Violence displaced members of more than half a million Mexican
households in past 5 years
[September 26, 2026]
By MEGAN JANETSKY
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Violence has forcibly displaced people from more than
half a million households across Mexico in the past five years,
according to new figures released by Mexico's national statistics
agency, the first numbers that speak to the depth of what many have
described as an invisible internal displacement crisis.
Until now, Mexico's government did not share comprehensive data on
people who have been forced to flee their homes due to ongoing violence
in many parts of Mexico, leaving civil society groups piecing together
information to get a wider view of the problem.
The figures published this week by Mexico’s National Institute of
Statistics and Geography, or INEGI — an autonomous government agency
that has at times been at odds with Mexico's ruling party — offer the
first wider snapshot of the ongoing crisis.
Between October 2020 and October 2025, people in 510,000 households
across Mexico were forced to flee to another part of the country. That
could range from a single person to an entire family. The displacement
affected 1.6 million people, including those forced to flee and those
left behind to cope with the consequences of the crisis.
The figures show the problem has reached every corner of Mexico, but the
states with the highest rates of displacement from cartel violence were
Zacatecas, Morelos, Michoacan, Queretaro and Colima.
Other autonomous agencies, civil society groups and Mexican state
governments have published data on internal displacement, but their
findings have often been limited in scope.
Tracking internal displacement can often be tricky because many people
leave their homes in fear without the intention of being found or
reporting their case, or hope to later return to their homes if they
determine it's safe to return home down the line.
David Mora, Mexico analyst for International Crisis Group, described the
new data as a “major breakthrough” that will pave the way for
authorities and civil society to address the long-term humanitarian
consequences of the crisis. Those who are forced to flee criminal
violence have almost no resources to turn to when they disappear into
the fabric of Mexico and often have to start from zero.
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Maria Anastasia Cabrera walks through the ruins of her home after
armed attacks by local criminal groups forced dozens of residents to
flee, in Tula, Mexico, May 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)
“For years, civil society and victims of forced displacement have
been sounding the alarm on the issue and the federal government has
not paid attention,” Mora said Friday. “So this coming from the
independent INEGI, it’s a breakthrough. It’s huge that they’re
trying to put a number on it, which is just the first step.”
The INEGI figures don't include people displaced before 2020,
meaning the number of displaced people across the country is likely
much higher. Cartel violence has raged in key areas of Mexico since
the beginning of the drug war around 2006 under the administration
of Mexican President Felipe Calderón. The data focuses specifically
on internally displaced people, and doesn’t capture people who have
fled to the U.S.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said little about the issue,
focusing instead on the government's efforts to reduce homicide
numbers and crack down on criminal groups. She is also facing
pressure from the Trump administration to show progress on security.
She has addressed specific cases of families being displaced from
bursts of cartel violence, noting that authorities were working on
finding a way for them to return home, but has largely not spoken
about forced displacement as a widespread phenomenon.
At her morning news briefing Wednesday, Sheinbaum questioned the
figures and said she had asked INEGI to provide further details
about the data, including the questions and methodology used to
reach those numbers.
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