Crime against businesses in Mexico cost 115.1 billion pesos in 2025, equivalent to 0.46% of GDP, according to the INEGI, National Survey of Business Victimization (ENVE) 2026, released this month. The figure, measured at July 2018 prices, includes losses from crime and what businesses spent to protect themselves, and is lower than the 124.3 billion estimated for 2023.
The survey, covering 36,442 private-sector business units, estimates there were 3 million crimes against businesses in 2025 and that 2,593 of every 10,000 establishments were victims, or one in four. Extortion was the most common crime, and nine in ten crimes were not reported. These are the main findings of ENVE 2026 on crime against businesses in Mexico.
View the data as a table
| Total cost of crime | 115.1 bn |
| Crimes against businesses | 3.0 million |
| Victimized businesses per 10,000 | 2,593 |
| Unreported crimes | 91.8% |
How much crime against businesses costs Mexico
The cost of crime adds losses from theft, fraud, extortion and damage to spending on preventive measures. In 2025, preventive spending was 58.9 billion pesos, the lowest in the series. The most expensive year was 2019, at 217.4 billion and 0.90% of GDP:
View the data as a table
| Total cost | Spending on prevention | |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 152 | 63 |
| 2013 | 134 | 60 |
| 2015 | 158 | 84 |
| 2017 | 163 | 72 |
| 2019 | 217 | 128 |
| 2021 | 106 | 62 |
| 2023 | 124 | 67 |
| 2025 | 115 | 59 |
| Year | Total cost (billions) | % of GDP | Preventive spending (billions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 151.7 | 0.75% | 62.8 |
| 2013 | 134.1 | 0.65% | 59.6 |
| 2015 | 158.4 | 0.72% | 83.6 |
| 2017 | 163.0 | 0.69% | 71.9 |
| 2019 | 217.4 | 0.90% | 127.7 |
| 2021 | 105.9 | 0.45% | 61.6 |
| 2023 | 124.3 | 0.51% | 67.2 |
| 2025 | 115.1 | 0.46% | 58.9 |
Source: INEGI, National Survey of Business Victimization (ENVE) 2026; pesos at second-half-of-July-2018 prices. The average cost of crime per victimized establishment was 44,560 pesos in 2025. For context on prices in the Mexican economy, see Mexico's October inflation.
Extortion, the most common crime against businesses
In 2025 there were 1,467 extortions for every 10,000 business units, 26.2% of all crimes against businesses, according to INEGI. They are followed by petty theft, the constant small-scale stealing of merchandise, and robbery of goods or cash. Fraud and cybercrime were the only ones that rose compared with 2023:
| Type of crime | 2023 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extortion | 1,562 | 1,467 | -6.1% |
| Petty theft (shrinkage) | 1,002 | 954 | -4.8% |
| Robbery of goods or cash | 1,030 | 885 | -14.1% |
| Fraud | 522 | 633 | +21.3% |
| Corruption | 771 | 588 | -23.7% |
| Theft of goods in transit | 500 | 389 | -22.2% |
| Vehicle theft (total or partial) | 380 | 332 | -12.6% |
| Cybercrime | 150 | 180 | +20.0% |
| Other crimes | 197 | 177 | -10.2% |
Source: INEGI, National Survey of Business Victimization (ENVE) 2026; rate per 10,000 business units. According to INEGI, the changes in fraud (+21%), theft of goods in transit and robbery are statistically significant. The share of businesses that feel unsafe moving goods through industrial corridors rose from 43.2% to 52.6% between 2024 and 2026.
The states with the most crime against businesses
Baja California has the highest share of victimized businesses, 3,965 per 10,000, and also the most crimes: 19,676 per 10,000 business units, more than three times the national average. It is followed by Querétaro and Chihuahua. At the other end are Yucatán, Jalisco and Guerrero:
| Baja California | 3,965 | 19,676 |
| Querétaro | 3,875 | 9,494 |
| Chihuahua | 3,579 | 10,647 |
| Tlaxcala | 3,540 | 8,251 |
| Baja California Sur | 3,352 | 5,206 |
| Campeche | 3,347 | 6,778 |
| Colima | 3,312 | 11,219 |
| Sinaloa | 3,139 | 4,804 |
| Ciudad de México | 3,057 | 6,181 |
| Durango | 2,883 | 8,364 |
| Aguascalientes | 2,863 | 7,230 |
| San Luis Potosí | 2,844 | 8,090 |
| Morelos | 2,692 | 6,055 |
| Zacatecas | 2,683 | 6,206 |
| Michoacán | 2,680 | 4,546 |
| Hidalgo | 2,675 | 5,208 |
| Puebla | 2,663 | 5,703 |
| Estado de México | 2,580 | 4,037 |
| Sonora | 2,531 | 4,407 |
| Tabasco | 2,483 | 3,871 |
| Nuevo León | 2,453 | 6,379 |
| Chiapas | 2,367 | 5,308 |
| Guanajuato | 2,351 | 3,903 |
| Nayarit | 2,324 | 3,484 |
| Coahuila | 2,279 | 3,878 |
| Quintana Roo | 2,233 | 3,528 |
| Veracruz | 2,217 | 4,456 |
| Tamaulipas | 2,217 | 5,122 |
| Oaxaca | 2,136 | 6,532 |
| Guerrero | 2,033 | 3,619 |
| Jalisco | 1,861 | 3,874 |
| Yucatán | 1,800 | 3,373 |
Medium-sized companies, the hardest hit
Micro-businesses suffer the least crime proportionally: 2,507 of every 10,000 were victims in 2025, versus 5,186 medium-sized firms and 4,840 large ones. By sector, retail is the hardest hit (3,049 per 10,000), followed by services (2,287) and industry (1,881). Micro-businesses also report the least: their share of unreported crime reaches 93.0%, versus 70.7% at large companies.
Why crimes against businesses go largely unreported
Only 9.9% of crimes against businesses were reported in 2025, and an investigation was opened in 8.2%. Of the 3 million crimes, just 1.0% ended with a favorable outcome at the state prosecutor's office, such as recovering the goods or bringing the offender before a judge. The share of unreported crime, meaning no complaint or no investigation, was 91.8%, one of the highest since 2011:
View the data as a table
| Unreported | |
|---|---|
| 2011 | 88.1% |
| 2013 | 88.1% |
| 2015 | 90.3% |
| 2017 | 86.6% |
| 2019 | 92.0% |
| 2021 | 91.5% |
| 2023 | 90.3% |
| 2025 | 91.8% |
To protect themselves, businesses mostly rely on alarms or cameras (26.6% of preventive measures) and locks or padlocks (25.7%); only 3.8% of measures were protection against cyberattacks. Insecurity remains their main concern: 57.1% of business units cited it in 2026, ahead of a lack of government support (32.3%) and people's low purchasing power (27.8%).
Frequently asked questions
What is the ENVE?
INEGI's National Survey of Business Victimization. The 2026 edition interviewed 36,442 private business units and measures crimes that occurred in 2025.
How much did crime cost businesses in 2025?
115.1 billion pesos at July 2018 prices, 0.46% of GDP.
What is the most common crime against businesses?
Extortion: 1,467 per 10,000 business units, 26.2% of the total.
Which state has the most crime against businesses?
Baja California, with 3,965 victimized businesses and 19,676 crimes per 10,000 business units.
