Extortion in Mexico: Centro, Norte and Bajío regions account for 85% of cases, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico): Extortion in Mexico has escalated to a critical level during 2026, establishing itself as one of the country’s main economic and security threats, according to the civil organization México Evalúa. Its investigation found that, despite reductions in lethal violence indicators such as intentional homicide, extortion shows a 65 percent increase in its national victim rate per 100,000 inhabitants compared with 2015 levels.
The group states that the crime shows a clear geographic bias, targeting the nation’s economic engines. The Centro Metropolitano, Norte Industrial and Bajío-Occidente regions, strategic corridors for manufacturing, logistics and trade under the USMCA (T-MEC) framework, account for 85% of victims nationwide.
The report also warns of an accelerating displacement and fragmentation of the crime.
Specifically, the Centro Metropolitano recorded 8.1 victims per 100,000 inhabitants, the Norte Industrial 7.7 and the Bajío-Occidente 7.5. The Golfo and Sur-suroeste zone and the export-oriented Noroeste each recorded 3 victims, while the national rate was 6.3 victims per 100,000 inhabitants, which the report says shows extortion is also an economic problem.
The eight priority states of the National Strategy against Extortion reduced the number of victims by 13% between 2025 and 2026. In the rest of the country, however, the indicator rose 30%.
Six of the states with the most alarming rates, Morelos, Zacatecas, Colima, Querétaro, Baja California Sur and Tabasco, operate outside the official priority attention radar, which the group says demonstrates the adaptability of criminal networks toward less-monitored territories.
Locally, extortion was reported in 729 municipalities nationwide between January and September 2026. However, a select group of just 42 municipalities, less than 6% of those affected, accounts for half of all national victims.
The report says the crime hits peripheral municipalities and intermediate industrial hubs, such as the Irapuato-Salamanca-Celaya axis, harder than state capitals.
The report also identifies a serious methodological obstacle to effectively combating extortion: widespread underreporting estimated at 97.5%, according to ENVIPE estimates from INEGI. México Evalúa notes that inconsistent recording criteria among local prosecutors’ offices and chronic fear of reporting obscure the true magnitude of the problem.
