Mexico
United Mexican StatesEstados Unidos Mexicanos
federal presidential republic
Mexico as the 2022 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 171 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.
No fields match. Try a shorter word.
Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
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
21 fieldsLand useshare of 1,964,375 sq km
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 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 km; note – [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)
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
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 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 ;
- see note 2 under "Geography - note"
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 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
People and Society
38 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2020 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2022 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2012 est.)
Religions(2020 est.)
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.
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
Sex ratio
- 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.)
Major infectious diseases
- 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
Alcohol consumption per capita
- 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.)
Environment
16 fieldsLand use(2018 est.)
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: 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
Air pollutants
- 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.)
Urbanization
- urban population:
- 81.6% of total population (2023)
- rate of urbanization:
- 1.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- 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
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.)
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 km; note – [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)
Total water withdrawal
- municipal:
- 14.23 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
- industrial:
- 6.814 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
- agricultural:
- 66.8 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)
Government
Federal presidential republic; President Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR (since 1 December 2018); President Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR (since 1 December 2018)
22 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Senate, 128 seats, elected 1 July 2018one dot, one seat
Chamber of Deputies, 500 seatsseats by party
Composition: men 250, women 250, percent of women 50%
Country name
- 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
Capital
- 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
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
Independence
16 September 1810 (declared independence from Spain); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
Constitution
- 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
Legal system
civil law system with US constitutional law influence; judicial review of legislative acts
International law organization participation
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship
- citizenship by birth:
- yes
- citizenship by descent only:
- yes
- dual citizenship recognized:
- not specified
- residency requirement for naturalization:
- 5 years
Executive branch
- 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%
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)
- 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
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
- 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
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)
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
Diplomatic representation in the US
- 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:
- [email protected]; 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)
Diplomatic representation from the US
- 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:
- [email protected]; https://mx.usembassy.gov/
- consulate(s) general:
- Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Monterrey, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo, Tijuana
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: 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
National anthem
- 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
- 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);
- 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)
Economy
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.
34 fieldsGDP - composition, by sector of origin(2017 est.)
By end use% of GDP · (2017 est.)
Budget(2017 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.
Credit ratings
- 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.
Agricultural products
sugarcane, maize, milk, oranges, sorghum, tomatoes, poultry, wheat, green chillies/peppers, eggs
Industries
food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism
Exports
$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
cars and vehicle parts, computers, delivery trucks, crude petroleum, insulated wiring (2019)
Imports
$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
integrated circuits, refined petroleum, cars and vehicle parts, office machinery/parts, telephones (2019)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$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
Exchange rates
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.)
Energy
11 fieldsElectrification% of population · (2020)
Installed generating capacity, 93.43 million kW(2020 est.)
Coal
- 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.)
Petroleum
- 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.)
Natural gas
- 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.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
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.)
Communications
7 fieldsPer 100 inhabitants(2020 est.)
Telecommunication systems
- 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
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)
Transportation
12 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
National air transport system
- 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
Roadways
- total:
- 704,884 km (2017)
- paved:
- 175,526 km (2017) (includes 10,845 km of expressways)
- 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)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 671
- by type:
- container ship 1, bulk carrier 4, general cargo 11, oil tanker 31, other 624 (2021)
Ports and terminals
- 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
Military and Security
6 fieldsPersonnel strengthsone square, 1,000 people · (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): ;
- 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 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 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: as of 2022, women comprised about 15% of the active duty military
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)
Transnational Issues
3 fieldsDisputes - 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
Refugees and internally displaced persons
- 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)
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
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Mexico.” The World Factbook 2022. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/mexico/2022.