The most recent official crime statistics for 2024 reveal a tough reality: Mexican cities now outpace Brazil and South Africa when it comes to murder rates.
Data from Mexico’s national security authority and the United Nations shows that cities like Colima, Tijuana, and Acapulco report the highest per capita murder figures worldwide.
Colima, a small city on Mexico’s Pacific coast, recorded a shocking homicide rate of 127 murders per 100,000 people. Tijuana and Acapulco both hovered above 100 per 100,000.
These violent levels place their cities at the top of every global ranking, with only Haiti’s capital close in comparison. In Brazil, the national rate dropped to about 18 murders per 100,000 in 2024, the lowest in ten years.
South Africa saw a countrywide rate of 45 per 100,000. However, their major cities did not reach the extreme per capita levels seen in Mexico’s hot zones.
Cartel Violence Makes Mexico One of the World’s Deadliest Countries
Mexican violence is not random. Criminal cartels fight for control of drug routes and territory. The fights bring shootouts and targeted attacks into many neighborhoods.
Police data confirms that guns are used in most killings and ordinary people often get caught in the crossfire. Business owners, workers, and tourists all feel the impact. Economic costs from violence eat into nearly a fifth of Mexico’s GDP.
Guanajuato, Estado de México, and Baja California joined Colima with thousands of murders yearly. Over 30,000 people were killed in Mexico in 2024—roughly the same number as the entire European Union combined, despite a much smaller population.
Residents in the worst-hit areas know daily life comes with heavy risks. For anyone thinking of travel, investment, or business in Mexico, crime figures and facts are crucial, not just rumors.
The size and concentration of Mexico’s murder problem have pushed the country past Brazil and South Africa when it comes to where violence is most intense.