Mexico’s murder rate hit record high in 2019

Mexico has recorded nearly 35,000 homicides so far this year, making it the most violent year since the government began keeping comparable records more 20 years ago, officials say. A final review in January will likely add hundreds more to the list.

Data released by the Interior Ministry showed that 32,604 intentional homicides were recorded between January 1 and November 30, an increase of 3 percent when compared to the same period last year. Partial figures for this month show at least 2,063 murders through December 26.

34,667 intentional homicides makes it the most violent year on record, with several days left before 2019 comes to an end. A final review is due to take place in January and will likely add hundreds more to the partial figures for December.

June and July were the deadliest months this year with nearly 100 people killed every day on average, or one person every 15 minutes. The vast majority of killings are carried out with the use of firearms and many are linked to conflicts between gangs and drug cartels.

One of the deadliest attacks this year happened on August 27 when an armed gang stormed a bar in Coatzacoalcos in the state of Veracruz. The group, which was reportedly linked to a drug cartel, sealed off the exits and set the bar on fire, killing 31 people.

The figures released by the government include 916 cases of femicide until November 30, an increase of more than 12 percent when compared to the same period last year. Femicide is defined as the killing of a woman who suffered sexual violence, degrading injuries, or other circumstances which suggest the motive is gender-related.

In addition to murder, there were 156,808 cases of intentional injury from January 1 through November 30, an increase of 7 percent year-on-year, according to the ministry. More than 11,300 injuries were caused by firearms and 10,566 were caused by knives.

Statistics