Durango remains one of the most peaceful states in the country. According to figures provided by the Mexico 2025 Peace Index, the state advanced one position compared to the previous year and now ranks third nationwide. This, according to the analysis prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), represents a consistent reduction in violence over the last decade.
According to the 2024 figures, the state achieved a score of 1,848 points, representing a higher level of peace. This constitutes significant progress, especially in crimes committed with firearms and organized crime, the latter with a score of 68 points per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to the national average of 162.9.
Homicide is one of the states with the lowest rates. According to data presented last Thursday by the Mexican Government’s Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, Durango is ranked second in the nation for the lowest incidence of this crime, with only 18 victims, or 0.2 percent of the total homicides committed nationwide.
“The state’s homicide rate fell 21.4% in the last year and stands at just 4.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, a figure that represents just one-sixth of the national average (23.3),” according to data provided by the IPM.
Likewise, homicides involving firearms also reported a 42.1 percent decrease, as did other crimes committed with weapons, reaching a rate of 2.8 per 100,000 inhabitants, one of the lowest in the entire country. This is despite the fact that it borders states with high crime rates in the country, and which until a few months ago had the highest homicide rates, such as Chihuahua and Sinaloa.
It was precisely during the outbreak of violence in Sinaloa that Durango saw its stability threatened, as the blockades installed by organized crime increasingly approached the state’s territory. This led the government of Esteban Villegas Villarreal to develop a more forceful security strategy.
Hence, in September 2024, surveillance was increased along the border with the coastal state. “It seems they’re not letting us go, if not with Zacatecas, then with Sinaloa, and if not with Chihuahua or Nayarit; well, it’s a state with these characteristics, but we’ve been making significant reinforcements, and I hope that the strategy we’re managing together with the Army and the National Guard will allow us to keep them away from our state and continue to maintain the security levels we have today,” the state leader commented at the time.
The challenge is to reduce domestic violence
Although Durango enjoys favorable conditions of peace with low levels of homicide, crimes committed with firearms, and organized crime, domestic violence remains the challenge to overcome, as it represents a rate of 828.9 per 100,000 inhabitants, which exceeds the national figure of 735.0 per 100,000 inhabitants.
“This suggests that, although public safety has improved, it is necessary to continue strengthening strategies to prevent and address domestic violence,” the study notes.
In 2024, Durango closed with 11 femicides recognized by the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE); while in 2023, the same agency reported 10 murders of women that met the criteria for femicide.
It is worth noting that the state maintains a gender alert in 16 of the state’s 39 municipalities, which was activated in 2018, when the state recorded just four femicides. Consequently, women’s collectives and support groups have continued to demand the implementation of strategies to prevent this crime.
Source: oem
