Clara Zepeda
La Jornada Newspaper
Friday, October 24, 2025, p. 8
In the period from July to September, the perception of urban insecurity in Mexico took a marginal pause, after three consecutive quarters of increases, revealed the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).
The National Urban Public Safety Survey (ENSU) reported that 63 percent of the population aged 18 years and over in the country, residing in 91 cities, considered that it was unsafe to live in their city in September 2025, a level that remained practically similar to that of the previous survey, and above the perception in September of last year.
The Inegi specified that the data represented a statistically significant change compared to September 2024, when it was estimated that 58.6 percent of the adult population felt unsafe, but it did not represent a statistically significant change in relation to the percentage registered in June 2025 (63.2 percent).
The urban areas of interest with the highest percentage of people aged 18 and over who considered that living in their city was unsafe were Culiacán, with 88.3; Irapuato, 88.2; Chilpancingo, with 86.3; Ecatepec, 84.4, and Cuernavaca, with 84.2 percent. In contrast, the urban areas with the lowest percentages of perceived insecurity were San Pedro Garza García, with 8.9; Piedras Negras, with 15; the Benito Juárez mayor’s office, with 15.6; Los Mochis, with 19.2 and San Nicolás de los Garza, with 22.4 percent.
In September 2025, 68.2 percent of women and 56.7 percent of men considered living in their city unsafe. Men maintained their same level of perception as the previous quarter; while women showed a slight decrease compared to the end of June of this year (68.5 percent). However, for both, their perception of insecurity is higher than 12 months ago (52.2 and 64 percent, respectively).
When disaggregating by urban areas, at least 15 of these areas of interest presented statistically significant changes compared to June 2025: 10 with reductions and five with increases.
Regarding the perception of insecurity in specific physical spaces, in September 2025, 71.7 percent of the population expressed feeling unsafe at ATMs located on public roads; 64.9 percent, in public transportation; 64.4 percent on streets and 57.1 percent on highways.
In September 2025, the percentages of the population aged 18 years and over that identified the various public security authorities and who perceived their performance as very or somewhat effective in their work to prevent and combat crime were: Navy, with 86.7; However, it showed a decrease compared to the previous quarter (87.5 percent) and is the lowest since March 2024; the Mexican Air Force, with 83.2, after it was 84 percent in June; the Army, with 83 percent; National Guard, with 73.2 of 72.5 percent in June; state police, with 52.7, and municipal preventive police, with 46.8 percent.
