The COVID-19 pandemic is disrupting criminal economies across Central America, leading to violent competition between gangs and cartels. In Mexico, government statistics indicate that homicide rates have risen since the start of the country’s lockdown measures – claiming a higher death toll than the coronavirus (AP, 24 April 2020; New York Post, 27 April 2020). According to ACLED data, deadly gang violence spiked in late March, even as it spread geographically. Since the start of the year, gangs have perpetrated nearly 1,000 civilian targeting events in Mexico, resulting in more than 1,200 reported fatalities. The bloodshed shows few signs of abating as the pandemic continues to hamper an effective state response.

ACLED tracks violence in Mexico in real-time, with data updated each week. Access the latest data through our Data Export Tool and Curated Data Files. For more information on ACLED methodology, see our General Guides and Methodology pages.

Find recent analysis of the security situation in Mexico below, as well as an interactive dashboard displaying all ACLED data on gang activity in the country from January 2019 through April 2020.

CDT Spotlight: Mexican Cartels

Disorder in Latin America: 10 Crises in 2019

ACLED Expands Coverage to Latin America and the Caribbean

Methodology: Disorder in Mexico

Methodology: Gang Violence

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