Homicides in Mexico
Mexico: Homicides was 36,072 deaths in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
36,072 deaths
Change on year
down 3.9%
World rank
3rd
of 194 countries
All-time high
37,895 deaths
in 2019
All-time low
8,882 deaths
in 2007
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Homicides in Mexico, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in deaths.
Analysis
In 2021, homicides in Mexico stood at 36,072 deaths.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.9% on the previous year and up 29.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, homicides in Mexico peaked at 37,895 deaths in 2019 and was at its lowest, 8,882 deaths, in 2007.
Mexico ranks 3rd of 194 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Homicides in Mexico, year by year
| Year | deaths | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 11,402 deaths | — |
| 2001 | 10,763 deaths | -5.6% |
| 2002 | 10,631 deaths | -1.2% |
| 2003 | 10,599 deaths | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 9,894 deaths | -6.6% |
| 2005 | 10,486 deaths | +6.0% |
| 2006 | 11,005 deaths | +4.9% |
| 2007 | 8,882 deaths | -19.3% |
| 2008 | 14,700 deaths | +65.5% |
| 2009 | 19,717 deaths | +34.1% |
| 2010 | 25,961 deaths | +31.7% |
| 2011 | 27,910 deaths | +7.5% |
| 2012 | 25,994 deaths | -6.9% |
| 2013 | 22,984 deaths | -11.6% |
| 2014 | 20,209 deaths | -12.1% |
| 2015 | 21,045 deaths | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 25,290 deaths | +20.2% |
| 2017 | 33,230 deaths | +31.4% |
| 2018 | 37,454 deaths | +12.7% |
| 2019 | 37,895 deaths | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 37,519 deaths | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 36,072 deaths | -3.9% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 36,072 deaths is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 237.51 deaths, 151.9× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 36,072 deaths is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 702.19 deaths, 51.4× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11,808 deaths | 8,882 deaths | 19,717 deaths | 10 |
| 2010s | 27,797 deaths | 20,209 deaths | 37,895 deaths | 10 |
| 2020s | 36,796 deaths | 36,072 deaths | 37,519 deaths | 2 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
- 1 Brazil 69,651 deaths compare
- 2 India 51,496 deaths compare
- 4 South Africa 19,488 deaths compare
- 5 United States 19,110 deaths compare
- 6 Nigeria 18,463 deaths compare
More social development data for Mexico
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 152,002 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41,307 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 3 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0003 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 41,307 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0012 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is homicides in Mexico?
- Homicides in Mexico was 36,072 deaths in 2021, according to World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest homicides recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 37,895 deaths in 2019.
- What is the lowest homicides recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 8,882 deaths in 2007.
- How does Mexico rank for homicides?
- Mexico ranks 3rd out of 194 countries with data for 2021.
- Is homicides rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mexico data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Homicides. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of deaths from interpersonal violence in both sexes.