One of the most frequent questions asked when a person is considering a move to Mexico: \u201cIs it safe?\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a fair, instinctive question to ask \u2013 instinctive because we like to protect ourselves, and fair because a lot of what we see and hear puts Mexico in a negative light. The news always seems scary, movies have never met a cartel they didn\u2019t want to dramatize, and \u201cit happened to me\u201d TikToks far outstrip the \u201cI went to Mexico and nothing happened\u201d ones.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s some reality: Movies like to highlight cartels because a family eating dinner, two kids whining about homework, and an hour of TV before bed would make for an extremely boring film. Real or invented horror stories that reinforce people\u2019s perceptions of a country get lots of views. And the concept of \u201csafety,\u201d when you break it down, involves numerous considerations \u2013 some of which will be priorities for you, and some of which won\u2019t.<\/p>\n
So here\u2019s what you need to know about the overall safety \u2013 \u201csafety\u201d \u2013 of Mexico.<\/p>\n
The hard statistics about factors that influence safety can\u2019t be ignored. But they can<\/em> be massaged, misused, and misunderstood to affect the way they\u2019re interpreted. A little bit of context can make a big difference.<\/p>\n Putting the data in context doesn\u2019t change the numbers, but it does give you a framework to understand what they mean. Jen Barnett has a particularly nuanced view of the subject, as co-founder of Expatsi and as an immigrant herself who moved to M\u00e9rida in 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cM\u00e9rida is actually listed as one of the safest cities in all of the Americas, and it has 1\/40th<\/sup> as many murders per capita as Birmingham, Alabama \u2013 where I come from,\u201d Jen says. \u201cI felt safe in Birmingham, so I definitely do here.\u201d<\/p>\n Perception also plays a major part. In U.S. News\u2019 2024 ranking<\/a> of the world\u2019s safest countries, based on perception<\/em>, Belgium tops the list. But on the World Population Review\u2019s statistically based ranking<\/a>, Belgium comes in at 16th<\/sup>. The simple belief that a given country is safe or unsafe is its own reinforcement.<\/p>\n And, of course, those depictions of Mexico in media only add to the negative perception \u2013 fictionalized cartel violence makes for more dramatic filmmaking, and real cartel violence makes for more dramatic news reporting, to the point that positive depictions of Mexico aren\u2019t found outside of Pixar films. (And that negative image includes a literal<\/em> image \u2013 the warm, sepia-toned \u201cMexican filter<\/a>\u201d that makes a setting look hot, gritty, and threatening.)<\/p>\n But, as in any country, the fictional drama is far from representative of the reality of life in Mexico. \u201cKeep in mind that Mexico is huge, and 130 million people go about their business every day completely unaware that millions of Americans are afraid of them,\u201d Jen says wryly.<\/p>\n The question of safety takes on extra nuance when you\u2019re part of a marginalized group. When you often find yourself targeted \u2013 due to your race, religion<\/a>, sexual orientation<\/a>, or other factor \u2013 other concerns arise. Do laws protect or oppress people like me? Will authorities enforce those laws if a problem arises? Will my new neighbors accept and embrace me, regardless of what the law says?<\/p>\n\n
Perception<\/h2>\n
A deeper degree of safety<\/h2>\n