Mexico

Mexico was the site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations -- including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec -- until Spain conquered and colonized the area in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved independence early in the 19th century. Elections held in 2000 marked the first time since Mexican Revolution in 1910 that an opposition candidate -- Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) -- defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but Enrique PEÑA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Left-leaning anti-establishment politician and former mayor of Mexico City (2000-05) Andrés Manuel LÓPEZ OBRADOR, from the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), became president in 2018. The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, or T-MEC by its Spanish acronym) entered into force in 2020 and replaced its predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Mexico amended its constitution in 2019 to facilitate the implementation of the labor components of USMCA. Mexico is currently the US's second-largest goods trading partner, after Canada. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, high underemployment, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities, particularly for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful transnational criminal organizations have engaged in a struggle to control criminal markets, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides and forced disappearances.

land

1,943,945 sq km

total

1,964,375 sq km

water

20,430 sq km

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

varies from tropical to desert

9,330 km

highest point

Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,636 m

lowest point

Laguna Salada -10 m

mean elevation

1,111 m

23 00 N, 102 00 W

note 1: strategic location on southern border of the US; Mexico is one of the countries along the Ring of Fire, a belt of active volcanoes and earthquake epicenters bordering the Pacific Ocean; up to 90% of the world's earthquakes and some 75% of the world's volcanoes occur within the Ring of Fire note 2: some of the world's most important food crops were first domesticated in Mexico; the "Three Sisters" companion plants -- winter squash, maize (corn), and climbing beans -- served as the main agricultural crops for various North American Indian groups; all three apparently originated in Mexico but then were widely disseminated through much of North America; avocado, amaranth, and chili peppers also emanate from Mexico, as does vanilla, the world's most popular aroma and flavor spice; although cherry tomatoes originated in Ecuador, their domestication in Mexico transformed them into the larger modern tomatonote 3: the Sac Actun cave system at 348 km (216 mi) is the longest underwater cave in the world and the second longest cave worldwide, after Mammoth Cave in the United States (see "Geography - note" under United States)note 4: the prominent Yucatán Peninsula that divides the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea is shared by Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize; just on the northern coast of Yucatan, near the town of Chicxulub (pronounce cheek-sha-loob), lie the remnants of a massive crater (some 150 km in diameter and extending well out into the Gulf of Mexico); formed by an asteroid or comet when it struck the earth 66 million years ago, the impact is now widely accepted as initiating a worldwide climate disruption that caused a mass extinction of 75% of all the earth's plant and animal species -- including the non-avian dinosaurs

60,620 sq km (2020)

border countries

Belize 276 km; Guatemala 958 km; US 3,155 km

total

4,389 km

agricultural land

54.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 11.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 1.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 41.7% (2018 est.)

forest

33.3% (2018 est.)

other

11.8% (2018 est.)

North America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the United States and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the United States

Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains Aquifer

fresh water lake(s)

Laguna de Chapala - 1,140 sq km

salt water lake(s)

Laguna de Terminos - 1,550 sq km

Rio Grande river mouth (shared with US [s]) - 3,057 km; Colorado river mouth (shared with US [s]) - 2,333 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Gulf of Mexico) Rio Grande/Bravo (607,965 sq km)Pacific Ocean drainage: (Gulf of California) Colorado (703,148 sq km)

North America

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coastsvolcanism: volcanic activity in the central-southern part of the country; the volcanoes in Baja California are mostly dormant; Colima (3,850 m), which erupted in 2010, is Mexico's most active volcano and is responsible for causing periodic evacuations of nearby villagers; it has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Popocatepetl (5,426 m) poses a threat to Mexico City; other historically active volcanoes include Barcena, Ceboruco, El Chichon, Michoacan-Guanajuato, Pico de Orizaba, San Martin, Socorro, and Tacana; see note 2 under "Geography - note"

petroleum, silver, antimony, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber

most of the population is found in the middle of the country between the states of Jalisco and Veracruz; approximately a quarter of the population lives in and around Mexico City

high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert

0-14 years

23.3% (male 15,647,805/female 14,754,004)

15-64 years

68.6% (male 43,651,105/female 45,983,174)

65 years and over

8.2% (2024 est.) (male 4,600,228/female 6,103,611)

beer

3.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

4.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

14.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

women married by age 15

3.6%

women married by age 18

20.7% (2018 est.)

4.2% (2021)

73.1% (2018)

6.2% of GDP (2020)

56.6% (2023 est.)

6.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

elderly dependency ratio

12.2

potential support ratio

8.2 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

49.4

youth dependency ratio

37.3

improved: rural

rural: 98.3% of population

improved: total

total: 99.7% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 1.7% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0.3% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

4.3% of GDP (2018 est.)

Mestizo (Indigenous-Spanish) 62%, predominantly Indigenous 21%, Indigenous 7%, other 10% (mostly European) (2012 est.)

note

note: Mexico does not collect census data on ethnicity

0.88 (2024 est.)

1 beds/1,000 population (2018)

female

10.9 deaths/1,000 live births

male

13.4 deaths/1,000 live births

total

12.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

Languages

Spanish only 93.8%, Spanish and indigenous languages (including Mayan, Nahuatl, and others) 5.4%, indigenous only 0.6%, unspecified 0.2% (2020 est.)

major-language sample(s)

La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

female

77.7 years

male

71.6 years

total population

74.6 years (2024 est.)

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

94.5% (2020)

male

96.1%

total population

95.2%

22.281 million MEXICO CITY (capital), 5.420 million Guadalajara, 5.117 million Monterrey, 3.345 million Puebla, 2.626 million Toluca de Lerdo, 2.260 million Tijuana (2023)

59 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

female

32.7 years

male

28.8 years

total

30.8 years (2024 est.)

21.3 years (2008 est.)

adjective

Mexican

noun

Mexican(s)

-0.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

28.9% (2016)

2.43 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

female

66,840,789 (2024 est.)

male

63,899,138

total

130,739,927

most of the population is found in the middle of the country between the states of Jalisco and Veracruz; approximately a quarter of the population lives in and around Mexico City

0.72% (2024 est.)

Roman Catholic 78%, Protestant/evangelical Christian 11.2%, other 0.002%, unaffiliated (includes atheism) 10.6% (2020 est.)

improved: rural

rural: 96.4% of population

improved: total

total: 99.2% of population

improved: urban

urban: 99.9% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 3.6% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0.8% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0.1% of population

female

15 years (2020)

male

15 years

total

15 years

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.75 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

female

6.2% (2020 est.)

male

19.9% (2020 est.)

total

13.1% (2020 est.)

1.79 children born/woman (2024 est.)

rate of urbanization

1.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

81.6% of total population (2023)

32 states (estados, singular - estado); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima, Cuidad de Mexico, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatan, Zacatecas

daylight saving time

DST was permanently removed in October 2022

etymology

named after the Mexica, the largest and most powerful branch of the Aztecs; the meaning of the name is uncertain

geographic coordinates

19 26 N, 99 08 W

name

Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico)

time difference

UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

time zone note

Mexico has four time zones

citizenship by birth

yes

citizenship by descent only

yes

dual citizenship recognized

not specified

residency requirement for naturalization

5 years

amendments

proposed by the Congress of the Union; passage requires approval by at least two thirds of the members present and approval by a majority of the state legislatures; amended many times, last in 2024

history

several previous; latest approved 5 February 1917

conventional long form

United Mexican States

conventional short form

Mexico

etymology

named after the capital city, whose name stems from the Mexica, the largest and most powerful branch of the Aztecs; the meaning of the name is uncertain

former

Mexican Republic, Mexican Empire

local long form

Estados Unidos Mexicanos

local short form

Mexico

chief of mission

Ambassador Ken SALAZAR (since 14 September 2021)

consulate(s) general

Ciudad Juárez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Matamoros, Mérida, Monterrey, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana

email address and website

ACSMexicoCity@state.govhttps://mx.usembassy.gov/

embassy

Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtémoc, 06500 Mexico, CDMX

FAX

(011) 52-55-5080-2005

mailing address

8700 Mexico City Place, Washington DC  20521-8700

telephone

(011) [52]-55-5080-2000

chancery

1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006

chief of mission

Ambassador Esteban MOCTEZUMA Barragán (since 20 April 2021)

consulate(s)

Albuquerque (NM), Boise (ID), Brownsville (TX), Calexico (CA), Del Rio (TX), Detroit (MI), Douglas (AZ), Eagle Pass (TX), Fresno (CA), Indianapolis (IN), Kansas City (MO), Las Vegas (NV), Little Rock (AR), Los Angeles (CA), McAllen (TX), Milwaukee (WI), New Orleans (LA), Oklahoma City (OK), Omaha (NE), Orlando (FL), Oxnard (CA), Philadelphia (PA), Portland (OR), Presidio (TX), Salt Lake City (UT), San Bernardino (CA), Santa Ana (CA), Seattle (WA), St. Paul (MN), Tucson (AZ), Yuma (AZ)

consulate(s) general

Atlanta (GA), Austin (TX), Boston (MA), Chicago (IL), Dallas (TX), Denver (GA), El Paso (TX), Houston (TX), Laredo (TX), Miami (FL), New York (NY), Nogales (AZ), Phoenix (AZ), Raleigh (NC), Sacramento (CA), San Antonio (TX), San Diego (CA), San Francisco (CA), San Jose (CA), San Juan (Puerto Rico)

email address and website

mexembusa@sre.gob.mxhttps://embamex.sre.gob.mx/eua/index.php/en/

FAX

[1] (202) 728-1698

note

 

telephone

[1] (202) 728-1600

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president

chief of state

President Claudia SHEINBAUM Pardo (since 1 October 2024)

election results

2024: Claudia SHEINBAUM Pardo elected president; percent of vote - Claudia SHEINBAUM Pardo (MORENA) 59.4%, Xóchitl GÁLVEZ Ruiz (PAN) 27.9%, Jorge Álvarez MÁYNEZ (MC) 10.4%, other 2.3%2018: Andrés Manuel LÓPEZ OBRADOR elected president; percent of vote - Andrés Manuel LÓPEZ OBRADOR (MORENA) 53.2%, Ricardo ANAYA Cortés (PAN) 22.3%, José Antonio MEADE Kuribreña (PRI) 16.4%, Jaime RODRÍGUEZ Calderón (independent) 5.2%, other 2.9%2012: Enrique PEÑA NIETO elected president; percent of vote - Enrique PEÑA NIETO (PRI) 38.2%, Andrés Manuel LÓPEZ OBRADOR (PRD) 31.6%, Josefina Eugenia VÁZQUEZ Mota (PAN) 25.4%, other 4.8%

elections/appointments

president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a single 6-year term; election last held on 2 June 2024 (next to be held in 2030)

head of government

President Claudia SHEINBAUM Pardo (since 1 October 2024)

note

note: the president is both chief of state and head of government

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; Mexico's coat of arms (an eagle with a snake in its beak perched on a cactus) is centered in the white band; green signifies hope, joy, and love; white represents peace and honesty; red stands for hardiness, bravery, strength, and valor; the coat of arms is derived from a legend that the wandering Aztec people were to settle at a location where they would see an eagle on a cactus eating a snake; the city they founded, Tenochtitlan, is now Mexico City

note

note: similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter, uses lighter shades of green and red, and does not display anything in its white band

federal presidential republic

16 September 1810 (declared independence from Spain); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

ACS, APEC, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CABEI, CAN (observer), Caricom (observer), CD, CDB, CE (observer), CELAC, CSN (observer), EBRD, FAO, FATF, G-3, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-5, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAES, LAIA, MIGA, NAFTA, NAM (observer), NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, Pacific Alliance, Paris Club (associate), PCA, SICA (observer), UN, UNASUR (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina (observer), UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, USMCA, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

highest court(s)

Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (consists of the chief justice and 11 justices and organized into civil, criminal, administrative, and labor panels) and the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (organized into the superior court, with 7 judges including the court president, and 5 regional courts, each with 3 judges)

judge selection and term of office

Supreme Court justices nominated by the president of the republic and approved by two-thirds vote of the members present in the Senate; justices serve 15-year terms; Electoral Tribunal superior and regional court judges nominated by the Supreme Court and elected by two-thirds vote of members present in the Senate; superior court president elected from among its members to hold office for a 4-year term; other judges of the superior and regional courts serve staggered, 9-year terms

note

note: in April 2021, the Mexican congress passed a judicial reform which changed 7 articles of the constitution and preceded a new Organic Law on the Judicial Branch of the Federation

subordinate courts

federal level includes circuit, collegiate, and unitary courts; state and district level courts

civil law system with US constitutional law influence; judicial review of legislative acts

description

bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Unión consists of:Senate or Cámara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 32 directly elected in a single, nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 6-year terms)Chamber of Deputies or Cámara de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 200 directly elected in a single, nationwide constituency by proportional representation vote; members serve 3-year terms)

election results

Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; note - awaiting official results from the 2 June 2024 electionChamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; note - awaiting official results from the 2 June 2024 election

elections

Senate - last held on 2 June 2024 (next to be held in 2030)Chamber of Deputies - last held on 2 June 2024 (next to be held in 2027)

note

note: as of the 2018 election, senators will be eligible for a second term and deputies up to 4 consecutive terms

lyrics/music

Francisco Gonzalez BOCANEGRA/Jaime Nuno ROCA

name

"Himno Nacional Mexicano" (National Anthem of Mexico)

note

note: adopted 1943, in use since 1854; also known as "Mexicanos, al grito de Guerra" (Mexicans, to the War Cry); according to tradition, Francisco Gonzalez BOCANEGRA, an accomplished poet, was uninterested in submitting lyrics to a national anthem contest; his fiancee locked him in a room and refused to release him until the lyrics were completed

selected World Heritage Site locales

Historic Mexico City (c); Earliest 16th-Century Monasteries on the Slopes of Popocatepetl (c); Teotihuacan (c); Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino (n); Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (n); Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley (m); Historic Puebla (c); El Tajin (c); Historic Tlacotalpan (c); Historic Oaxaca and Monte Albán (c); Palenque (c); Chichen-Itza (c); Uxmal (c)

total World Heritage Sites

35 (27 cultural, 6 natural, 2 mixed)

Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

golden eagle, dahlia; national colors: green, white, red

Citizen's Movement (Movimiento Ciudadano) or MCInstitutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) or PRILabor Party (Partido del Trabajo) or PTMexican Green Ecological Party (Partido Verde Ecologista de México) or PVEMMovement for National Regeneration (Movimiento Regeneración Nacional) or MORENANational Action Party (Partido Acción Nacional) or PANParty of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolución Democrática) or PRDThis Is For Mexico (Va Por México) (alliance that includes PAN, PRI, and PRD)Together We Make History (Juntos Hacemos Historia) (alliance that included MORENA, PT, PVEM) (dissolved 23 December 2020)

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

sugarcane, maize, milk, oranges, sorghum, tomatoes, chicken, wheat, chilies/peppers, lemons/limes (2022)

note

note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

on alcohol and tobacco

3.6% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

on food

25.7% of household expenditures (2022 est.)

expenditures

$327.211 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

revenues

$282.751 billion (2022 est.)

Fitch rating

BBB- (2020)

Moody's rating

Baa1 (2020)

note

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

Standard & Poors rating

BBB (2020)

Current account balance 2021

-$4.493 billion (2021 est.)

Current account balance 2022

-$17.667 billion (2022 est.)

Current account balance 2023

-$5.716 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Debt - external 2022

$286.005 billion (2022 est.)

note

note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

upper-middle income economy; highly integrated with US via trade and nearshore manufacturing; low unemployment; inflation gradually decreasing amid tight monetary policy; state intervention in energy sector and public infrastructure projects; challenges from income inequality, corruption, and cartel-based violence

Currency

Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2019

19.264 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

21.486 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

20.272 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

20.127 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

17.759 (2023 est.)

Exports 2021

$537.714 billion (2021 est.)

Exports 2022

$630.384 billion (2022 est.)

Exports 2023

$649.312 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

cars, computers, vehicle parts/accessories, crude petroleum, trucks (2022)

note

note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

US 77%, Canada 4%, China 2%, Taiwan 1%, South Korea 1% (2022)

note

note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

exports of goods and services

36.2% (2023 est.)

government consumption

11% (2023 est.)

household consumption

70.4% (2023 est.)

imports of goods and services

-37.9% (2023 est.)

investment in fixed capital

24.4% (2023 est.)

investment in inventories

0.4% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

agriculture

4% (2023 est.)

industry

31.8% (2023 est.)

note

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

services

58.3% (2023 est.)

$1.789 trillion (2023 est.)

note

note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2022

43.5 (2022 est.)

note

note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality

highest 10%

34.4% (2022 est.)

lowest 10%

2.1% (2022 est.)

note

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Imports 2021

$560.842 billion (2021 est.)

Imports 2022

$672.914 billion (2022 est.)

Imports 2023

$673.828 billion (2023 est.)

note

note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

refined petroleum, vehicle parts/accessories, machine parts, integrated circuits, natural gas (2022)

note

note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

US 56%, China 17%, Germany 3%, South Korea 3%, Japan 2% (2022)

note

note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

3.52% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

5.69% (2021 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

7.9% (2022 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

5.53% (2023 est.)

note

note: annual % change based on consumer prices

60.042 million (2023 est.)

note

note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

36.3% (2022 est.)

note

note: % of population with income below national poverty line

note

note: central government debt as a % of GDP

Public debt 2022

44.05% of GDP (2022 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$2.678 trillion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$2.783 trillion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$2.873 trillion (2023 est.)

note

note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP growth rate 2021

5.74% (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2022

3.95% (2022 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2023

3.23% (2023 est.)

note

note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2021

$21,100 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$21,800 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$22,400 (2023 est.)

note

note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Remittances 2021

4.19% of GDP (2021 est.)

Remittances 2022

4.2% of GDP (2022 est.)

Remittances 2023

3.7% of GDP (2023 est.)

note

note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021

$207.799 billion (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022

$201.119 billion (2022 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023

$214.317 billion (2023 est.)

13.44% (of GDP) (2022 est.)

note

note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

note

note: % of labor force seeking employment

Unemployment rate 2021

4.02% (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

3.26% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

2.81% (2023 est.)

female

6.7% (2023 est.)

male

5.8% (2023 est.)

note

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

total

6.1% (2023 est.)

from coal and metallurgical coke

38.781 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from consumed natural gas

168.494 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

246.324 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

total emissions

453.6 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

consumption

18.423 million metric tons (2022 est.)

exports

2,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports

9.917 million metric tons (2022 est.)

production

7.453 million metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves

1.211 billion metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption

296.969 billion kWh (2022 est.)

exports

1.447 billion kWh (2022 est.)

imports

4.551 billion kWh (2022 est.)

installed generating capacity

104.318 million kW (2022 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

39.275 billion kWh (2022 est.)

electrification - rural areas

100%

electrification - total population

100% (2022 est.)

electrification - urban areas

99.8%

biomass and waste

0.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

fossil fuels

75% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

geothermal

1.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

hydroelectricity

10.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

nuclear

3.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

solar

3.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

wind

6.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Total energy consumption per capita 2022

59.319 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

consumption

90.566 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

exports

30.129 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports

59.436 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

production

31.422 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

proven reserves

180.322 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors

1.55GW (2023 est.)

Number of operational nuclear reactors

2 (2023)

Percent of total electricity production

4.9% (2023 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

5.786 billion barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

1.737 million bbl/day (2023 est.)

total petroleum production

2.101 million bbl/day (2023 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

17 (2020 est.)

total

21,936,131 (2020 est.)

telecom reform in 2013 enabled the creation of new broadcast television channels after decades of a quasi-monopoly; Mexico has 885 TV stations and 1,841 radio stations and most are privately owned; the Televisa group once had a virtual monopoly in TV broadcasting, but new broadcasting groups and foreign satellite and cable operators are now available; in 2016, Mexico became the first country in Latin America to complete the transition from analog to digital transmissions, allowing for better image and audio quality and a wider selection of programming from networks (2022)

.mx

percent of population

76% (2021 est.)

total

98.8 million (2021 est.)

domestic

fixed-line teledensity 19 lines per every 100; mobile-cellular teledensity is 98 per 100 persons (2021)

general assessment

with a large population and relatively low broadband and mobile penetration, (86 lines for mobile broadband for every 100 habitants in June 2021) Mexico’s telecom sector has potential for growth; adequate telephone service for business and government; improving quality and increasing mobile cellular availability, with mobile subscribers far outnumbering fixed-line subscribers (24.6 million fixed line subscribers and 125 million mobile line subscribers in June 2021); relatively low broadband and mobile penetration, potential for growth and international investment; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable; 5G development slow in part due to high costs (2021)

international

country code - 52; Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Spain, and Italy; the ARCOS-1 and the MAYA-1 submarine cable system together provide access to Central America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the U.S.; Pan-American Crossing (PAC) submarine cable system provides access to Panama, California, U.S., and Costa Rica; Lazaro Cardenas-Manzanillo Santiago submarines cable system (LCMSSCS) provides access to Michoacan, Guerrero, and Colima, Mexico; AMX-1 submarine cable system with access to Colombia, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Gulf of California Cable submarine cable systems that connects La Paz, Baja California Sur and Topolobambo, Sinaloa; and Aurora submarine cable system provides access to Guatemala, Panama, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, and the U.S. satellite earth stations - 124 (36 Intelsat, 1 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), 9 Panamsat, numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations); linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections (2022)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

21 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

27.185 million (2022 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

100 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

127.872 million (2022 est.)

1,485 (2024)

XA

460 (2024)

by type

bulk carrier 4, general cargo 11, oil tanker 32, other 627

total

674 (2023)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

1,090,380,000 (2018) mt-km

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

64,569,640 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

370

number of registered air carriers

16 (2020)

17,210 km natural gas (2022), 9,757 km oil (2017), 10,237 km refined products (2020)

key ports

Acapulco, Ensenada, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Tampico, Tuxpan, Veracruz

medium

7

ports with oil terminals

21

size unknown

4

small

10

total ports

35 (2024)

very small

14

standard gauge

23,389 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge (27 km electrified)

total

23,389 km (2017)

paved

175,526 km (includes 10,845 km of expressways)

total

704,884 km

unpaved

529,358 km (2017)

2,900 km (2012) (navigable rivers and coastal canals mostly connected with ports on the country's east coast)

the Mexican military is responsible for defending the independence, integrity, and sovereignty of Mexico, as well as providing for internal security, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and socio-economic development; in recent years, internal security duties have been a key focus, particularly in countering narcotics trafficking and organized crime groups, as well as border control and immigration enforcement; the constitution was amended in 2019 to grant the president the authority to use the armed forces to protect internal and national security, and courts have upheld the legality of the armed forces’ role in law enforcement activities in support of civilian authorities through 2028; the military also provides security for strategic facilities, such as oil production infrastructure, and administers most of the country's land and sea ports and customs services, plus a state-owned development bank; in addition, President LÓPEZ OBRADOR placed the military in charge of a growing number of infrastructure projects, such as building and operating a new airport for Mexico City and sections of a train line in the country’s southeast (2024)

the Mexican Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de México) are divided between the Secretariat of National Defense and the Secretariat of the Navy:Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional, SEDENA): Army (Ejercito), Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, FAM); Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria de Marina, SEMAR): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico (ARM), includes Naval Air Force (FAN), Mexican Naval Infantry Corps (Cuerpo de Infanteria de Marina, Mexmar or CIM))Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection/SEDENA: National Guard (2024)

note

note: the National Guard was formed in 2019 of personnel from the former Federal Police (disbanded in December 2019) and military police units of the Army and Navy; the Guard was placed under the civilian-led Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection, while the SEDENA had day-to-day operational control and provided the commanders and the training; in September 2022, Mexico’s Congress passed legislation shifting complete control of the National Guard to the military; however, in 2023 the move was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court; the Guard, along with state and municipal police, is responsible for enforcing the law and maintaining order; the regular military also actively supports police operations

information varies; approximately 220,000 armed forces personnel (160,000 Army; 10,000 Air Force; 50,000 Navy, including about 20,000 marines); approximately 110,000 National Guard personnel (2024)

the Mexican military inventory includes a mix of domestically produced and imported weapons and equipment from a variety of mostly Western suppliers, particularly the US; a considerable portion of its inventory, such as ships and fighter aircraft, are older, secondhand items from the US; over the past decade, the Mexican military has made efforts to acquire more modern equipment; Mexico's defense industry produces some naval vessels and light armored vehicles, as well as small arms and other miscellaneous equipment (2023)

Military Expenditures 2019

0.5% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military Expenditures 2020

0.6% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

0.7% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

0.7% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military Expenditures 2023

0.6% of GDP (2023 est.)

18 years of age (16 with parental consent) for voluntary enlistment for men and women; 18 years of age for compulsory military service for men (selection for service determined by lottery); conscript service obligation is 12 months; those selected serve on Saturdays in a Batallón del Servicio Militar Nacional (National Military Service Battalion) composed entirely of 12-month Servicio Militar Nacional (SMN) conscripts; conscripts remain in reserve status until the age of 40; cadets enrolled in military schools from the age of 15 are considered members of the armed forces; National Guard: single men and women 18-30 years of age may volunteer (2023)

note

note: as of 2023, women comprised about 10% of the active-duty Army, Air Force, and Navy, and about 14% of the National Guard

significant source and transit country for fentanyl, fentanyl-laced counterfeit pills, other synthetic opioids, cocaine from South America, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine destined for the United States; a destination for synthetic drug precursor chemicals from China, India, and other countries

IDPs

386,000 (government's quashing of Zapatista uprising in 1994 in eastern Chiapas Region; drug cartel violence and government's military response since 2007; violence between and within indigenous groups) (2022)

refugees (country of origin)

35,755 (Honduras), 13,531 (El Salvador) (mid-year 2022); 113,108 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum, are recognized as refugees, or have received alternative legal stay) (2023)

stateless persons

13 (2022)

Mexican Space Agency (Agencia Espacial Mexicana or AEM; established 2010 and began operating in 2013)  (2024)

the AEM’s focus is on coordinating Mexico’s space policy and the country’s commercial space sector, including developing specialists, technologies, and infrastructure, and acquiring satellites; manufactures and operates communications and scientific satellites; conducts research in a range of space-related capabilities and technologies, including satellites and satellite payloads, telecommunications, remote sensing, robotics, Earth and weather sciences, astronomy, and astrophysics; has relations with a variety of foreign space agencies and commercial space industries, including those of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the European Space Agency (ESA) and its member states (particularly France, Germany, and the UK), India, Peru, Russia, Ukraine, and the US; leading member of the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency (ALCE) (2024)

note

note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in the Space Programs reference guide

carbon dioxide emissions

486.41 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

135.77 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

17.83 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

varies from tropical to desert

scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural freshwater resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion

note

note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

global geoparks and regional networks

Comarca Minera, Hidalgo; Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca (2023)

total global geoparks and regional networks

2

agricultural land

54.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 11.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 1.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 41.7% (2018 est.)

forest

33.3% (2018 est.)

other

11.8% (2018 est.)

Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains Aquifer

fresh water lake(s)

Laguna de Chapala - 1,140 sq km

salt water lake(s)

Laguna de Terminos - 1,550 sq km

Rio Grande river mouth (shared with US [s]) - 3,057 km; Colorado river mouth (shared with US [s]) - 2,333 kmnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Gulf of Mexico) Rio Grande/Bravo (607,965 sq km)Pacific Ocean drainage: (Gulf of California) Colorado (703,148 sq km)

0.03% of GDP (2018 est.)

0.1% of GDP (2018 est.)

461.89 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural

67.83 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial

8.56 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal

13.17 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

rate of urbanization

1.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

81.6% of total population (2023)

municipal solid waste generated annually

53.1 million tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually

2.655 million tons (2013 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

5% (2013 est.)