This National Report is also an invitation to not take the overall figures of missing persons at face value and to propose questions about the most vulnerable groups, the comparison of years, states, and age ranges in which this serious human rights violation occurs.
The disappearance of people in Mexico is widespread and systematic.
After a year of reaching 100,000 missing persons cases, the figure increased by 7.3% in 2023 and continued to rise by 6.3% in 2024. To date, reports of missing persons cases continue to increase.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court establishes a list of conducts that, when committed in certain contexts, constitute crimes against humanity. This context is characterized by the existence of a widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population.
It is understood that the widespread nature implies a large-scale attack, directed against a significant number of people, while the systematic nature refers to the organized nature of the acts of violence, the improbability of them being random, and the existence of certain patterns in the execution of the acts, which are regularly repeated.
Total missing and non-located persons per year
In the period between 2000 and May 16, 2024, 88% of the missing persons cases are concentrated.
Between the years 2018 and May 16, 2024, 48% of the missing persons cases are concentrated.
In the last 24 years, only six declines in figures have been reported in the years 2003, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2020, and 2022.
At the national level, the percentage of missing men and women has remained the same in the period analyzed (May 2022 to May 2024).
States with the highest number of missing persons
The five states with the highest number of missing persons cases in 2024 are still Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Estado de México, Veracruz, and Nuevo León.
Currently, 48% of the country’s missing persons are concentrated in these five states.
States with the lowest number of missing persons
The five states with the lowest number of missing persons cases are Campeche, Tlaxcala, Yucatán, Aguascalientes, and Tabasco.
However, two of them, Tlaxcala and Tabasco, recorded an increase in cases. In the case of Tabasco, the increase was more than 80% compared to 2023.
Percentage increase in cases from May 2023 to May 2024
11 states increased the percentage of missing persons from 2023 to 2024 by over 9%.
Tabasco, Quintana Roo, and Hidalgo increased the number of missing persons by more than 20%.
Percentage decrease in cases from May 2023 to May 2024
Distribution by age range of missing persons as of May 2024
The age range in which the majority of missing persons cases are concentrated remains 25 to 29 years old.
In all age ranges, there are missing persons cases, which is a characteristic indicating that the disappearance of persons is a widespread practice in the country.
From 0 to 19 years old, 18% of the missing persons cases are recorded.
Which states have the highest number of cases of missing girls and women?
The five states with the highest number of missing girls and women cases are Estado de México, Tamaulipas, Jalisco, Nuevo León, and Ciudad de México.
These five states currently concentrate 52.3% of missing girls and women in the country.
Percentage increase in cases of missing women from May 2023 to May 2024
5 states increased the number of missing girls and women cases by more than 20% in the analyzed period: Tabasco, Hidalgo, Quintana Roo, Tlaxcala, and Durango.
The age range in which the majority of missing girls and women cases are concentrated is 15 to 19 years old.
In this age range, 22% of the missing girls and women cases are concentrated. During 2023, this age range concentrated 39% of the missing girls and women cases.
Global rating map by states
These state reports monitoring the Law invite the construction of a broader participatory diagnosis of this phenomenon of disappearance and indicate priorities, focus areas, and alerts in public policy.
