Mérida, Yucatán — Yucatán has the largest prison capacity on the Yucatán Peninsula but incarcerates far fewer people than neighboring Quintana Roo, and the types of crimes leading to imprisonment differ sharply between the two states.
Data from INEGI, Mexico’s national statistics agency, shows that in 2025, 1,386 people entered prisons in Yucatán — just 40% of the 3,488 recorded in Quintana Roo. Campeche reported 964 admissions.
The contrast is striking because Yucatán operates five penitentiaries with capacity for 3,124 inmates, the largest infrastructure in the region. Quintana Roo also has five prisons but space for only 2,795 inmates.
Different Crime Profiles
Beyond the numbers, the nature of crimes driving incarceration varies significantly. In Quintana Roo, drug-related offenses — especially street-level dealing — along with homicides and robberies dominate. In Yucatán, the prison population is more likely to be held for family violence, sexual offenses, and theft, though drug crimes also appear.
INEGI data indicates that Yucatán’s inmate profile reflects a higher proportion of individuals facing charges for domestic and social conflicts, while Quintana Roo’s system feels greater pressure from organized crime linked to tourism and rapid urban growth.
During 2025, Quintana Roo admitted more than twice as many people as Yucatán, and nearly as many as Yucatán and Campeche combined. Campeche, with three prisons and capacity for 1,854, had the lowest annual intake on the peninsula.
Gender Breakdown
In all three states, men make up about nine out of ten admissions. In Yucatán, men account for 88.7% of entrants; in Quintana Roo, 88.8%; and in Campeche, 91.5%. Women represent roughly one in ten inmates across the region.
The data confirms that while the peninsula shares some high-incidence crimes, each state faces a distinct prison reality: Yucatán operates with lower inmate flow and a focus on family-related offenses, while Quintana Roo contends with drug-related crime and higher-impact violence.
