In 2024, Mexico City had a homicide rate of only 10 homicides per 100,000 residents. This figure is much less than Washington D.C.’s rate of 27.5 per 100,000. This last amazing statistic makes Mexico City the world’s “island of tranquility.” At the same time, the rest of the country continues to suffer from elevated violence largely fueled by organized crime. Mexico City is extraordinary in its special status. By a stark comparison, the encumbered neighboring State of Mexico boasts a much greater challenge, with a homicide rate almost twice that of the capital, at 19 per 100,000 inhabitants.
The capital has benefitted from a pretty low homicide rate. This success stemmed from a highly centralized, national police force and state-level oversight over city taxi fleets. These measures have made the area much more secure even by Mexican standards, where violence is the worst in the hemisphere.
Mexico City has led the way in decreasing rates of extortion connected to organized crime. Providing improved access to hubs of professional training and attractive, contemporary career-ready education has been key in building a community-preparedness vaccine to combat these criminal enticements. These considerations combined are designed to create an overwhelming perception of safety and order adopted within the nation’s capital.
Though it suffers from fairly high homicide rates by North American standards, Mexico City faces the same burden of public safety harm. As of the end of 2022, the city had filed almost 1,300 people as missing or disappeared. Most of these individuals by now quite tragically be murder victims, their bodies never recovered. This sobering truth highlights the tragic story behind the misleading rhetoric about safety in Mexico City.
Claudia Sheinbaum, like the President of Mexico, has spoken about Washington D.C. and Mexico City’s opposing homicide rates. In a recent statement, she affirmed claims that Washington D.C. has a higher murder rate than her city.
“He said something like ‘Washington is more unsafe than Mexico City,’ which is true,” – Claudia Sheinbaum
Even as Sheinbaum sought to defend her turf, she was loath to let pass alarmist rhetoric about the absolute safety of Mexico City.
“What we don’t agree with is when he said that it’s the most unsafe city in Latin America,” – Claudia Sheinbaum
Her comments follow former President Donald Trump’s claims that big cities run by Democrats are the main cause for rising crime rates. Trump highlighted the murder rate disparity by stating:
“The murder rate in Washington today is higher than that of Bogotá, Colombia, Mexico City, some of the places that you hear about as being the worst places on Earth,” – Donald Trump
Clara Brugada, a local official, emphasized the significant difference in homicide rates between the two cities:
“Trump frequently brings out numbers that are exaggerated and that distort reality,” – Eduardo Guerrero
Clara Brugada, a local official, emphasized the significant difference in homicide rates between the two cities:
“Mexico City has a third of the homicides that Washington has,” – Clara Brugada