According to the urban crime index of the Numbeo consulting firm, Mexico has at least 13 cities that are listed among the most dangerous in the world, some of which were considered quiet and safe in the latest INEGI security perception reports, such as Puerto Vallarta, which Numbeo ranks as the eleventh most dangerous city in Mexico.
According to data from the consulting firm Numbeo, which is one of the largest data collection firms offering data on cities around the world, the most violent cities are Tijuana, Mexico City (CDMX), Puebla, Guadalajara, and Cancún. Although Tijuana is the first city in Mexico, it occupies 22nd place in the general ranking worldwide, followed by CDMX in 34th place and León in 36th place.
The main crimes committed in these cities have to do with corruption, bribery, and drug trafficking.
One of the cities that was already considered dangerous is León, Guanajuato, due to the presence of organized crime, since violent acts are becoming more frequent.
For organized crime, the cities that remain in the very dangerous range are Tijuana, where the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) operates and cells related to the Pacific Cartel, and others linked to the Arellano Félix.
CDMX has not managed to get out of this ranking because the Tepito Union continues to be a generator of violence and other criminal groups have joined, such as Los Canchola, the Tláhuac Cartel, Los Rodolfos, and the Anti-union, linked to the Jalisco Cartel
In the capital city of Puebla, Nueva Sangre Zeta and local cells dedicated to the theft of hydrocarbons and transportation, in addition to the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel that operates with local groups dominate the area.
Finally, in the city of Guadalajara, the CJNG has been gaining ground against the Sinaloa Cartel.
What are the new cities that are added to the most dangerous?
San Miguel de Allende
Playa del Carmen
Santiago de Queretaro
Puerto Vallarta
Merida
What are the 13 cities in Mexico that are among the most dangerous?
Tijuana
CDMX
Leon
Guadalajara
Puebla
Cancun
San Miguel de Allende
Playa del Carmen
Monterrey
Queretaro
Puerto Vallarta
Aguascalientes
Merida
What cities have been overlooked?
Acapulco has experienced high levels of insecurity in recent years, and even in recent months that have been covered by this news outlet. Public shootings on beaches and in tourist areas have steadily increased in Acapulco, which isn’t an act of violence that is recorded in Puerto Vallarta.
Celaya, Guanajuato is considered the most dangerous city in Mexico based on crime statistics per 100,000 population, however, the city isn’t even listed on the Numbeo listing.
No city in Zacatecas has made the list, yet the state is riddled with gang violence. Hardly a day goes by without hanging bodies being discovered on overpasses between the capital city of Zacatecas and the southern border with Jalisco.
Merida makes the list of Numbeo’s most dangerous cities in Mexico, although the Yucatan city has been ranked as the safest city in Mexico for years.
Puerto Vallarta has seen an increase in crime, from petty crime to homicide, and increased cartel activities. The increase in crime is within the expectations based on the increase in population over the last decade, crime does increase with population growth. Many of these crimes in Puerto Vallarta are whitewashed through media campaigns organized by the local and federal tourism ministries, but even with the crime whitewashing orchestrated by government bodies to maintain tourism numbers, Puerto Vallarta isn’t near the crime rates as Acapulco, Celaya, or Zacatecas.
Of the list’s top 13 most dangerous cities in Mexico, eleven are popular tourist destinations in Mexico for national and international tourism, leaving to question, how reliable is the data that Numbeo publishes? Not very reliable.

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