ARCHIVE // MX // 2022
Mexico
2022 Edition — sovereign
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Communications
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
[time series]
total: 21,936,131 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 17 (2020 est.)
Broadcast media
[time series]
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
[time series]
.mx
Internet users
[time series]
total: 92,831,582 (2020 est.) percent of population: 72% (2020 est.)
Telecommunication systems
[time series]
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) 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) 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: 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
[time series]
total subscriptions: 24,500,456 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 19 (2020 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
[time series]
total subscriptions: 122,898,392 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 95 (2020 est.)
Economy
Agricultural products
[time series]
sugarcane, maize, milk, oranges, sorghum, tomatoes, poultry, wheat, green chillies/peppers, eggs
Budget
[time series]
revenues: 261.4 billion (2017 est.) expenditures: 273.8 billion (2017 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)
[time series]
-1.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Credit ratings
[time series]
Fitch rating: BBB- (2020) Moody's rating: Baa1 (2020) Standard & Poors rating: BBB (2020) note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Current account balance
[time series]
-$4.351 billion (2019 est.) -$25.415 billion (2018 est.)
Debt - external
[time series]
$456.713 billion (2019 est.) $448.268 billion (2018 est.)
Economic overview
[time series]
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
[time series]
Mexican pesos (MXN) per US dollar - 19.8 (2020 est.) 19.22824 (2019 est.) 20.21674 (2018 est.) 15.848 (2014 est.) 13.292 (2013 est.)
Exports
[time series]
$434.93 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $492.73 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $480.1 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Exports - commodities
[time series]
cars and vehicle parts, computers, delivery trucks, crude petroleum, insulated wiring (2019)
Exports - partners
[time series]
United States 75% (2019)
Fiscal year
[time series]
calendar year
GDP (official exchange rate)
[time series]
$1,269,956,000,000 (2019 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
[time series]
household consumption: 67% (2017 est.) government consumption: 11.8% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 22.3% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: 0.8% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 37.8% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -39.7% (2017 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
[time series]
agriculture: 3.6% (2017 est.) industry: 31.9% (2017 est.) services: 64.5% (2017 est.)
Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income
[time series]
36.8 (2018 est.) 48.3 (2008)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
[time series]
lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 40% (2014)
Imports
[time series]
$410.66 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $495.79 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars $505.05 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Imports - commodities
[time series]
integrated circuits, refined petroleum, cars and vehicle parts, office machinery/parts, telephones (2019)
Imports - partners
[time series]
United States 54%, China 14% (2019)
Industrial production growth rate
[time series]
-0.6% (2017 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]
3.6% (2019 est.) 4.9% (2018 est.) 6% (2017 est.)
Labor force
[time series]
50.914 million (2020 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
[time series]
agriculture: 13.4% industry: 24.1% services: 61.9% (2011)
Population below poverty line
[time series]
41.9% (2018 est.)
Public debt
[time series]
54.3% of GDP (2017 est.) 56.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
[time series]
$2,306,320,000,000 (2020 est.) $2,513,410,000,000 (2019 est.) $2,514,780,000,000 (2018 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
Real GDP growth rate
[time series]
-0.3% (2019 est.) 2.19% (2018 est.) 2.34% (2017 est.)
Real GDP per capita
[time series]
$17,900 (2020 est.) $19,700 (2019 est.) $19,900 (2018 est.) note: data are in 2017 dollars
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
[time series]
$175.3 billion (31 December 2017 est.) $178.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.) note: Mexico also maintains access to an $88 million Flexible Credit Line with the IMF
Taxes and other revenues
[time series]
22.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Unemployment rate
[time series]
3.49% (2019 est.) 3.33% (2018 est.) note: underemployment may be as high as 25%
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
[time series]
total: 7.9% male: 7.5% female: 8.6% (2021 est.)
Energy
Carbon dioxide emissions
[time series]
463.739 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: 43.24 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 260.311 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.) from consumed natural gas: 160.188 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
Coal
[time series]
production: 9.886 million metric tons (2020 est.) consumption: 10.241 million metric tons (2020 est.) exports: 3,000 metric tons (2020 est.) imports: 5.182 million metric tons (2020 est.) proven reserves: 1.211 billion metric tons (2019 est.)
Electricity
[time series]
installed generating capacity: 93.43 million kW (2020 est.) consumption: 267.34 billion kWh (2020 est.) exports: 5.954 billion kWh (2020 est.) imports: 9.965 billion kWh (2020 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 42.121 billion kWh (2020 est.)
Electricity access
[time series]
electrification - total population: 100% (2020)
Electricity generation sources
[time series]
fossil fuels: 75.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) nuclear: 3.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) solar: 4.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) wind: 6.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) hydroelectricity: 7.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) geothermal: 1.5% of total installed capacity (2020 est.) biomass and waste: 0.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Energy consumption per capita
[time series]
61.597 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
Natural gas
[time series]
production: 27,037,730,000 cubic meters (2019 est.) 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.) proven reserves: 180.321 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Petroleum
[time series]
total petroleum production: 1,905,500 bbl/day (2021 est.) refined petroleum consumption: 1,928,800 bbl/day (2019 est.) 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 products - exports
[time series]
155,800 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Refined petroleum products - imports
[time series]
867,500 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Refined petroleum products - production
[time series]
844,600 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Environment
Air pollutants
[time series]
particulate matter emissions: 20.08 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 486.41 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 135.77 megatons (2020 est.)
Climate
[time series]
varies from tropical to desert
Environment - current issues
[time series]
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: 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, 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
[time series]
agricultural land: 54.9% (2018 est.) arable land: 11.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 41.7% (2018 est.) forest: 33.3% (2018 est.) other: 11.8% (2018 est.)
Major aquifers
[time series]
Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains Aquifer
Major infectious diseases
[time series]
degree of risk: intermediate (2020) food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: dengue fever 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
Major lakes (area sq km)
[time series]
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)
[time series]
Rio Grande river mouth (shared with US [s]) - 3,057 km; Colorado river mouth (shared with US [s]) - 2,333 km note [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds (area sq km)
[time series]
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
[time series]
coal revenues: 0.03% of GDP (2018 est.)
Revenue from forest resources
[time series]
forest revenues: 0.1% of GDP (2018 est.)
Total renewable water resources
[time series]
461.888 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Total water withdrawal
[time series]
municipal: 14.23 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) industrial: 6.814 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) agricultural: 66.8 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Urbanization
[time series]
urban population: 81.6% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling
[time series]
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.)
Geography
Area
[time series]
total: 1,964,375 sq km land: 1,943,945 sq km water: 20,430 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
[time series]
highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,636 m lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m mean elevation: 1,111 m
Geographic coordinates
[time series]
23 00 N, 102 00 W
Geography - note
[time series]
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 tomato 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
[time series]
60,620 sq km (2020)
Land boundaries
[time series]
total: 4,389 km border countries (3): Belize 276 km; Guatemala 958 km; US 3,155 km
Land use
[time series]
agricultural land: 54.9% (2018 est.) arable land: 11.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.4% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 41.7% (2018 est.) forest: 33.3% (2018 est.) other: 11.8% (2018 est.)
Location
[time series]
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
[time series]
Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains Aquifer
Major lakes (area sq km)
[time series]
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)
[time series]
Rio Grande river mouth (shared with US [s]) - 3,057 km; Colorado river mouth (shared with US [s]) - 2,333 km note [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major watersheds (area sq km)
[time series]
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
[time series]
North America
Maritime claims
[time series]
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 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 volcanism: 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
[time series]
petroleum, silver, antimony, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber
Population distribution
[time series]
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
[time series]
high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert
Government
Administrative divisions
[time series]
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
[time series]
name: Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico) geographic coordinates: 19 26 N, 99 08 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October time zone note: Mexico has four time zones etymology: named after the Mexica, the largest and most powerful branch of the Aztecs; the meaning of the name is uncertain
Citizenship
[time series]
citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent only: yes dual citizenship recognized: not specified residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years
Constitution
[time series]
history: several previous; latest approved 5 February 1917 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
Country name
[time series]
conventional long form: United Mexican States conventional short form: Mexico local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos local short form: Mexico former: Mexican Republic, Mexican Empire 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
Diplomatic representation from the US
[time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Ken SALAZAR (since 14 September 2021) embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, CDMX mailing address: 8700 Mexico City Place, Washington DC 20521-8700 telephone: (011) [52]-55-5080-2000 FAX: (011) 52-55-5080-2005 email address and website: ACSMexicoCity@state.gov https://mx.usembassy.gov/ consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Monterrey, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana
Diplomatic representation in the US
[time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Esteban MOCTEZUMA Barragan (since 20 April 2021) chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600 FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698 email address and website: mexembussa@sre.gob.mx https://embamex.sre.gob.mx/eua/index.php/en/ 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) 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)
Executive branch
[time series]
chief of state: President Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR (since 1 December 2018); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR (since 1 December 2018) 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 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) 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%
Flag
(Flag description)
[time series]
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: 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
[time series]
federal presidential republic
Independence
[time series]
16 September 1810 (declared independence from Spain); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
International law organization participation
[time series]
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
International organization participation
[time series]
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
[time series]
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 subordinate courts: federal level includes circuit, collegiate, and unitary courts; state and district level courts 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
Legal system
[time series]
civil law system with US constitutional law influence; judicial review of legislative acts
Legislative branch
[time series]
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) 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) 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% note: as of the 2018 election, senators will be eligible for a second term and deputies up to 4 consecutive terms
National anthem(s)
(National anthem)
[time series]
name: "Himno Nacional Mexicano" (National Anthem of Mexico) lyrics/music: Francisco Gonzalez BOCANEGRA/Jaime Nuno ROCA 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
[time series]
total World Heritage Sites: 35 (27 cultural, 6 natural, 2 mixed) 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); Tehuac n-Cuicatl n Valley (m); Historic Puebla (c); El Tajin (c); Historic Tlacotalpan (c); Historic Oaxaca and Monte Alb n (c); Palenque (c); Chichen-Itza (c); Uxmal (c)
National holiday
[time series]
Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
National symbol(s)
[time series]
golden eagle; national colors: green, white, red
Political parties
(Political parties and leaders)
[time series]
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
[time series]
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Introduction
Background
[time series]
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.
Military and Security
Military - note
[time series]
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
[time series]
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: 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
[time series]
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
[time series]
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
[time series]
0.8% of GDP (2022 est.) 0.8% of GDP (2021) 0.6% of GDP (2020) 0.5% of GDP (2019) (approximately $13.4 billion) 0.5% of GDP (2018) (approximately $12.5 billion)
Military service age and obligation
[time series]
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 Batall n 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: as of 2022, women comprised about 15% of the active duty military
People and Society
Age structure
[time series]
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
[time series]
total: 4.25 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 3.72 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 0.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) spirits: 0.19 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) other alcohols: 0.15 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Birth rate
[time series]
13.55 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Child marriage
[time series]
women married by age 15: 3.6% women married by age 18: 20.7% (2018 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
[time series]
4.7% (2018/19)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
[time series]
73.1% (2018)
Current health expenditure
[time series]
5.4% of GDP (2019)
Death rate
[time series]
7.71 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Dependency ratios
[time series]
total dependency ratio: 49.4 youth dependency ratio: 37.3 elderly dependency ratio: 12.2 potential support ratio: 8.2 (2021 est.)
Drinking water source
[time series]
improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 98.3% of population total: 99.7% of population unimproved: urban: 0% of population rural: 1.7% of population total: 0.3% of population (2020 est.)
Education expenditure
(Education expenditures)
[time series]
4.3% of GDP (2018 est.)
Ethnic groups
[time series]
Mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 62%, predominantly Amerindian 21%, Amerindian 7%, other 10% (mostly European) (2012 est.) note: Mexico does not collect census data on ethnicity
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
[time series]
0.4% (2021 est.)
Hospital bed density
[time series]
1 beds/1,000 population (2018)
Infant mortality rate
[time series]
total: 11.86 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.11 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est.)
Languages
[time series]
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 informaci n b sica. (Spanish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Life expectancy at birth
[time series]
total population: 72.32 years male: 68.93 years female: 75.88 years (2022 est.)
Literacy
[time series]
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.2% male: 96.1% female: 94.5% (2020)
Major infectious diseases
[time series]
degree of risk: intermediate (2020) food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: dengue fever 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
Major urban areas - population
[time series]
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
[time series]
33 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Median age
[time series]
total: 29.3 years male: 28.2 years female: 30.4 years (2020 est.)
Mother's mean age at first birth
[time series]
21.3 years (2008 est.)
Nationality
[time series]
noun: Mexican(s) adjective: Mexican
Net migration rate
[time series]
-0.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
[time series]
28.9% (2016)
Physician density
(Physicians density)
[time series]
2.43 physicians/1,000 population (2019)
Population
[time series]
129,150,971 (2022 est.)
Population distribution
[time series]
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
[time series]
0.51% (2022 est.)
Religions
[time series]
Roman Catholic 78%, Protestant/evangelical Christian 11.2%, other 0.002%, unaffiliated (includes atheism) 10.6% (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility access
[time series]
improved: urban: 99.9% of population rural: 96.4% of population total: 99.2% of population unimproved: urban: 0.1% of population rural: 3.6% of population total: 0.8% of population (2020 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
[time series]
total: 15 years male: 15 years female: 15 years (2020)
Sex ratio
[time series]
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 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 total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
Tobacco use
[time series]
total: 13.1% (2020 est.) male: 19.9% (2020 est.) female: 6.2% (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate
[time series]
1.68 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Urbanization
[time series]
urban population: 81.6% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
[time series]
total: 7.9% male: 7.5% female: 8.6% (2021 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
[time series]
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
[time series]
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
[time series]
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) 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) stateless persons: 13 (mid-year 2021)
Transportation
Airports
[time series]
total: 1,714 (2021)
Airports - with paved runways
[time series]
total: 243 over 3,047 m: 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 32 1,524 to 2,437 m: 80 914 to 1,523 m: 86 under 914 m: 33 (2021)
Airports - with unpaved runways
[time series]
total: 1,471 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 42 914 to 1,523 m: 281 under 914 m: 1,146 (2021)
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
[time series]
XA
Heliports
[time series]
1 (2021)
Merchant marine
[time series]
total: 671 by type: container ship 1, bulk carrier 4, general cargo 11, oil tanker 31, other 624 (2021)
National air transport system
[time series]
number of registered air carriers: 16 (2020) inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 370 annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 64,569,640 (2018) annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 1,090,380,000 (2018) mt-km
Pipelines
[time series]
17,210 km natural gas (2022), 9,757 km oil (2017), 10,237 km refined products (2020)
Ports
(Ports and terminals)
[time series]
major seaport(s): Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Veracruz oil terminal(s): Cayo Arcas terminal, Dos Bocas terminal cruise port(s): Cancun, Cozumel, Ensenada container port(s) (TEUs): Lazaro Cardenas (1,318,732), Manzanillo (3,069,189), Veracruz (1,144,156) (2019) LNG terminal(s) (import): Altamira, Ensenada
Railways
[time series]
total: 23,389 km (2017) standard gauge: 23,389 km (2017) 1.435-m gauge (27 km electrified)
Roadways
[time series]
total: 704,884 km (2017) paved: 175,526 km (2017) (includes 10,845 km of expressways) unpaved: 529,358 km (2017)
Waterways
[time series]
2,900 km (2012) (navigable rivers and coastal canals mostly connected with ports on the country's east coast)