Violence forced 510,000 households to leave their homes in Mexico — PBS NewsHour

In Mexico, people from 510,000 households were forced to leave their homes and relocate to other parts of the country between October 2020 and October 2025. Overall, the displacement affected 1.6 million people, including those who left and those who remained and faced the consequences of the crisis.

First comprehensive data

These figures were released by Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). As PBS NewsHour reports, this is the first broad assessment of the scale of internal displacement caused by violence in the country. Previously, Mexican authorities had not published comprehensive data on people forced to leave their homes because of prolonged violence.

The problem affected all regions of Mexico. The highest rates of displacement due to cartel violence were recorded in the states of Zacatecas, Morelos, Michoacán, Querétaro and Colima. Other autonomous institutions, civil society organizations and state governments also collected information on internal displacement, but their data had limited coverage.

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Authorities’ and experts’ response

International Crisis Group analyst David Mora called the publication of the statistics a significant breakthrough that could help authorities and civil society organizations respond to the long-term humanitarian consequences of displacement. According to him, people fleeing criminal violence often lack resources and are forced to start their lives over.

INEGI’s data do not include people displaced before 2020, so the total number of such people in the country is likely higher. The statistics also concern only internal displacement and do not include those who left for the United States. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum questioned the figures and said she had asked INEGI to provide details about the survey’s questions and methodology.