Overview
- Mexico ranks fourth behind Palestine, Myanmar and Syria, with Ecuador sixth, Brazil seventh and Haiti eighth in ACLED’s 2025 global danger index.
- ACLED says gang and armed‑group activity drives much of the region’s violence, using a methodology that weighs deaths, risk to civilians, geographic spread and the number of armed groups.
- In Mexico, ACLED recorded 8,070 political‑violence events through late 2024 to November 2025 and documented 360 attacks targeting political figures, noting broad geographic spread and high fragmentation.
- The group links Mexico’s volatility to Sinaloa Cartel infighting after Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada’s July 2024 arrest, including reports of a 400% year‑on‑year jump in August homicides in Sinaloa.
- Ecuador’s rise reflects more than 1,000 additional deaths and activity by 50+ armed groups, while Haiti saw over 4,500 deaths and Brazil faced lethal gang clashes; globally, ACLED notes violence across nearly 70% of Gaza and over 1,200 armed groups active in Myanmar.