Mexico prison population jumps 19% in 2025, adding 157,000 inmates

In 2025 Mexico’s penitentiary system recorded a 19.2% rise in admissions, with 157,457 new detainees bringing the total incarcerated population to 231,436. The surge pushed the occupancy rate to 186.3 prisoners per 100,000 inhabitants. Preventive detention surged 13.6% annually, meaning 42.2% of those behind bars are held without a final sentence; women are especially impacted, with 52.6% lacking a formal conviction.

Most new inmates are first‑time offenders (76.2%). The largest influx occurred in Baja California (21,062 new admissions), the State of Mexico (18,589), Sonora (15,617), Coahuila (10,177) and Nuevo León (8,177). In Quintana Roo, 3,488 people entered prison in 2025—three times the combined admissions of neighboring Yucatán and Campeche—driven largely by drug‑related offenses, homicide and robbery. Across the three Yucatán Peninsula states, men account for roughly 89% of admissions.