Marcela Figueroa Franco, head of the National Public Security System, presented the latest homicide data at President Claudia Sheinbaum’s Tuesday morning press conference.
Homicides have trended down since Sheinbaum took office last October, an achievement that federal authorities have attributed to the implementation of the government’s new national security strategy.
Homicides declined 15% annually in first half of 2025
Figueroa reported that there was an average of 70.5 homicides per day in Mexico between January and June, according to preliminary data.
The figure represents a decrease of 15% compared to the average of 83 homicides per day that were recorded in the first six months of 2024.
Figueroa highlighted that the first six months of 2025 constituted the least violent first half of any year since 2016.
Compared to 2020 — when an average of 96.5 homicides per day were recorded in the first six months — the decline in murders between January and June was 26.9%.
Last month was least violent June since 2016
Figueroa reported that preliminary data showed there was an average of 65.6 homicides per day last month, a decrease of 26.5% compared to the same month of last year.
She highlighted that the average number of daily murders last month represented a 34.5% decline compared to June 2019, the most violent June of the last nine years.
Sinaloa recorded the highest number of homicides in June
Figueroa reported that Sinaloa recorded the highest number of homicides among Mexico’s 32 states in June. The northern state recorded 207 homicides last month, accounting for 10.5% of all murders across Mexico. Among the victims were 20 people whose bodies were found on a highway in Culiacán on June 29. Rival factions of the Sinaloa Cartel are engaged in a bloody battle in the state.
Ranking second to seventh for total homicides in June were:
- Guanajuato: 171 murders (8.7% of the total)
- Baja California: 162 murders (8.2%)
- Chihuahua: 160 murders (8.1%)
- México state: 133 murders (6.8%)
- Michoacán: 119 murders (6%)
- Guerrero: 110 murders (5.6%)
Figueroa said that 54% of all homicides in June were perpetrated in the seven states with the highest number of murders. There were 1,968 homicides across Mexico last month, according to the preliminary data presented on Tuesday morning.
Guanajuato recorded the most homicides between January and June
Data presented by Figueroa showed that Guanajuato recorded the most homicides among Mexico’s 32 states in the first six months of 2025. There were 1,606 murders in the Bajío region state between January and June, accounting for 12.6% of all homicides across Mexico.
Guanajuato has been Mexico’s most violent state in terms of total homicides in recent years. Among the criminal groups that operate in the state are the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel, which are engaged in a long-running turf war.
Ranking second to seventh for total homicides between January and June were:
- Baja California: 910 murders (7.1% of the total)
- Sinaloa: 893 murders (7%)
- Chihuahua: 887 murders (7%)
- México state: 861 murders (6.8%)
- Guerrero: 736 murders (5.8%)
- Michoacán: 718 murders (5.6%)
More than half of Mexico’s total homicides in the first half of 2025 — 51.8% — occurred in the seven states that recorded the highest number of murders. There were 12,752 homicides between January and June, according to the data presented on Tuesday morning.
Homicides declined in 25 states in the first half of 2025
Figueroa reported that homicides declined in 25 states in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period of last year.
Zacatecas recorded the biggest decrease, with murder numbers falling 61.2%
The states that recorded the next biggest declines in homicides were:
- Chiapas: Murders down 58.2%.
- Quintana Roo: Murders down 51.3%
- Tamaulipas: Murders down 50.4%
The seven states that recorded annual increases in homicides in the first half of the year were Guanajuato, Sinaloa, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Nayarit, Tabasco and Tlaxcala.
By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)
