Mexico City– The National Statistics Institute announced on Tuesday that the number of homicides in Mexico decreased by 9.7% last year, reaching its lowest level in six years.
In 2022, there were a total of 32,223 registered homicides, compared to 35,700 in the previous year. This translates to a rate of 25 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, down from 28 the previous year. This marks the lowest rate since 2016 when there were 24,559 homicides, or 20 for every 100,000 inhabitants.
President Andrés López Obrador sees this decline as a positive outcome, attributing it to his government’s efforts in combatting crime through social and employment programs, as well as the deployment of the National Guard which replaced the former federal police. It is important to note that many of the homicides in Mexico are the result of conflicts between heavily armed drug gangs.
López Obrador expressed optimism about future progress, stating during his daily press conference, “If we continue like this, we’re going to end the administration with around a 20% decline in homicides.” López Obrador’s term is set to end on October 1, 2024.
During his first two years in office, the homicide rate remained stable at 29 per 100,000 inhabitants before experiencing a slight decrease in 2021 and a more significant drop last year. By comparison, the United States had a homicide rate of 7.8 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2021.
In the first half of this year, Mexico reported 15,122 homicides, a modest decrease from the 15,381 reported in the same period last year according to police reports. The National Statistics Institute compiles its data using death certificates.
