View Intelligence Dossier Back to 2002 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Internet users (Internet Service Providers (ISPs)) [time series]

51 (2000)

Internet country code [time series]

.mx

Internet users [time series]

3.5 million (2002)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 851, FM 598, shortwave 16 (2000)

Radios [time series]

31 million (1997)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: low telephone density with about 12 main lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the opening to competition in January 1997 improved prospects for development domestic: adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, and mobile cellular service international: satellite earth stations - 32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations; linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections; high capacity Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy (1997)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

12.332 million (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

2.02 million (1998)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

236 (plus repeaters) (1997)

Televisions [time series]

25.6 million (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $136 billion expenditures: $140 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.) (2001 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Mexican peso (MXN)

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

MXN

Debt - external [time series]

$191 billion (2001) (2001)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

52 (1996)

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

$1.166 billion (1995) (1995)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Mexico has a free market economy with a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. Recent administrations have expanded competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity, natural gas distribution, and airports. Income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Following 6.9% growth in 2000, real GDP fell 0.3% in 2001, with the US slowdown the principal cause. Positive developments in 2001 included a drop in inflation to 6.5%, a sharp fall in interest rates, and a strong peso that appreciated 5% against the dollar. Mexico City implemented free trade agreements with Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and the European Free Trade Area in 2001, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. Foreign direct investment reached $25 billion in 2001, of which $12.5 billion came from the purchase of Mexico's second largest bank, Banamex, by Citigroup.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

182.83 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports [time series]

77 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports [time series]

2.145 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production [time series]

194.37 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source [time series]

fossil fuel: 76% hydro: 17% other: 3% (2000) nuclear: 4%

Exchange rates [time series]

Mexican pesos per US dollar - 9.1614 (January 2002), 9.3423 (2001), 9.4556 (2000), 9.5604 (1999), 9.1360 (1998), 7.9185 (1997)

Exports [time series]

$159 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Exports - commodities [time series]

manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton

Exports - partners [time series]

US 88.4%, Canada 2%, Germany 0.9%, Spain 0.8%, Netherlands Antilles 0.6%, Japan 0.4%, UK 0.4%, Venezuela 0.4%, (2001 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $920 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 5% industry: 26% services: 69% (2001 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $9,000 (2001 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

-0.3% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 41% (2001) (2001)

Imports [time series]

$168 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Imports - commodities [time series]

metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts

Imports - partners [time series]

US 68.4%, Japan 4.7%, Germany 3.6%, Canada 2.5%, China 2.2%, South Korea 2.1%, Taiwan 1.6%, Italy 1.3%, Brazil 1.1% (2001 est.)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

-3.4% (2001 est.)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

6.5% (2001 est.)

Labor force [time series]

39.8 million (2000) (2000)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture 20%, industry 24%, services 56% (1998) (1998)

Population below poverty line [time series]

40% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate [time series]

urban - 3% plus considerable underemployment (2001)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 1,972,550 sq km land: 1,923,040 sq km water: 49,510 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Climate [time series]

varies from tropical to desert

Coastline [time series]

9,330 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural fresh water 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: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates [time series]

23 00 N, 102 00 W

Geography - note [time series]

strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico

Irrigated land [time series]

65,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 4,353 km border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 13.2% permanent crops: 1.1% other: 85.7% (1998 est.)

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

North America

Maritime claims [time series]

contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

Natural hazards [time series]

tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima, Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave, Yucatan, Zacatecas

Capital [time series]

Mexico (Distrito Federal)

Constitution [time series]

5 February 1917

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: United Mexican States conventional short form: Mexico local short form: Mexico local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 520-9000 telephone: [52] 55 5080-2000 FAX: [52] 55 5511-9980 consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nuevo Laredo, Nogales

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Juan Jose BREMER Martino FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698 consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Las Vegas, McAllen (Texas), Midland (Texas), Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson, Yuma (Arizona) consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico) chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government election results: Vicente FOX Quesada elected president; percent of vote - Vicente FOX Quesada (PAN) 42.52%, Francisco LABASTIDA Ochoa (PRI) 36.1%, Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (PRD) 16.64%, other 4.74% elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA July 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of attorney general requires consent of the Senate head of government: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak) is centered in the white band

Government type [time series]

federal republic

Independence [time series]

16 September 1810 (from Spain)

International organization participation [time series]

APEC, BCIE, BIS, Caricom (observer), CCC, CDB, CE (observer), EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-15, G-19, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate)

Legal system [time series]

mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote) and the Federal Chamber of Deputies or Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are directly elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote, also for three-year terms) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 60, PAN 46, PRD 15, PVEM 5, PT 1, CD 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 211, PAN 207, PRD 50, PVEM 16, PT 8, PSN 3, PAS 2, CD 1, independents 2 elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2000 for all of the seats (next to be held NA 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2003)

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 16 September (1810)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Convergence for Democracy or CD [Dante DELGADO Ranauro]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Dulce Maria SAURI Riancho]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action Party or PAN [Luis Felipe BRAVO Mena]; Party of the Democratic Revolution or PRD [Amalia GARCIA Medina]; Party of the Nationalist Society or PSN [Gustavo RIOJAS Santana]; Social Alliance Party or PAS [Guillermo CALDERON Dominguez]; Workers Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing Goods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation Industries or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Union of Workers or UNT; Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers or CROM; Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants or CROC; Roman Catholic Church

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)

Introduction

Background [time series]

The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that the opposition defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) was sworn in on 1 December 2000 as the first chief executive elected in free and fair elections.

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA) (including Army and Air Force), Navy Secretariat (including Naval Air and Marines)

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$4 billion (FY99)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

1% (FY99)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 27,229,581 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 19,761,440 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - military age [time series]

18 years of age note: starting in 2000, females were allowed to volunteer for military service (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]

males: 1,077,536 (2002 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 32.8% (male 17,310,230; female 16,630,935) 15-64 years: 62.7% (male 31,552,877; female 33,246,668) 65 years and over: 4.5% (male 2,069,826; female 2,589,629) (2002 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

22.36 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate [time series]

4.99 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

0.29% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

4,700 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

150,000 (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

24.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Languages [time series]

Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 72.03 years female: 75.21 years (2002 est.) male: 68.99 years

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89.6% male: 91.8% female: 87.4% (1995 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Mexican(s) adjective: Mexican

Net migration rate [time series]

-2.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Population [time series]

103,400,165 (July 2002 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1.47% (2002 est.)

Religions [time series]

nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.57 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

none

Illicit drugs [time series]

illicit cultivation of opium poppy (cultivation in 2001 - 4,400 hectares; potential heroin production - 7 metric tons) and cannabis cultivation in 2001 - 4,100 hectares; government eradication efforts have been key in keeping illicit crop levels low; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America; major drug syndicates control majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; growing producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center

Transportation

Airports [time series]

1,852 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 231 over 3,047 m: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 28 914 to 1,523 m: 82 under 914 m: 27 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 83

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 1,592 1,617 under 914 m: 1,067 1,085 (2002) over 3,047 m: 1 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1 914 to 1,523 m: 454 461 1,524 to 2,437 m: 69 69

Heliports [time series]

2 (2002)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 323,977 km paved: 96,221 km (including 6,335 km of expressways) unpaved: 227,756 km (1997)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 44 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 656,594 GRT/987,822 DWT ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 1, chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 27, roll on/roll off 3, short-sea passenger 3 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Canada 2, Denmark 1 (2002 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil 28,200 km; petroleum products 10,150 km; natural gas 13,254 km; petrochemical 1,400 km

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Acapulco, Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, La Paz, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Progreso, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Topolobampo, Tuxpan, Veracruz

Railways [time series]

total: 18,000 km standard gauge: 18,000 km 1.435-m gauge (2001)

Waterways [time series]

2,900 km note: navigable rivers and coastal canals