Introduction
According to Mexico’s National Survey of Victimization and Perception about Public Security (ENVIPE) by INEGI, Mexico has witnessed a surge in victimization rates during 2024. The Mexico State and Mexico City stand out as the entities with the highest crime occurrence rates, with 34,851 and 30,804 victims per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively.
Understanding Victimization Rates
Victimization rates reflect the relationship between a locality’s total population and those residents who report having experienced any crime, even if not officially reported to authorities. These rates contrast with the national average of 24,135 victims per 100,000 inhabitants.
- Other entities with victimization rates above the national average include Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Tabasco, and Tlaxcala.
Entities with the Lowest Victimization Levels
Chiapas led the entities with the lowest victimization levels, with a rate of 15,576 victims per 100,000 inhabitants in 2024. Tamaulipas and Michoacán followed closely with rates of 16,537 and 16,572 victims per 100,000 people.
Fraud Remains the Most Common Crime
Although overall delictual incidents increased significantly in 2024 compared to the previous year, the most common crimes remained largely unchanged. Fraud remains the most prevalent crime in Mexico, accounting for 22 out of every 100 reported delictual cases in the ENVIPE.
- Fraud includes bank fraud, consumer fraud, electronic and telephone fraud, among others.
- The incident rate for fraud was 7,574 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Robbery or assault on the street or public transportation and extortion followed as the second and third most reported crimes, with rates of 6,003 and 5,971 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
These three crimes account for 56% of the total reported cases among Mexican victims.
In the Mexico State and Mexico City, where victimization rates are highest, robbery or assault on the street or public transportation is more common than fraud.
Analyzing delicts by type reveals important gender-related insights. While men are more frequently victims of property, financial, or cybercrimes, women constitute almost all sexual crime victims.
- The estimated rate for various sexual crimes was 3,881 per 100,000 women in 2024.
- Rape accounted for 279 cases per 100,000 women.
Various sexual crimes include sexual harassment, groping, exhibitionism, and attempted rape.
The Cost of Crime
Being a victim of crime, particularly when the most common are property and financial crimes, incurs costs. On average, each victim spent 6,226 pesos to compensate for losses.
If we consider the total amount spent by each family affected by crime, national losses amount to 269,600 billion pesos. To put this into perspective, delinquency costs Mexicans approximately 1.07% of the GDP.
- 62% of the expenditure addresses economic losses caused by crime.
- 34% covers measures taken by victims to prevent further crime.
- The remaining portion is allocated to health damages resulting from crime.
