2019 Edition

Background

The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain 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 the 1910 Mexican Revolution 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 PENA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Left-leaning antiestablishment politician and former mayor of Mexico City (2000-05) Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR, from the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), became president in December 2018. The global financial crisis in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn in Mexico the following year, although growth returned quickly in 2010. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, high underemployment, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.

Area

Land

1,943,945 sq km

Total

1,964,375 sq km

Water

20,430 sq km

Area Comparative

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Climate

varies from tropical to desert

Coastline

9,330 km

Elevation

Highest Point

Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,636 m

Lowest Point

Laguna Salada -10 m

Mean Elevation

1,111 m

Environment Current Issues

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

Environment International Agreements

Party To

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

Signed But Not Ratified

none of the selected agreements

Geographic Coordinates

23 00 N, 102 00 W

Geography Note

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: 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; vanilla, the world's most popular aroma and flavor spice, also emanates from Mexico note 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 Yucatan 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

Irrigated Land

65,000 sq km (2012)

Land Boundaries

Border Countries

Belize 276 km, Guatemala 958 km, US 3155 km

Total

4,389 km

Land Use

Agricultural Land

54.9% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Arable Land

11.8% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Permanent Crops

1.4% (2011 est.)

Agricultural Land Permanent Pasture

41.7% (2011 est.)

Forest

33.3% (2011 est.)

Other

11.8% (2011 est.)

Location

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

Map References

North America

Maritime Claims

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

Natural Hazards

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"

Natural Resources

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

Population Distribution

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

Terrain

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

Age Structure

0 14 Years

26.61% (male 17,143,124 /female 16,378,309)

15 24 Years

17.35% (male 11,072,817 /female 10,779,029)

25 54 Years

40.91% (male 24,916,204 /female 26,612,272)

55 64 Years

7.87% (male 4,538,167 /female 5,375,867)

65 Years And Over

7.26% (male 4,079,513 /female 5,063,903) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

18.1 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Children Under The Age Of 5 Years Underweight

4.2% (2016)

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate

66.9% (2015)

Current Health Expenditure

5.5% (2016)

Death Rate

5.4 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency Ratios

Elderly Dependency Ratio

9.8 (2015 est.)

Potential Support Ratio

10.2 (2015 est.)

Total Dependency Ratio

51.4 (2015 est.)

Youth Dependency Ratio

41.6 (2015 est.)

Drinking Water Source

Improved Rural

92.1% of population

Improved Total

96.1% of population

Improved Urban

97.2% of population

Unimproved Rural

7.9% of population

Unimproved Total

3.9% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Urban

2.8% of population

Education Expenditures

4.9% of GDP (2016)

Ethnic Groups

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

HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate

0.2% (2018 est.)

HIV/AIDS Deaths

4,000 (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS People Living With HIV/AIDS

230,000 (2018 est.)

Hospital Bed Density

1.5 beds/1,000 population (2015)

Infant Mortality Rate

Female

9.8 deaths/1,000 live births

Male

12.6 deaths/1,000 live births

Total

11.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

Spanish only 92.7%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.7%, indigenous only 0.8%, unspecified 0.8% (2005)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Female

79.2 years

Male

73.5 years

Total Population

76.3 years (2018 est.)

Literacy

Definition

age 15 and over can read and write

Female

94% (2016)

Male

95.8%

Total Population

94.9%

Major Infectious Diseases

Degree Of Risk

intermediate (2016)

Food Or Waterborne Diseases

bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A (2016)

Vectorborne Diseases

dengue fever (2016)

Major Urban Areas Population

21.672 million MEXICO CITY (capital), 5.101 million Guadalajara, 4.793 million Monterrey, 3.145 million Puebla, 2.411 million Toluca de Lerdo, 2.099 million Tijuana (2019)

Maternal Mortality Rate

33 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median Age

Female

29.7 years

Male

27.5 years

Total

28.6 years (2018 est.)

Mother's Mean Age at First Birth

21.3 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

Adjective

Mexican

Noun

Mexican(s)

Net Migration Rate

-1.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate

28.9% (2016)

Physicians Density

2.25 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

Population

125,959,205 (July 2018 est.)

Population Growth Rate

1.09% (2018 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 82.7%, Pentecostal 1.6%, Jehovah's Witness 1.4%, other Evangelical Churches 5%, other 1.9%, none 4.7%, unspecified 2.7% (2010 est.)

Sanitation Facility Access

Improved Rural

74.5% of population (2015 est.)

Improved Total

85.2% of population (2015 est.)

Improved Urban

88% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Rural

25.5% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Total

14.8% of population (2015 est.)

Unimproved Urban

12% of population (2015 est.)

School Life Expectancy Primary To Tertiary Education

Female

14 years (2016)

Male

14 years

Total

14 years

Sex Ratio

0 14 Years

1.05 male(s)/female

15 24 Years

1.03 male(s)/female

25 54 Years

0.94 male(s)/female

55 64 Years

0.84 male(s)/female

65 Years And Over

0.81 male(s)/female

At Birth

1.05 male(s)/female

Total Population

0.96 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

2.22 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

Female

7.6% (2018 est.)

Male

6.5%

Total

6.9%

Urbanization

Rate Of Urbanization

1.59% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Urban Population

80.4% of total population (2019)

Administrative Divisions

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

Capital

Daylight Saving Time

+1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October

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)

Citizenship

Citizenship By Birth

yes

Citizenship By Descent Only

yes

Dual Citizenship Recognized

not specified

Residency Requirement For Naturalization

5 years

Constitution

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 2019 (2019)

History

several previous; latest approved 5 February 1917

Country Name

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

Local Long Form

Estados Unidos Mexicanos

Local Short Form

Mexico

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

Chief Of Mission

Ambassador Christopher LANDAU (since 26 August 2019)

Consulate's General

Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Monterrey, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana

Embassy

Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal

Fax

(011) 52-55-5080-2005

Mailing Address

P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-9000

Telephone

(011) 52-55-5080-2000

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

Chancery

1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006

Chief Of Mission

Ambassador Martha BARCENA Coqui (since 11 January 2019); note - Ambassador BARCENA Coqui is Mexico'a first-ever female ambassador to the US

Consulate S

Albuquerque (NM), Anchorage (AK), Boise (ID), Brownsville (TX), Calexico (CA), Del Rio (TX), Detroit, Douglas (AZ), Eagle Pass (TX), Fresno (CA), Indianapolis (IN), Kansas City (MO), Las Vegas, Little Rock (AR), McAllen (TX), Minneapolis (MN), New Orleans, Omaha (NE), Orlando (FL), Oxnard (CA), Philadelphia, Portland (OR), Presidio (TX), Raleigh (NC), Salt Lake City, San Bernardino (CA), Santa Ana (CA), Seattle, Tucson (AZ), Yuma (AZ); note - Washington DC Consular Section is located in a separate building from the Mexican Embassy and has jurisdiction over DC, parts of Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia

Consulate's General

Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso (TX), Houston, Laredo (TX), Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Nogales (AZ), Phoenix, Sacramento (CA), San Antonio (TX), San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Saint Paul (MN)

Fax

[1] (202) 728-1698

Telephone

[1] (202) 728-1600

Executive Branch

Cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of attorney general, the head of the Bank of Mexico, and senior treasury officials require consent of the Senate

Chief Of State

President Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR (since 1 December 2018); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

Election Results

Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR elected president; percent of vote - Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR (MORENA) 53.2%, Ricardo ANAYA (PAN) 22.3%, Jose Antonio MEADE Kuribrena (PRI) 16.4%, Jaime RODRIGUEZ Calderon 5.2% (independent), other 2.9%

Elections Appointments

president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a single 6-year term; election last held on 1 July 2018 (next to be held in July 2024)

Head Of Government

President Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR (since 1 December 2018)

Flag Description

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

Government Type

federal presidential republic

Independence

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

International Law Organization Participation

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International Organization Participation

APEC, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, 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), UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial Branch

Highest Courts

Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nacion (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

Subordinate Courts

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

Legal System

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

Legislative Branch

Description

bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of: Senate or Camara 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 Camara 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 - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MORENA 58, PAN 22, PRI 14, PRD 9, MC 7, PT 7, PES 5, PVEM 5, PNA/PANAL 1; composition - men 65, women 63, percent of women 49.3% Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MORENA 193, PAN 79, PT 61, PES 58, PRI 42, MC 26, PRD 23, PVEM 17, PNA/PANAL 1; composition - men 259, women 241, percent of women 48.2%; note - total National Congress percent of women 48.4%

Elections

Senate - last held on 1 July 2018 (next to be held on 1 July 2024) Chamber of Deputies - last held on 1 July 2018 (next to be held on 1 July 2021)

National Anthem

Lyrics Music

Francisco Gonzalez BOCANEGRA/Jaime Nuno ROCA

Name

"Himno Nacional Mexicano" (National Anthem of Mexico)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

National Symbol S

golden eagle; national colors: green, white, red

Political Parties And Leaders

Citizen's Movement (Movimiento Ciudadano) or MC [Clemente CASTANEDA] Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) or PRI [Claudia RUIZ Massieu] Labor Party (Partido del Trabajo) or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez] Mexican Green Ecological Party (Partido Verde Ecologista de Mexico) or PVEM [Carlos Alberto PUENTE Salas] Movement for National Regeneration (Movimiento Regeneracion Nacional) or MORENA [Andres Manuel LOPEZ Obrador] National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [Damian ZEPEDA Vidales] Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Manuel GRANADOS]

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Agriculture Products

corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products

Budget

Expenditures

273.8 billion (2017 est.)

Revenues

261.4 billion (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

-1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Central Bank Discount Rate

31 December 2016

5.75%

31 December 2017

7.25%

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

31 December 2016

4.72%

31 December 2017

7.34%

Current Account Balance

2016

-$23.32 billion

2017

-$19.35 billion

Debt External

31 December 2016

$450.2 billion

31 December 2017

$445.8 billion

Distribution Of Family Income Gini Index

2008

48.3

2014

48.2

Economy Overview

Mexico's $2.4 trillion economy – 11th largest in the world - has become increasingly oriented toward manufacturing since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) entered into force in 1994. Per capita income is roughly one-third that of the US; income distribution remains highly unequal.Mexico has become the US' second-largest export market and third-largest source of imports. In 2017, two-way trade in goods and services exceeded $623 billion. Mexico has free trade agreements with 46 countries, putting more than 90% of its trade under free trade agreements. In 2012, Mexico formed the Pacific Alliance with Peru, Colombia, and Chile.Mexico's current government, led by President Enrique PENA NIETO, has emphasized economic reforms, passing and implementing sweeping energy, financial, fiscal, and telecommunications reform legislation, among others, with the long-term aim to improve competitiveness and economic growth across the Mexican economy. Since 2015, Mexico has held public auctions of oil and gas exploration and development rights and for long-term electric power generation contracts. Mexico has also issued permits for private sector import, distribution, and retail sales of refined petroleum products in an effort to attract private investment into the energy sector and boost production.Since 2013, Mexico’s economic growth has averaged 2% annually, falling short of private-sector expectations that President PENA NIETO’s sweeping reforms would bolster economic prospects. Growth is predicted to remain below potential given falling oil production, weak oil prices, structural issues such as low productivity, high inequality, a large informal sector employing over half of the workforce, weak rule of law, and corruption. Mexico’s economy remains vulnerable to uncertainty surrounding the future of NAFTA — because the United States is its top trading partner and the two countries share integrated supply chains — and to potential shifts in domestic policies following the inauguration of a new a president in December 2018.

Exchange Rates

2013

13.292

2014

15.848

2015

18.664

2016

18.664

2017

18.26

Currency

Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar -

Exports

2016

$374.3 billion

2017

$409.8 billion

Exports Commodities

manufactured goods, electronics, vehicles and auto parts, oil and oil products, silver, plastics, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton; Mexico is the world's leading producer of silver

Exports Partners

US 79.9% (2017)

Fiscal Year

calendar year

GDP Composition By End Use

Exports Of Goods And Services

37.8% (2017 est.)

Government Consumption

11.8% (2017 est.)

Household Consumption

67% (2017 est.)

Imports Of Goods And Services

-39.7% (2017 est.)

Investment In Fixed Capital

22.3% (2017 est.)

Investment In Inventories

0.8% (2017 est.)

GDP Composition By Sector Of Origin

Agriculture

3.6% (2017 est.)

Industry

31.9% (2017 est.)

Services

64.5% (2017 est.)

GDP Official Exchange Rate

$1.151 trillion (2017 est.)

GDP Per Capita Ppp

2015

$19,400

2016

$19,700

2017

$19,900

GDP Purchasing Power Parity

2015

$2.346 trillion

2016

$2.413 trillion

2017

$2.463 trillion

GDP Real Growth Rate

2015

3.3%

2016

2.9%

2017

2%

Gross National Saving

2015

20.7% of GDP

2016

21.6% of GDP

2017

21.4% of GDP

Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share

Highest 10

40% (2014)

Lowest 10

2%

Imports

2016

$387.4 billion

2017

$420.8 billion

Imports Commodities

metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, automobile parts for assembly and repair, aircraft, aircraft parts, plastics, natural gas and oil products

Imports Partners

US 46.4%, China 17.7%, Japan 4.3% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

-0.6% (2017 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

2016

2.8%

2017

6%

Labor Force

54.51 million (2017 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

Agriculture

13.4%

Industry

24.1%

Services

61.9% (2011)

Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares

31 December 2013

$526 billion

31 December 2014

$480.2 billion

31 December 2015

$402.3 billion

Population Below Poverty Line

46.2% (2014 est.)

Public Debt

2016

56.8% of GDP

2017

54.3% of GDP

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

31 December 2016

$178.4 billion

31 December 2017

$175.3 billion

Stock Of Broad Money

31 December 2016

$186.6 billion

31 December 2017

$215.5 billion

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad

31 December 2016

$148.6 billion

31 December 2017

$243.8 billion

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment at Home

31 December 2016

$473.5 billion

31 December 2017

$554.3 billion

Stock Of Domestic Credit

31 December 2016

$393.8 billion

31 December 2017

$431.6 billion

Stock Of Narrow Money

31 December 2016

$186.6 billion

31 December 2017

$215.5 billion

Taxes And Other Revenues

22.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

2016

3.9%

2017

3.4%

Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy

454.1 million Mt (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Exports

1.214 million bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Imports

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Production

1.852 million bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude Oil Proved Reserves

6.63 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity Access

100% (2016)

Electricity Consumption

258.7 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Exports

7.308 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity From Fossil Fuels

71% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants

17% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Nuclear Fuels

2% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Other Renewable Sources

9% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity Imports

3.532 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Installed Generating Capacity

72.56 million kW (2016 est.)

Electricity Production

302.7 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Natural Gas Consumption

81.61 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Exports

36.81 million cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Imports

50.12 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Production

31.57 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Proved Reserves

279.8 billion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Consumption

1.984 million bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Exports

155,800 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Imports

867,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Production

844,600 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Broadband Fixed Subscriptions

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

14 (2017 est.)

Total

17,131,820

Broadcast Media

telecom reform in 2013 enabled the creation of new broadcast television channels after decades of a quasi-monopoly; Mexico has 821 TV stations and 1,745 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

Internet Country Code

.mx

Internet Users

Percent Of Population

59.5% (July 2016 est.)

Total

73,334,032

Telephone System

Domestic

competition has spurred the mobile-cellular market; fixed-line teledensity exceeds 17 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity is about 92 per 100 persons (2018)

General Assessment

adequate telephone service for business and government; improving quality and increasing mobile cellular availability, with mobile subscribers far outnumbering fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable; two main MNOs despite efforts for competition; preparation for 5G and LTE-M services; Mexico’s first local Internet Exchange Point opens in Mexico City (2018)

International

country code - 52; Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Spain, and Italy; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the MAYA-1 submarine cable system together provide access to Central America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 120 (32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), 1 Panamsat, numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations); linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections (2016)

Telephones Fixed Lines

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

17 (2017 est.)

Total Subscriptions

20,602,668

Telephones Mobile Cellular

Subscriptions Per 100 Inhabitants

92 (2017 est.)

Total Subscriptions

114,326,842

Airports

1,714 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

1 524 To 2 437 M

80 (2017)

2 438 To 3 047 M

32 (2017)

914 To 1 523 M

86 (2017)

Over 3 047 M

12 (2017)

Total

243 (2017)

Under 914 M

33 (2017)

Airports With Unpaved Runways

1 524 To 2 437 M

42 (2013)

2 438 To 3 047 M

1 (2013)

914 To 1 523 M

281 (2013)

Over 3 047 M

1 (2013)

Total

1,471 (2013)

Under 914 M

1,146 (2013)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

XA (2016)

Heliports

1 (2013)

Merchant Marine

By Type

bulk carrier 6, general cargo 11, oil tanker 35, other 565 (2018)

Total

617

National Air Transport System

Annual Freight Traffic On Registered Air Carriers

713,985,467 mt-km (2015)

Annual Passenger Traffic On Registered Air Carriers

45,560,063 (2015)

Inventory Of Registered Aircraft Operated By Air Carriers

357 (2015)

Number Of Registered Air Carriers

21 (2015)

Pipelines

15,986 km natural gas (2019), 10,365 km oil (2017), 8,946 km refined products (2016)

Ports And Terminals

Container Port's Teus

Manzanillo (2,830,370), Lazaro Cardenas (1,149,079) (2017)

Cruise Port S

Cancun, Cozumel, Ensenada

Lng Terminal's Import

Altamira, Ensenada

Major Seaport S

Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Veracruz

Oil Terminal S

Cayo Arcas terminal, Dos Bocas terminal

Railways

Standard Gauge

20,825 km 1.435-m gauge (27 km electrified) (2017)

Total

20,825 km (2017)

Roadways

Paved

174,911 km (includes 10,362 km of expressways) (2017)

Total

398,148 km (2017)

Unpaved

223,237 km (2017)

Waterways

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

Military And Security Forces

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)); Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection: Federal Police, National Guard (2019)

Military Expenditures

2014

0.66% of GDP

2015

0.66% of GDP

2016

0.56% of GDP

2017

0.47% of GDP

2018

0.54% of GDP

Military Service Age And Obligation

18 years of age for compulsory military service (selection for service determined by lottery), conscript service obligation is 12 months; 16 years of age with consent for voluntary enlistment; cadets enrolled in military schools from the age of 15 are considered members of the armed forces; women are eligible for voluntary military service (2012)

Disputes International

abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; the US has intensified security measures to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities across its border with Mexico; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the US; Belize and Mexico are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty

Illicit Drugs

major drug-producing and transit nation; Mexico is estimated to be the world's third largest producer of opium with poppy cultivation in 2015 estimated to be 28,000 hectares yielding a potential production of 475 metric tons of raw opium; government conducts the largest independent illicit-crop eradication program in the world; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America, with an estimated 95% of annual cocaine movements toward the US stopping in Mexico; major drug syndicates control the majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market

Refugees And Internally Displaced Persons

Idps

338,000 (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) (2018)

Refugees Country Of Origin

5,155 (El Salvador) (2018); 64,053 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum or have received alternative legal stay) (2019)

Stateless Persons

13 (2018)