Tabasco recorded a decline in the perception of insecurity, although the state continues to have one of the highest levels in Mexico, according to the 2026 National Survey on Urban Public Security Victimization and Perception (ENVIPE) released by Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) on September 10, 2026.
The survey found that 87.6% of people aged 18 and over in Tabasco considered it unsafe to live in their state because of crime between February and April 2026. This represented an improvement compared with 89.8% recorded in the previous measurement, a reduction of 2.2 percentage points. Despite the decrease, Tabasco ranked third nationally in perceived insecurity, behind the State of Mexico, at 90%, and Morelos, at 88.7%.
At the national level, the perception of insecurity was 74.0%, also lower than the previous year’s figure. The decrease was not limited to the state level: nationally, 60.9% of adults said they felt unsafe in their municipality or territorial district, while 35.9% felt unsafe in their neighborhood or locality.
Fewer Victims and Fewer Estimated Crimes in Tabasco
The ENVIPE 2026 also reported a decline in the rate of people who were victims of crime in Tabasco. In 2025, the state recorded an estimated 23,529 victims per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with 24,874 per 100,000 in 2024. This represents a reduction of approximately 5.4%.
The national survey estimated that 23.0 million people aged 18 and over were victims of at least one crime in Mexico during 2025. Nationwide, 11.7 million households, equivalent to 28.5% of all households, had at least one member who was a victim of crime.
Across Mexico, the most common crimes included fraud, extortion, and robbery or assault on the street or on public transportation.
The “Hidden Figure” of Crime Remains a Major Problem
One of the most important findings of ENVIPE 2026 is the continued high level of unreported crime.
INEGI estimated that 33.8 million crimes occurred in Mexico during 2025, but only 9.0% were reported to authorities. Of those reported crimes, an investigation file was opened in 73.5% of cases. As a result, 93.4% of all crimes were either not reported or did not lead to an investigation, a situation known as the country’s “hidden figure” of crime.
The most common reason people gave for not reporting a crime was that they believed doing so would be a waste of time, at 35.8%. Other reasons included considering the crime unimportant, distrust of authorities, lack of evidence, complicated procedures, and fear of the offender.
Insecurity Continues to Affect Daily Life
Despite the improvement in perception, insecurity continues to influence people’s behavior. According to the survey, among Mexicans aged 18 and over, the activities most frequently abandoned because of fear of crime in 2025 were allowing children in the household to go out without an adult and going out at night.
Nationally, 43.4% of adults said they felt safe walking alone at night around their homes during February-April 2026. The figure was considerably lower among women, at 35.4%, compared with 52.4% among men.
Security Remains Mexico’s Main Concern
The survey also showed that insecurity continues to be one of the country’s biggest concerns. Between February and April 2026, 60.7% of Mexicans aged 18 and over identified insecurity as the country’s most serious problem. Health followed with 36.7%, while rising prices were mentioned by 33.8%.
In this context, Tabasco’s 87.6% perception rate remains particularly significant. Although the indicator improved, the state was still among the three entities where residents reported the greatest feeling of insecurity.
Trust in Security Institutions
The ENVIPE also measured public confidence in security institutions. Between February and April 2026, the Navy was the institution that generated the highest level of trust nationwide, with 89.5% of respondents saying they had “a lot” or “some” confidence in it. The Mexican Air Force followed with 88.9%.
The results therefore present a mixed picture for Tabasco: the state has experienced a measurable improvement in both victimization rates and perceptions of insecurity, but the perception of insecurity remains extremely high, and the state continues to rank near the top nationally.
The ENVIPE results refer to different periods: crime victimization figures describe experiences during 2025, while perceptions of public security were measured between February and April 2026. This distinction is important when comparing the figures with current crime statistics.
Source: oem
