Study Reveals 99.23% of Crimes in Mexico Go Unreported or Unpunished

Mexico City — A new study reveals that 99.23% of crimes committed in Mexico go unreported due to distrust in the justice system or remain unpunished because of institutional failures to investigate and prosecute offenders.

The think tank Mexico Evalúa released the findings on Tuesday, showing that 93% of criminal acts in the country are not formally reported to prosecutors—one of the highest rates globally. Of the 7% that are reported, only 10.58% are resolved, meaning just 0.77% of total crimes result in justice.

When considering only reported crimes, the impunity rate reached 89.42% in 2024, according to Susana Camacho, coordinator of Mexico Evalúa’s Justice Program, who presented the research alongside the organization’s director, Mariana Campos.

The study, titled “Radiography of Impunity in Mexico: Findings from the Penal Justice System, 2024,” identifies the states with the highest impunity rates for reported crimes as Jalisco (97.80%), Morelos (97.61%), Guerrero (96.59%), State of Mexico (96.03%), and Mexico City (96.01%). Those with lower rates include Michoacán (67.68%), Nayarit (73.07%), Yucatán (74.23%), Puebla (75.81%), and Tlaxcala (85.56%).

States with less impunity commonly use more alternative legal solutions, such as opportunity criteria and Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanisms.

Based on open-source data primarily from INEGI (the national statistics agency) covering 2019 to 2024, the study defines impunity as the state’s inability to investigate, process, and sanction crimes, as well as produce effective results in criminal justice.

A key disparity highlighted is between emergency calls received by state and municipal security institutions and formal complaints filed with prosecutors. On average, only 25.9% of emergency calls result in official reports.

Mexico’s hidden crime figure—unreported offenses at 93%—is among the world’s highest. In comparison, Colombia has a 77% unreported rate, 16 percentage points lower, while the United States stands at 52%.

Mexico Evalúa measured the hidden figure through victimization surveys, which also reveal why citizens avoid reporting crimes. Common reasons include time-consuming procedures, distrust in authorities, and fear of criminals.

The study analyzed 27 states, excluding Baja California Sur, Sonora, Tabasco, Chiapas, and Hidalgo due to incomplete data, statistical outliers, or inconsistencies in reporting.

Mexico Evalúa recommends several measures to reduce impunity: facilitating access to reporting to lower the hidden crime rate, reducing institutional re-victimization and improving victim treatment, strengthening investigative capacity, transforming prosecutor management toward results, expanding effective non-punitive solutions, addressing procedural bottlenecks, and enhancing measurement, transparency, and accountability.