the previous administration, we saw some glimpses with social programs for young people, scholarships, but they remain disconnected from the public security strategy. We believe it needs to be a coordinated strategy," he added.