Mexico
With a global ranking of #2, Mexico leads in tourist arrivals. Few places match this level of performance. Test your knowledge of this global leader.
Mexico is a country in North America with a population of 130.74M and an area of 1,964,375 km². Life expectancy is 75.1 years.
At a Glance
The numbers that define this country
Life Satisfaction
8.45How satisfied people are with their lives, rated on a scale from 0 to 10.
Land Area
1.94MTotal land area in square kilometers, excluding lakes, rivers, and territorial waters.
Human Development Index
0.79The Human Development Index (HDI), combining life expectancy, education, and income into a single score from 0 to 1.
GDP Per Capita
$22.0KGDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
GDP Per Capita (PPP)
25.7KGDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
Where They Stand Out
Global rankings worth knowing
🤝Life Satisfaction
8.45How satisfied people are with their lives, rated on a scale from 0 to 10.
🔧Airports
1.6KTotal airports from CIA World Factbook.
🍻Tourist Arrivals
51.13MHow many international tourists visit the country each year.
👥Population
130.74MThe total number of people living in the country.
Did You Know?
Facts that catch players off guard
Ranks #1 in homicide rate (lower is better)
Homicide Rate: 27.4
Homicides per 100,000 people.
OECD 2024Ranks #4 globally in airports
Airports: 1.6K
Total airports from CIA World Factbook.
Ranks #2 globally in tourist arrivals
Tourist Arrivals: 51.13M
How many international tourists visit the country each year.
World Bank 2023Ranks #4 globally in women in parliament (%)
Women in Parliament (%): 50.2%
The percentage of parliament seats held by women.
World Bank 2023Only ranks #38 in life expectancy
Life Expectancy: 75.5 years
How many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
OECD 2024Surprised? See how you stack up.
Play NowHow Mexico Compares
Country vs continent vs world averages
GDP per Capita
GDP per person, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP) so costs of living are comparable across countries.
World Bank 2023Life Expectancy
Above avgHow many years a newborn can expect to live, based on current mortality rates.
World Bank 2023Human Development Index
Above avgThe Human Development Index (HDI), combining life expectancy, education, and income into a single score from 0 to 1.
Our World in Data 2023Internet Users
Above avgThe percentage of people who have used the internet in the last 3 months.
World Bank 2023Think you can guess which countries rank higher?
Test Your IntuitionAbout Mexico
Mexico was the site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations -- including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec -- until Spain conquered and colonized the area 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 Mexican Revolution in 1910 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 PEÑA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Left-leaning anti-establishment politician and former mayor of Mexico City (2000-05) Andrés Manuel LÓPEZ OBRADOR, from the National Regeneration Movement (MORENA), became president in 2018.
The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, or T-MEC by its Spanish acronym) entered into force in 2020 and replaced its predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Mexico amended its constitution in 2019 to facilitate the implementation of the labor components of USMCA.
Mexico is currently the US's second-largest goods trading partner, after Canada. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, high underemployment, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities, particularly 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.
- Location
- North America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of America, between Belize and the United States and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the United States
- Climate
- varies from tropical to desert
- Terrain
- high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert
- Natural Resources
- petroleum, silver, antimony, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber
- Natural Hazards
- tsunamis along the Pacific coast; volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south; hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of America, 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) is Mexico's most active volcano and is responsible for 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"
- Size Comparison
- slightly less than three times the size of Texas
- Languages
- Spanish only 93.8%, Spanish and indigenous languages (including Mayan, Nahuatl, and others) 5.4%, indigenous only 0.6%, unspecified 0.2% (2020 est.)
- Religions
- Catholic 77.7%, no religion 10.6%, other Evangelical Churches 7.5%, Jehovah Witness 1.2%; less than 1 percent: Pentecostal, Seventh Day Adventist, Historics, not specified, Latter Day Saints, other religions (2020 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Mestizo (Indigenous-Spanish) 62%, predominantly Indigenous 21%, Indigenous 7%, other 10% (mostly European) (2012 est.)
- Major Cities
- 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)
- Government Type
- federal presidential republic
- Capital
- Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico)
- Capital Coordinates
- 19 26 N, 99 08 W
- Capital Timezone
- UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Official Name
- United Mexican States
- Name Origin
- name may derive from one of the Nahuatl (Aztec) names for the capital city, Metztlixihtlico, which probably meant "the center of the moon;" alternatively, it may come from Mexica, the original name of the Aztec people
- Independence
- 16 September 1810 (declared independence from Spain); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
- National Symbols
- golden eagle, dahlia
- National Anthem
- "Himno Nacional Mexicano" (National Anthem of Mexico)
- UNESCO Heritage
- 36 (28 cultural, 6 natural, 2 mixed)
- Overview
- upper-middle-income economy; highly integrated with US via trade and nearshore manufacturing; weak domestic demand, fiscal consolidation, and trade uncertainty contributing to sluggish growth; low unemployment; challenges from income inequality, corruption, and cartel-based violence
- Industries
- food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism
- Agricultural Products
- sugarcane, maize, milk, oranges, sorghum, tomatoes, chicken, chillies/peppers, wheat, lemons/limes (2023)
- Export Partners
- USA 76%, Canada 5%, China 2%, Germany 2%, Spain 1% (2023)
- Export Commodities
- cars, vehicle parts/accessories, crude petroleum, trucks, computers (2023)
- Import Partners
- USA 46%, China 20%, Germany 4%, Japan 3%, S. Korea 3% (2023)
- Import Commodities
- vehicle parts/accessories, refined petroleum, integrated circuits, broadcasting equipment, cars (2023)
- Military Forces
- the Mexican Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas de México) 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 (Guardia Nacional); 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 Security and Civilian Protection/SEDENA: National Guard (2025)
- Military Service
- 18 years of age (16 with parental consent) for voluntary service for men and women; men at age 18 subject to lottery-based 12-month compulsory military service (2025)
- Energy Mix
- fossil fuels: 79.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); nuclear: 3.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); solar: 4.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); wind: 5.7% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); hydroelectricity: 5.2% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); geothermal: 1.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.); biomass and waste: 1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
- Broadcast Media
- telecom reform in 2013 ended a quasi-monopoly; now 885 TV stations and 1,841 radio stations, most privately owned; foreign satellite and cable operators are available; completed transition to digital in 2016 (2022)
- Space Program
- has a national space policy with a focus on expanding Mexico's commercial space sector, including acquiring satellites and developing specialists, technologies, and infrastructure; manufactures and operates communications and scientific satellites; conducts research on a range of space-related capabilities and technologies, including astronomy, astrophysics, Earth and weather sciences, remote sensing, robotics, satellite payloads, and telecommunications; works with a variety of foreign space agencies and commercial space industries, including those of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the ESA, individual ESA member states (particularly France, Germany, and the UK), India, Japan, Peru, Russia, Ukraine, and the US; led effort to establish the Latin American and Caribbean Space Agency and hosts its headquarters (2025)
Deep Dive
78 of 146 metricsEvery stat we track, organized by category
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BahamasShare a Fact
Share something surprising about Mexico!
How satisfied people are with their lives, rated on a scale from 0 to 10.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mexico
Mexico has a population of 130.74M, ranking #10 globally by population.
Mexico is located in North America. It has an area of 1,964,375 km².
Life expectancy in Mexico is 75.1 years, ranking #102 globally.
Mexico's GDP per capita (PPP) is 25.7K, ranking #87 globally.
Mexico ranks particularly high in Life Satisfaction (#1), Population (#10), Land Area (#13).
Mexico has an HDI of 0.789, ranking #82 globally. The HDI combines life expectancy, education, and income indicators.
Mexico has a population density of 66.7 people per km², ranking #136 globally.
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