According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi), four out of 10 Yucatecans fear for their safety both inside and outside their homes due to the risk of robbery. Data from the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) reveals that street robbery, home burglary, and theft in public transportation or crowded places are the most common crimes, with an average of 13 robberies per day, or one every two hours.
Although Mérida, the capital of Yucatán, is considered one of the safest urban centers in Mexico, with nearly one million residents, a sense of insecurity persists. The National Survey of Urban Public Security (ENSU) for the third quarter of 2022 reported that 27.1% of Mérida’s population aged 18 and over felt unsafe in their city, an increase of 2 percentage points from June 2022.
The primary concern for Mérida residents is the fear of robbery and assault on the streets, public transport, or crowded spaces, as indicated by 42% of ENSU respondents. This aligns with FGE statistics, which recorded 4,767 cases of street robbery in 2022, a rate of 196 robberies per 100,000 inhabitants. Home burglaries are the second most common crime, with 2,023 cases and a rate of 83 robberies per 100,000 inhabitants.
While homicides and kidnappings generate some fear, their rates are minimal in Mérida. In 2022, there were only 60 intentional homicides, a rate of 2.5 per 100,000 inhabitants, and just four kidnapping cases. Violent and high-impact crimes remain rare.
Other cities in Yucatán, such as Valladolid, Tizimín, Tekax, and Progreso, are among the 10 safest municipalities in Mexico, according to the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (Sesnsp). However, recent years have seen increases in property crime rates in Mérida and the rest of Yucatán.
Valladolid, the second most populated city after Mérida, maintains low crime rates despite some recent increases in robberies. Tizimín, in the northeast of the state, ranks fourth among the safest municipalities in the country, with a virtually zero homicide rate and low crime rates overall.
