Mexico Peace Index: Yucatán and Campeche top the list

For the second year in a row, Yucatán is the most peaceful state in the country according to the Mexico Peace Index (IPM), prepared by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). The second place is occupied by Campeche, while Quintana Roo is among the five least peaceful entities.

According to the aforementioned study, conducted for the sixth time, Yucatan continues to be the most peaceful state in Mexico: its rating improved 10 percent compared to last year's MPI and shows continuous improvement in its overall rating.

The crime rate with violence reduced by 45 percent in 2018, and the crime rate related to organized crime fell by half, from 31.2 per 100,000 inhabitants to 14.5. The IPM also indicates that Yucatán had the lowest economic impact of violence per person: 10 thousand 808 pesos.

Similarly, the state recorded the lowest homicide rate of all the states of Mexico in 2018, with 2.52 per 100 thousand inhabitants, however, this statistic grew by 17 percent in 2017.

The number of jails without sentences was also deteriorated by 12 percent and the entity's recidivism rate is higher than the national average: around 30 percent of the prisoners had already been arrested or sentenced for a crime previously, unlike the national average which is 25 percent.

Although Campeche is the second most peaceful state in Mexico, it is one of those that recorded the greatest deterioration in crime statistics with violence, since those crimes increased by 41 percent. It also increased its homicide rate by 6 percent and that of kidnapping and trafficking in persons by 32 percent. Of course, the statistics of crimes related to organized crime decreased by 35 percent, and that of extortion fell by 25 percent.

Despite insecurity, there is no drop in tourism

Quintana Roo, one of the five least peaceful entities, reported an increase of 106 percent in homicide cases, 85 percent in incidents with firearms, the rate increased 15 times in three years, and 43 percent in crimes violent. Its rating has deteriorated while crimes related to organized crime, homicides, violent incidents, firearms, as well as murders,  have increased.

"The increase in violence related to organized crime led to homicides reaching a peak in 2018, when in the entire state there were 500 deaths attributed to gang violence between January and August 2018," states the IPM report.

It is striking that the same document indicates that these indicators have not had much impact on the tourism industry. Quintana Roo is located in the important resort city of Cancun, one of the main tourist destinations in Mexico. In 2018, no other city in Latin America received as many visitors as Cancun, and the state's economy grew by more than 3.32 percent.