The perception of insecurity among the population of the state’s main urban areas increased during March 2026, compared to the same month of the previous year, according to the most recent results of the National Urban Public Security Survey (ENSU) from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).
In the municipality of La Paz, 46.6 percent of people aged 18 and over considered it unsafe to live in their city, a figure that represents an increase from the 27.8 percent reported in March 2025. In Los Cabos, the perception also rose, from 24.7 to 34.7 percent during the same period.
Despite this upward trend, both municipalities remain below the national average, which stood at 61.5 percent during March 2026.
The ENSU also allows for the observation of changes over shorter periods. In La Paz, the perception of insecurity showed minimal variation between December 2025 and March 2026, rising from 46.4 to 46.6 percent.
Meanwhile, Los Cabos registered a decrease during the same period, dropping from 39.0 to 34.7 percent, which contrasts with the increase observed in the year-over-year comparison.
The statistical survey also includes information on experiences of conflict or confrontations. In La Paz, the percentage of people who reported having experienced these types of situations decreased from 29.8 to 28.1 percent.
In contrast, Los Cabos showed an increase in this indicator, rising from 30.4 to 39.7 percent, reflecting a higher frequency of conflicts reported by the population in that municipality.
Nationally, 61.5 percent of the population considered it unsafe to live in their city during March 2026. This figure represents a decrease compared to December 2025, when it stood at 63.8 percent, although it remains unchanged year-over-year.
By gender, the survey indicates significant differences: 67.2 percent of women reported feeling unsafe, compared to 54.6 percent of men.
Among the places where the population nationwide reports the greatest sense of insecurity are ATMs in public places, at 70.6 percent, followed by the street at 65.3 percent, public transportation at 64.1 percent, and highways at 60.1 percent.
Other places mentioned include banks (54.5 percent), markets (48.9 percent), and parks (46.7 percent). To a lesser extent, insecurity was reported in cars (34.9 percent), shopping malls (34.4 percent), at work (28.2 percent), at home (16.1 percent), and at school (15.2 percent).
Sources of Information and Scope of the Survey
The National Survey of Urban Public Safety (ENSU) aims to generate estimates of public safety perceptions in urban areas of the country, based on citizen opinions.
During the first quarter of 2026, the main sources of information on security, drug trafficking, and crime were social media such as Facebook (61.7 percent), television news programs (58.4 percent), direct communication with people in their immediate surroundings (54.5 percent), and the internet in general (27.9 percent).
The results for March are part of a quarterly exercise that covers 91 urban areas of the country, including La Paz and Los Cabos, and allow monitoring of citizens’ perceptions of security in different contexts.
Source: oem
