(Bloomberg) -- Over 6,500 victims of extortion were reported in Mexico in the first six months of the year, the worst level in over a decade, according to a major business group.
Extortion grew more than 9% compared to the first half of 2025, business group Coparmex said in an analysis of government data published Sunday. Most of the threats were made by phone or online, it said.
The official figure reflects victims recorded in criminal investigation files by prosecutors’ offices but is widely believed to be an undercount. The crime is frequently not reported out of victims’ fear of reprisal.
Morelos and Queretaro had the highest rates of extortion relative to their population, followed by Zacatecas and Mexico City, government data showed. Coparmex indicated that when combined with official data about the perception of insecurity and an estimate of underreporting, Morelos, Tabasco and Mexico State had the greatest problems with extortion.
While homicides and kidnappings have fallen dramatically, according to official data, extortion has persisted, proving a challenge for the anti-corruption message of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Mexico’s government has taken on extortion as one of its biggest challenges, arresting the mayor of the country’s most famous tequila-producing town after he allegedly shook down businesses and targeting other top officials in a bid to root out corrupt politicians. The mayor of the municipality with the highest rate of extortion, Cuautla, in Morelos state, was detained in May. Another current and former mayor in Morelos were arrested earlier this year.
Sheinbaum’s administration has faced pressure from the US to do more to address corruption. The US indicted Sinaloa state governor Rubén Rocha Moya in April after accusing him of collusion with the state’s drug-exporting cartel.
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