2022 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 anti-establishment 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. Growth rebounded to about 5% in 2010, but then averaged roughly half that for the rest of the decade. Notwithstanding this challenge, Mexico is currently the largest goods trading partner of the US – with $614.5 billion in two-way goods trade during 2019. US exports of goods and services to Mexico supported 1.2 million jobs in the US in 2015 (the latest data available) according to estimates from the Department of Commerce. Mexico's GDP contracted by 8.2% in 2020 due to pandemic-induced closures, its lowest level since the Great Depression, but Mexico’s economy rebounded in 2021 when it grew by 4.8%, driven largely by increased remittances, despite supply chain and pandemic-related challenges. The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, or T-MEC by its Spanish acronym) entered into force on 1 July 2020 and replaced its predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Mexico amended its constitution on 1 May 2019 to facilitate the implementation of the labor components of USMCA. 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 transnational criminal organizations have engaged in a struggle to control criminal markets, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides and forced disappearances.

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

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: 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 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

60,620 sq km (2020)

Land boundaries

border countries

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

total

4,389 km

Land use

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.)

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

Major aquifers

Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains Aquifer

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s)

Laguna de Chapala - 1,140 sq km

salt water lake(s)

Laguna de Terminos - 1,550 sq km

Major rivers (by length in 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

Major watersheds (area sq km)

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

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

26.01% (male 17,111,199/female 16,349,767)

15-24 years

16.97% (male 11,069,260/female 10,762,784)

25-54 years

41.06% (male 25,604,223/female 27,223,720)

55-64 years

8.29% (male 4,879,048/female 5,784,176)

65 years and over

7.67% (male 4,373,807/female 5,491,581) (2020 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita

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.)

Birth rate

13.55 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Child marriage

women married by age 15

3.6%

women married by age 18

20.7% (2018 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

4.7% (2018/19)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

73.1% (2018)

Current health expenditure

5.4% of GDP (2019)

Death rate

7.71 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

12.2

potential support ratio

8.2 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

49.4

youth dependency ratio

37.3

Drinking water source

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

Education expenditures

4.3% of GDP (2018 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

note

note: Mexico does not collect census data on ethnicity

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.4% (2021 est.)

Hospital bed density

1 beds/1,000 population (2018)

Infant mortality rate

female

10.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est.)

male

13.11 deaths/1,000 live births

total

11.86 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Languages

Spanish only 93.8%, Spanish and indigenous languages 5.4%, indigenous only 0.6%, unspecified 0.2%; note - indigenous languages include various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional languages (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.

Life expectancy at birth

female

75.88 years (2022 est.)

male

68.93 years

total population

72.32 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

94.5% (2020)

male

96.1%

total population

95.2%

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

intermediate (2020)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

note

note: a new coronavirus is causing sustained community spread of respiratory illness (COVID-19) in Mexico; sustained community spread means that people have been infected with the virus, but how or where they became infected is not known, and the spread is ongoing; illness with this virus has ranged from mild to severe with fatalities reported; as of 9 December 2022, Mexico has reported a total of 7,152,852 cases of COVID-19 or 5,547.74 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with a total of 330,633 cumulative deaths or a rate of 256.43 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of 2 December 2022, 77.7% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine

vectorborne diseases

dengue fever

Major urban areas - population

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)

Maternal mortality ratio

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

Median age

female

30.4 years (2020 est.)

male

28.2 years

total

29.3 years

Mother's mean age at first birth

21.3 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Mexican

noun

Mexican(s)

Net migration rate

-0.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

28.9% (2016)

Physicians density

2.43 physicians/1,000 population (2019)

Population

129,150,971 (2022 est.)

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

Population growth rate

0.51% (2022 est.)

Religions

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

Sanitation facility access

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

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

15 years (2020)

male

15 years

total

15 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.09 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.91 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.84 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 (2022 est.)

Tobacco use

female

6.2% (2020 est.)

male

19.9% (2020 est.)

total

13.1% (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.68 children born/woman (2022 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

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

urban population

81.6% of total population (2023)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

8.6% (2021 est.)

male

7.5%

total

7.9%

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

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

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 2020

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

former

Mexican Republic, Mexican Empire

local long form

Estados Unidos Mexicanos

local short form

Mexico

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Ken SALAZAR (since 14 September 2021)

consulate(s) general

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

email address and website

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

embassy

Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 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

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006

chief of mission

Ambassador Esteban MOCTEZUMA Barragan (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), 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

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

FAX

[1] (202) 728-1698

note

 

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

2018: 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%2012: Enrique PENA NIETO elected president; percent of vote - Enrique PENA NIETO (PRI) 38.2%, Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR (PRD) 31.6%, Josefina Eugenia VAZQUEZ 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 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

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

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, UNHRC, UNIDO, Union Latina (observer), UNWTO, UPU, USMCA, Wassenaar Arrangement, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

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

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

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 (as of July 2018) - men 65, women 63, percent of women 49.2%Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MORENA 197, PAN 111, PRI 69, PVEM 44, PT 38, MC 25, PRD 16; composition - men 250, women 250, percent of women 50%; note - overall percent of women in National Congress 49.8%

elections

Senate - last held on 1 July 2018 (next to be held in July 2024)Chamber of Deputies - last held on 6 June 2021 (next to be held in July 2024)

note

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

National anthem

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

National heritage

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)

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 Hoeflich]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 [Karen CASTREJON Trujillo]Movement for National Regeneration (Movimiento Regeneracion Nacional) or MORENA [Mario DELGADO Carillo]National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [Antonio CORTES Mendoza]Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Jesus ZAMBRANO Grijalva]This Is For Mexico (Va Por Mexico) (alliance that includes PAN, PRI, and PRD)Together We Make History (Juntos Hacemos Historia) (alliance that included MORENA, PT, PVEM) (dissolved 23 December 2020)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Agricultural products

sugarcane, maize, milk, oranges, sorghum, tomatoes, poultry, wheat, green chillies/peppers, eggs

Budget

expenditures

273.8 billion (2017 est.)

revenues

261.4 billion (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

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

Credit ratings

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

Current account balance 2018

-$25.415 billion (2018 est.)

Current account balance 2019

-$4.351 billion (2019 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 2018

$448.268 billion (2018 est.)

Debt - external 2019

$456.713 billion (2019 est.)

Economic 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

Currency

Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2013

13.292 (2013 est.)

Exchange rates 2014

15.848 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2018

20.21674 (2018 est.)

Exchange rates 2019

19.22824 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

19.8 (2020 est.)

Exports

Exports 2018

$480.1 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports 2019

$492.73 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports 2020

$434.93 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - commodities

cars and vehicle parts, computers, delivery trucks, crude petroleum, insulated wiring (2019)

Exports - partners

United States 75% (2019)

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)

$1,269,956,000,000 (2019 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2008

48.3 (2008)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2018

36.8 (2018 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

40% (2014)

lowest 10%

2%

Imports

Imports 2018

$505.05 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2019

$495.79 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2020

$410.66 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - commodities

integrated circuits, refined petroleum, cars and vehicle parts, office machinery/parts, telephones (2019)

Imports - partners

United States 54%, China 14% (2019)

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)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

6% (2017 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018

4.9% (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

3.6% (2019 est.)

Labor force

50.914 million (2020 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

13.4%

industry

24.1%

services

61.9% (2011)

Population below poverty line

41.9% (2018 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016

56.8% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

54.3% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018

$2,514,780,000,000 (2018 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$2,513,410,000,000 (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$2,306,320,000,000 (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2017

2.34% (2017 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2018

2.19% (2018 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2019

-0.3% (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2018

$19,900 (2018 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2019

$19,700 (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$17,900 (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

note

note: Mexico also maintains access to an $88 million Flexible Credit Line with the IMF

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016

$178.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017

$175.3 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

22.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

note

note: underemployment may be as high as 25%

Unemployment rate 2018

3.33% (2018 est.)

Unemployment rate 2019

3.49% (2019 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

8.6% (2021 est.)

male

7.5%

total

7.9%

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

43.24 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas

160.188 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

260.311 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

total emissions

463.739 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Coal

consumption

10.241 million metric tons (2020 est.)

exports

3,000 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports

5.182 million metric tons (2020 est.)

production

9.886 million metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves

1.211 billion metric tons (2019 est.)

Electricity

consumption

267.34 billion kWh (2020 est.)

exports

5.954 billion kWh (2020 est.)

imports

9.965 billion kWh (2020 est.)

installed generating capacity

93.43 million kW (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

42.121 billion kWh (2020 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2020)

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

0.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

fossil fuels

75.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal

1.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity

7.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear

3.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar

4.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind

6.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2019

61.597 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

86,101,223,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

exports

53.037 million cubic meters (2019 est.)

imports

59,119,362,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

production

27,037,730,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

proven reserves

180.321 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil and lease condensate exports

1,283,300 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports

3,900 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

5,786,100,000 barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

1,928,800 bbl/day (2019 est.)

total petroleum production

1,905,500 bbl/day (2021 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

17 (2020 est.)

total

21,936,131 (2020 est.)

Broadcast media

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)

Internet country code

.mx

Internet users

percent of population

72% (2020 est.)

total

92,831,582 (2020 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

fixed-line teledensity exceeds 65 lines per every 100 households; mobile-cellular teledensity is about 99 per 100 persons; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations (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)

note

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced a downturn, particularly in mobile device production; progress toward 5G implementation has resumed, as well as upgrades to infrastructure; consumer spending on telecom services has increased due to the surge in demand for capacity and bandwidth; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home is still evident, and the spike in this area has seen growth opportunities for development of new tools and increased services

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

19 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

24,500,456 (2020 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

95 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

122,898,392 (2020 est.)

Airports

total

1,714 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

80

2,438 to 3,047 m

32

914 to 1,523 m

86

over 3,047 m

12

total

243

under 914 m

33 (2021)

Airports - with unpaved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

42

2,438 to 3,047 m

1

914 to 1,523 m

281

over 3,047 m

1

total

1,471

under 914 m

1,146 (2021)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

XA

Heliports

1 (2021)

Merchant marine

by type

container ship 1, bulk carrier 4, general cargo 11, oil tanker 31, other 624 (2021)

total

671

National air transport system

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)

Pipelines

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

Ports and terminals

container port(s) (TEUs)

Lazaro Cardenas (1,318,732), Manzanillo (3,069,189), Veracruz (1,144,156) (2019)

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

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

total

23,389 km (2017)

Roadways

paved

175,526 km (2017) (includes 10,845 km of expressways)

total

704,884 km (2017)

unpaved

529,358 km (2017)

Waterways

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

Military - note

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; as of 2022, Mexican military operations were heavily focused on internal security duties, particularly in countering drug cartels and organized crime groups, as well as border control and immigration enforcement; the armed forces also administered most of the country's land and sea ports and customs services, and it built and ran approximately 2,700 branches of a state-owned development bank; in addition, President LOPEZ OBRADOR has placed the military in charge of a growing number of infrastructure projects, such as building a new airport for Mexico City and sections of a train line in the country’s southeast (2022)

Military and security forces

the Mexican Armed Forces 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), National Guard; 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 Public Security and Civilian Protection (Secretaria de Seguridad y Proteccion Ciudadana) (2022)

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; up until September 2022, the Guard was 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, complete control of the Guard was handed over to the SEDENA/Mexican Army; 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

Military and security service personnel strengths

information varies; approximately 218,000 armed forces personnel (160,000 Army; 8,000 Air Force; 50,000 Navy, including about 20,000 marines); approximately 110,000 National Guard personnel (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the Mexican military inventory includes a mix of domestically-produced and imported equipment from a variety of mostly Western suppliers; since 2010, the US has been the leading supplier of military hardware to Mexico; Mexico's defense industry produces naval vessels and light armored vehicles, as well as small arms and other miscellaneous equipment (2022)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2018

0.5% of GDP (2018) (approximately $12.5 billion)

Military Expenditures 2019

0.5% of GDP (2019) (approximately $13.4 billion)

Military Expenditures 2020

0.6% of GDP (2020)

Military Expenditures 2021

0.8% of GDP (2021)

Military Expenditures 2022

0.8% of GDP (2022 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18 years of age for compulsory military service for males (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 1-year Servicio Militar Nacional (SMN) conscripts; conscripts remain in reserve status until the age of 40; 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 (2022)

note

note: as of 2022, women comprised about 15% of the active duty military

Disputes - international

Mexico-Belize: Mexico and Belize are working to solve minor border demarcation discrepancies arising from inaccuracies in the 1898 border treaty Mexico-Guatemala: 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 Mexico-US: the US has intensified security measures to monitor and control legal and illegal persons, transport, and commodities across its border with Mexico  

Illicit drugs

major source and transit country for heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, and illicit synthetic drugs including fentanyl and counterfeit pills destined for the United States; main transit country for cocaine from South America, a transit route and destination for fentanyl and associated precursors originating from China

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

379,000 (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) (2021)

refugees (country of origin)

22,254 (Honduras), 10,662 (El Salvador) (mid-year 2021); 82,976 (Venezuela) (economic and political crisis; includes Venezuelans who have claimed asylum, are recognized as refugees, or have received alternative legal stay) (2021)

stateless persons

13 (mid-year 2021)

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

486.41 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

135.77 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

20.08 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

Climate

varies from tropical to desert

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

note

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

Environment - international agreements

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

Land use

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.)

Major aquifers

Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains Aquifer

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

intermediate (2020)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

note

note: a new coronavirus is causing sustained community spread of respiratory illness (COVID-19) in Mexico; sustained community spread means that people have been infected with the virus, but how or where they became infected is not known, and the spread is ongoing; illness with this virus has ranged from mild to severe with fatalities reported; as of 9 December 2022, Mexico has reported a total of 7,152,852 cases of COVID-19 or 5,547.74 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with a total of 330,633 cumulative deaths or a rate of 256.43 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of 2 December 2022, 77.7% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine

vectorborne diseases

dengue fever

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s)

Laguna de Chapala - 1,140 sq km

salt water lake(s)

Laguna de Terminos - 1,550 sq km

Major rivers (by length in 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

Major watersheds (area sq km)

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

Revenue from coal

coal revenues

0.03% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

forest revenues

0.1% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

461.888 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

66.8 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial

6.814 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal

14.23 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

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

urban population

81.6% of total population (2023)

Waste and recycling

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.)