| Demographics ofMexico | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Population |  131,946,900 (2025 est.)[1] |
| Density | 66.28/km2 (171.7/sq mi) (2024 est.)[2] |
| Growth rate | 0.7% (2024 est.)[2] |
| Birth rate | 12.1 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)[3] |
| Death rate | 6.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)[3] |
| Life expectancy | 74.6 years (2024 est.)[2] |
| • male | 71.6 years (2024 est.)[2] |
| • female | 77.7 years (2024 est.)[2] |
| Fertility rate | 1.38 children born/woman (2024 est.)[4] |
| Infant mortality rate | 12.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)[2] |
| Net migration rate | −0.70 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)[2] |
| Age structure | |
| 0–14 years | 23.3% (male 15,647,805/ female 14,754,004) (2024 est.)[2] |
| 15–64 years | 68.6% (male 43,651,105/ female 45,983,174) (2024 est.)[2] |
| 65 and over | 8.2% (male 4,600,228/ female 6,103,611) (2024 est.)[2] |
| Sex ratio | |
| Total | 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)[2] |
| At birth | 1.05 male(s)/female |
| Under 15 | 1.06 male(s)/female |
| 15–64 years | 0.95 male(s)/female |
| 65 and over | 0.75 male(s)/female |
| Nationality | |
| Nationality | Mexican |
| Language | |
| Official | Spanish (99.4%) & 68 native languages[5] |
| Spoken | Languages of Mexico |
With a population of about 129 million in 2022,[6]Mexico is the10th most populated country in the world. It is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world and the third-most populous country in the Americas after the United States and Brazil,[7] the most populous city in the country is the capital,Mexico City, with a population of 9.2 million and itsmetropolitan area is also the most populated with 21.8 million as of 2020.[8] Approximately 53% of the population lives in one of the 48 large metropolitan areas in the country.[9] In total, about 76% of the population of the country lives in urban areas and 23% lives in rural ones.[10]
Demographic censuses are performed by theInstituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía. The National Population Council (CONAPO) is an institution under theMinistry of Interior in charge of the analysis and research of population dynamics. TheNational Institute of Indigenous Peoples also undertakes research and analysis of the sociodemographic and linguistic indicators of theindigenous peoples. Throughout most of the 20th century Mexico's population was characterized by rapid growth. Although this tendency has been reversed and average annual population growth over the last five years was less than 1%, the demographic transition is still in progress; Mexico still has a large youthcohort.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1500 | 12,000,000[11] | — |
| 1600 | 1,500,000[12] | −87.5% |
| 1700 | 4,000,000 | +166.7% |
| 1800 | 6,000,000 | +50.0% |
| 1832 | 7,000,000 | +16.7% |
| 1865 | 8,259,080[13] | +18.0% |
| 1895 | 12,700,294 | +53.8% |
| 1900 | 13,607,272 | +7.1% |
| 1910 | 15,160,369 | +11.4% |
| 1921 | 14,334,780 | −5.4% |
| 1930 | 16,552,722 | +15.5% |
| 1940 | 19,653,552 | +18.7% |
| 1950 | 25,791,017 | +31.2% |
| 1960 | 34,923,129 | +35.4% |
| 1970 | 48,225,238 | +38.1% |
| 1980 | 66,846,833 | +38.6% |
| 1990 | 81,249,645 | +21.5% |
| 2000 | 97,483,412 | +20.0% |
| 2010 | 112,336,538 | +15.2% |
| 2020 | 126,014,024 | +12.2% |
| Source:INEGI | ||
Estimates vary for the Pre-Columbian population of Mexico from 1.5 million to 21 million,[14] but the most accepted figure is about 12 million people, including the population of theAztec Empire which is estimated at 6 million people.[15] In 1600, the population was estimated to have been around 1 to 2 million, having drastically declined due to disease and warfare followingSpanish conquest. By 1700, the population was estimated to be around 4 million.In 1900, the Mexican population was 13.6 million.[16] During the period of economic prosperity that was dubbed by economists as the "Mexican Miracle", the government invested in efficient social programs that reduced theinfant mortality rate and increasedlife expectancy. These measures jointly led to an intense demographic increase between 1930 and 1980.
Intense population growth in the northern states, especially along the US-Mexican border, changed the country's demographic profile in the second half of the 20th century, as the 1967 US-Mexicomaquiladora agreement through which all products manufactured in the border cities could be imported duty-free to the US. Since the adoption of NAFTA in 1994, however, which allows all products to be imported duty-free regardless of their place of origin within Mexico, the non-border maquiladora share of exports has increased while that of border cities has decreased.[17] This has led to decentralization and rapid economic growth in Mexican states (and cities), such as Quintana Roo (Cancun), Baja California Sur (La Paz), Nuevo León (Monterrey), Querétaro, and Aguascalientes whose population grew by more than one-third from 2000 to 2015, while the whole of Mexico grew by 22.6% in this period.
While the national annual growth rate was still positive (1.0%) in the early years of the 2000s, the national net migration rate was negative (-4.75/1000 inhabitants), in the 2010s, however, the net migration rate reached 0, given the strong economy of Mexico, changes in US Immigration Policy & Enforcement, US Legislative and CFR-8 decisions, plus the (then) slowly recovering US economy, causing many of its former residents to return. Given the former strong flow of immigrants to the United States; an estimated 5.3 million undocumented Mexican immigrants lived in the United States in 2004[18] and 18.2 million American citizens in the 2000 Census declared having Mexican ancestry.[19]
The population's annual growth rate has been reduced from a 3.5% peak in 1965 to 0.99% in 2005. While Mexico is now transitioning to the third phase ofdemographic transition, close to 50% of the population in 2009 was 25 years old or younger.[20]Fertility rates have also decreased from 5.7 children per woman in 1976[21] to 1.9 in 2020.[22] After decades of the gap narrowing, in 2020 the fertility rate in Mexico fell below the United States for the first time falling 22% in 2020 and a further 10.5% in the first half of 2021 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[23] The Mexican government projects[24] that the country's population will grow to about 123 million by 2042 and then start declining slowly. Assumptions underlying this projection include fertility stabilizing at 1.85 children per woman and continued high net emigration (slowly decreasing from 583,000 in 2005 to 393,000 in 2050).
Mexico is composed of 32federal entities which include 31 states and Mexico City, the fivemost populous federal entities in 2020 were theState of Mexico (16.9 million), Mexico City (9.2 million),Jalisco (8.3 million), Veracruz (8.0 million) andPuebla (6.5 million), which collectively contain around 40% of the national population.[25] TheGreater Mexico Citymetro area, which includes Mexico City and adjacent municipalities of surrounding states, is the most populous in the country and is estimated to be the second most populous in the world (after Tokyo), according to the UN Urbanization Report.
The average annual population growth rate ofMexico City was 0.2%. The state with the lowest population growth rate over the same period wasMichoacán (-0.1%), whereas the states with the highest population growth rates wereQuintana Roo (4.7%) andBaja California Sur (3.4%),[26] both of which are two of the least populous states and the last to be admitted to the Union in the 1970s. The average annualnet migration rate of Mexico City over the same period was negative and the lowest of allpolitical divisions of Mexico, whereas the states with the highest net migration rate were Quintana Roo (2.7),Baja California (1.8) and Baja California Sur (1.6).[27]
According to the 2012 revision of the World Population Prospects, the total population was 117,886,000 in 2010, compared to only 28,296,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 30%, 64% of the population was between 15 and 65 years of age, and 6% was 65 years or older.[28]
| Total population (x 1000) | Proportion aged 0–14 (%) | Proportion aged 15–64 (%) | Proportion aged 65+ (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 28 296 | 42.5 | 54.1 | 3.5 |
| 1955 | 33 401 | 44.5 | 52.2 | 3.3 |
| 1960 | 38 677 | 45.9 | 50.8 | 3.4 |
| 1965 | 45 339 | 46.8 | 49.6 | 3.5 |
| 1970 | 52 988 | 46.6 | 49.7 | 3.7 |
| 1975 | 61 708 | 46.2 | 50.1 | 3.7 |
| 1980 | 70 353 | 44.7 | 51.5 | 3.8 |
| 1985 | 77 859 | 42.1 | 53.9 | 3.9 |
| 1990 | 86 077 | 38.5 | 57.2 | 4.3 |
| 1995 | 95 393 | 35.9 | 59.6 | 4.5 |
| 2000 | 103 874 | 34.1 | 61.0 | 4.9 |
| 2005 | 110 732 | 32.3 | 62.4 | 5.3 |
| 2010 | 117 886 | 30.0 | 64.0 | 6.0 |
| 2015 | 127 017 | 27.6 | 65.9 | 6.5 |
| 2020 | 134 837 | 25.6 | 66.9 | 7.6 |
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 12.VI.2010; including an estimation of 1 334 585 people corresponding to 448 195 housing units without information of the occupants):[29]
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 54 855 231 | 57 481 307 | 112 336 538 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 5 346 943 | 5 181 379 | 10 528 322 | 9.37 |
| 5–9 | 5 604 175 | 5 443 362 | 11 047 537 | 9.83 |
| 10–14 | 5 547 613 | 5 392 324 | 10 939 937 | 9.74 |
| 15–19 | 5 520 121 | 5 505 991 | 11 026 112 | 9.82 |
| 20–24 | 4 813 204 | 5 079 067 | 9 892 271 | 8.81 |
| 25–29 | 4 205 975 | 4 582 202 | 8 788 177 | 7.82 |
| 30–34 | 4 026 031 | 4 444 767 | 8 470 798 | 7.54 |
| 35–39 | 3 964 738 | 4 328 249 | 8 292 987 | 7.38 |
| 40–44 | 3 350 322 | 3 658 904 | 7 009 226 | 6.24 |
| 45–49 | 2 824 364 | 3 104 366 | 5 928 730 | 5.28 |
| 50–54 | 2 402 451 | 2 661 840 | 5 064 291 | 4.51 |
| 55–59 | 1 869 537 | 2 025 828 | 3 895 365 | 3.47 |
| 60–64 | 1 476 667 | 1 639 799 | 3 116 466 | 2.77 |
| 65–69 | 1 095 273 | 1 221 992 | 2 317 265 | 2.06 |
| 70–74 | 873 893 | 1 000 041 | 1 873 934 | 1.67 |
| 75–79 | 579 689 | 665 794 | 1 245 483 | 1.11 |
| 80–84 | 355 277 | 443 659 | 798 936 | 0.71 |
| 85–89 | 197 461 | 256 703 | 454 164 | 0.40 |
| 90–94 | 68 130 | 96 794 | 164 924 | 0.15 |
| 95–99 | 25 920 | 39 812 | 65 732 | 0.06 |
| 100+ | 7 228 | 11 247 | 18 475 | 0.02 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 16 498 731 | 16 017 065 | 32 515 796 | 28.94 |
| 15–64 | 34 453 410 | 37 031 013 | 71 484 423 | 63.63 |
| 65+ | 3 202 871 | 3 736 042 | 6 938 913 | 6.18 |
| unknown | 700 219 | 697 187 | 1 397 406 | 1.24 |
Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 15.III.2020) (Including an estimation of 6 337 751 persons corresponding to 1 588 422 housing units without information of the occupants.):[30]
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 61 473 390 | 64 540 634 | 126 014 024 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 5 077 482 | 4 969 883 | 10 047 365 | 7.97 |
| 5–9 | 5 453 091 | 5 311 288 | 10 764 379 | 8.54 |
| 10–14 | 5 554 260 | 5 389 280 | 10 943 540 | 8.68 |
| 15–19 | 5 462 150 | 5 344 540 | 10 806 690 | 8.57 |
| 20–24 | 5 165 884 | 5 256 211 | 10 422 095 | 8.27 |
| 25–29 | 4 861 404 | 5 131 597 | 9 993 001 | 7.93 |
| 30–34 | 4 527 726 | 4 893 101 | 9 420 827 | 7.47 |
| 35–39 | 4 331 530 | 4 668 746 | 9 020 276 | 7.15 |
| 40–44 | 4 062 304 | 4 441 282 | 8 503 586 | 6.74 |
| 45–49 | 3 812 344 | 4 130 069 | 7 942 413 | 6.30 |
| 50–54 | 3 332 163 | 3 705 360 | 7 037 532 | 5.58 |
| 55–59 | 2 692 976 | 3 002 982 | 5 695 958 | 4.52 |
| 60–64 | 2 257 862 | 2 563 200 | 4 821 062 | 3.82 |
| 65–69 | 1 706 850 | 1 938 227 | 3 645 077 | 2.89 |
| 70–74 | 1 233 492 | 1 413 848 | 2 647 340 | 2.10 |
| 75–79 | 847 898 | 966 684 | 1 814 582 | 1.43 |
| 80–84 | 523 812 | 651 552 | 1 175 364 | 0.93 |
| 85+ | 433 968 | 605 583 | 1 039 551 | 0.82 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 16 084 833 | 15 670 451 | 31 755 284 | 25.20 |
| 15–64 | 40 506 343 | 43 157 097 | 83 663 440 | 66.39 |
| 65+ | 4 746 020 | 5 575 894 | 10 321 914 | 8.19 |
| unknown | 136 194 | 137 192 | 273 386 | 0.22 |
Source:Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI)[31][32]
| Average population [33] | Live births | Deaths | Natural change | Crude birth rate (per 1000) | Crude death rate (per 1000) | Natural change (per 1000) | Crude migration change (per 1000) | Total fertility rate | Life expectancy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | 791,725 | 5.86 | ||||||||
| 1937 | 826,307 | 5.83 | ||||||||
| 1938 | 829,651 | 43.5 | 5.87 | |||||||
| 1939 | 865,081 | 44.6 | 5.90 | |||||||
| 1940 | 19,763,000 | 875,471 | 44.3 | 5.93 | ||||||
| 1941 | 20,208,000 | 878,935 | 43.5 | 5.96 | ||||||
| 1942 | 20,657,000 | 940,067 | 45.5 | 5.99 | ||||||
| 1943 | 21,165,000 | 963,317 | 45.5 | 6.07 | ||||||
| 1944 | 21,674,000 | 958,119 | 44.2 | 6.16 | ||||||
| 1945 | 22,233,000 | 999,093 | 44.9 | 6.24 | ||||||
| 1946 | 22,779,000 | 994,838 | 442,935 | 551,903 | 43.7 | 19.4 | 24.3 | -0.3 | 6.32 | |
| 1947 | 23,440,000 | 1,079,816 | 390,087 | 689,729 | 46.1 | 16.6 | 29.5 | -1.2 | 6.41 | |
| 1948 | 24,129,000 | 1,090,867 | 407,708 | 683,159 | 44.7 | 16.9 | 27.8 | 0.3 | 6.49 | |
| 1949 | 24,833,000 | 1,123,358 | 443,559 | 670,476 | 46.0 | 17.7 | 28.3 | 1.4 | 6.58 | |
| 1950 | 28,296,000 | 1,174,947 | 418,430 | 756,517 | 41.5 | 14.8 | 26.7 | 101.9 | 6.66 | |
| 1951 | 29,110,000 | 1,183,788 | 458,238 | 725,550 | 40.7 | 15.7 | 24.9 | 3.9 | 6.68 | |
| 1952 | 29,980,000 | 1,195,209 | 408,823 | 786,386 | 39.9 | 13.6 | 26.2 | 3.7 | 6.72 | |
| 1953 | 30,904,000 | 1,261,775 | 446,127 | 815,648 | 40.8 | 14.4 | 26.4 | 4.4 | 6.74 | |
| 1954 | 31,880,000 | 1,339,837 | 378,752 | 961,085 | 42.0 | 11.9 | 30.1 | 1.5 | 6.76 | |
| 1955 | 32,906,000 | 1,377,917 | 407,522 | 970,395 | 41.9 | 12.4 | 29.5 | 2.7 | 6.78 | |
| 1956 | 33,978,000 | 1,427,722 | 368,740 | 1,058,982 | 42.0 | 10.9 | 31.2 | 1.4 | 6.78 | |
| 1957 | 35,095,000 | 1,485,202 | 414,545 | 1,070,657 | 42.3 | 11.8 | 30.5 | 2.4 | 6.78 | |
| 1958 | 36,253,000 | 1,447,578 | 404,529 | 1,043,049 | 39.9 | 11.2 | 28.8 | 4.2 | 6.78 | |
| 1959 | 37,448,000 | 1,589,606 | 396,924 | 1,192,682 | 42.4 | 10.6 | 31.8 | 1.2 | 6.77 | |
| 1960 | 38,677,000 | 1,608,174 | 402,545 | 1,205,629 | 41.6 | 10.4 | 31.2 | 1.6 | 6.77 | |
| 1961 | 39,939,000 | 1,647,006 | 388,857 | 1,258,149 | 41.2 | 9.7 | 31.5 | 1.1 | 6.76 | |
| 1962 | 41,234,000 | 1,705,481 | 403,046 | 1,302,435 | 41.4 | 9.8 | 31.6 | 0.8 | 6.76 | |
| 1963 | 42,564,000 | 1,756,624 | 412,834 | 1,343,790 | 41.3 | 9.7 | 31.6 | 0.7 | 6.75 | |
| 1964 | 43,931,000 | 1,849,408 | 408,275 | 1,441,133 | 42.1 | 9.3 | 32.8 | -0.7 | 6.75 | |
| 1965 | 45,339,000 | 1,888,171 | 404,163 | 1,484,008 | 41.6 | 8.9 | 32.7 | -0.6 | 6.76 | |
| 1966 | 46,784,000 | 1,954,340 | 424,141 | 1,530,199 | 41.8 | 9.1 | 32.7 | -0.8 | 6.77 | |
| 1967 | 48,264,000 | 1,981,363 | 420,298 | 1,561,065 | 41.1 | 8.7 | 32.3 | -0.7 | 6.79 | |
| 1968 | 49,788,000 | 2,058,251 | 452,910 | 1,605,341 | 41.3 | 9.1 | 32.2 | -0.6 | 6.81 | |
| 1969 | 51,361,000 | 2,088,902 | 458,886 | 1,630,016 | 39.7 | 8.9 | 30.7 | 0.9 | 6.83 | |
| 1970 | 52,988,000 | 2,132,630 | 485,656 | 1,646,974 | 40.2 | 9.2 | 31.1 | 0.6 | 6.83 | |
| 1971 | 54,669,000 | 2,231,399 | 458,323 | 1,773,076 | 40.8 | 8.4 | 32.4 | -0.7 | 6.79 | |
| 1972 | 56,396,000 | 2,346,002 | 476,206 | 1,869,796 | 41.6 | 8.4 | 33.2 | -1.6 | 6.70 | |
| 1973 | 58,156,000 | 2,572,287 | 458,915 | 2,113,372 | 44.2 | 7.9 | 36.3 | -5.1 | 6.56 | |
| 1974 | 59,931,000 | 2,607,452 | 433,104 | 2,089,476 | 42.1 | 7.2 | 34.9 | -4.4 | 6.37 | |
| 1975 | 61,708,000 | 2,429,768 | 435,888 | 1,818,609 | 36.5 | 7.1 | 29.5 | 0.2 | 6.13 | |
| 1976 | 63,486,000 | 2,370,025 | 455,660 | 1,910,645 | 37.3 | 7.2 | 30.1 | -1.3 | 5.86 | |
| 1977 | 65,261,000 | 2,402,418 | 450,454 | 1,928,873 | 36.5 | 6.9 | 29.6 | -1.6 | ||
| 1978 | 67,013,000 | 2,346,862 | 418,381 | 1,928,481 | 35.0 | 6.2 | 28.8 | -2.0 | ||
| 1979 | 68,715,000 | 2,448,774 | 428,217 | 1,846,050 | 33.1 | 6.2 | 26.9 | -1.5 | ||
| 1980 | 70,353,000 | 2,427,628 | 434,465 | 2,011,773 | 34.8 | 6.2 | 28.6 | -4.8 | ||
| 1981 | 71,916,000 | 2,530,662 | 424,274 | 2,106,388 | 35.2 | 5.9 | 29.3 | -7.1 | 4.6 | |
| 1982 | 73,416,000 | 2,392,849 | 412,345 | 1,980,504 | 32.6 | 5.6 | 27.0 | -6.1 | ||
| 1983 | 74,880,000 | 2,609,088 | 413,403 | 2,195,685 | 34.8 | 5.5 | 29.3 | -9.4 | ||
| 1984 | 76,351,000 | 2,511,894 | 410,550 | 2,101,344 | 32.9 | 5.4 | 27.5 | -7.9 | ||
| 1985 | 77,859,000 | 2,655,571 | 414,003 | 2,241,668 | 34.1 | 5.3 | 28.8 | -9.0 | ||
| 1986 | 79,410,000 | 2,579,301 | 400,079 | 2,176,966 | 32.5 | 5.0 | 27.4 | -7.5 | ||
| 1987 | 80,999,000 | 2,794,390 | 406,913 | 2,394,110 | 34.5 | 4.9 | 29.6 | -10.0 | 3.8 | |
| 1988 | 82,635,000 | 2,622,031 | 412,987 | 2,209,044 | 31.7 | 5.0 | 26.7 | -7.1 | ||
| 1989 | 84,327,000 | 2,620,262 | 423,304 | 2,196,958 | 31.1 | 5.0 | 26.1 | -6.1 | ||
| 1990 | 86,077,000 | 2,735,312 | 422,803 | 2,312,509 | 31.8 | 4.9 | 26.9 | -6.7 | 3.47 | |
| 1991 | 87,890,000 | 2,756,447 | 411,131 | 2,345,316 | 31.4 | 4.7 | 26.7 | -6.1 | 3.37 | |
| 1992 | 89,758,000 | 2,797,397 | 409,814 | 2,387,583 | 31.2 | 4.6 | 26.6 | -5.9 | 3.27 | |
| 1993 | 91,654,000 | 2,839,686 | 416,335 | 2,423,351 | 31.0 | 4.5 | 26.4 | -5.9 | 3.18 | |
| 1994 | 93,542,000 | 2,904,389 | 419,074 | 2,485,315 | 31.0 | 4.5 | 26.6 | -6.5 | 3.10 | |
| 1995 | 95,393,000 | 2,750,444 | 430,278 | 2,320,166 | 28.8 | 4.5 | 24.3 | -5.0 | 3.02 | |
| 1996 | 97,202,000 | 2,707,718 | 436,321 | 2,271,397 | 27.9 | 4.5 | 23.4 | -4.8 | 2.95 | |
| 1997 | 98,969,000 | 2,698,425 | 440,437 | 2,257,988 | 27.3 | 4.5 | 22.8 | -5.1 | 2.88 | |
| 1998 | 100,679,000 | 2,668,428 | 444,665 | 2,223,763 | 26.5 | 4.4 | 22.1 | -5.2 | 2.82 | |
| 1999 | 102,317,000 | 2,769,089 | 443,950 | 2,325,139 | 27.1 | 4.3 | 22.7 | -6.8 | 2.77 | |
| 2000 | 103,874,000 | 2,798,339 | 437,667 | 2,360,672 | 26.9 | 4.2 | 22.7 | -7.9 | 2.72 | |
| 2001 | 105,340,000 | 2,767,610 | 443,127 | 2,324,483 | 26.3 | 4.2 | 22.1 | -8.3 | 2.67 | |
| 2002 | 106,724,000 | 2,699,084 | 459,687 | 2,239,397 | 25.3 | 4.3 | 21.0 | -8.1 | 2.62 | |
| 2003 | 108,056,000 | 2,655,894 | 472,140 | 2,183,754 | 24.6 | 4.4 | 20.2 | -8.0 | 2.58 | |
| 2004 | 109,382,000 | 2,625,056 | 473,417 | 2,151,639 | 24.0 | 4.3 | 19.7 | -7.6 | 2.54 | |
| 2005 | 110,732,000 | 2,567,906 | 495,240 | 2,072,666 | 23.2 | 4.5 | 18.7 | -6.6 | 2.50 | |
| 2006 | 112,117,000 | 2,505,939 | 494,471 | 2,011,468 | 22.4 | 4.4 | 17.9 | -5.7 | 2.46 | |
| 2007 | 113,530,000 | 2,655,083 | 514,420 | 2,140,663 | 23.4 | 4.5 | 18.9 | -6.5 | 2.42 | |
| 2008 | 114,968,000 | 2,636,110 | 539,530 | 2,096,580 | 22.9 | 4.7 | 18.2 | -5.8 | 2.39 | |
| 2009 | 116,423,000 | 2,577,214 | 564,673 | 2,012,541 | 22.1 | 4.9 | 17.3 | -4.8 | 2.36 | |
| 2010 | 114,255,000 | 2,643,908 | 592,018 | 2,051,890 | 23.1 | 5.2 | 17.9 | -36.2 | 2.34 | 74.3 |
| 2011 | 115,683,000 | 2,586,287 | 590,693 | 1,995,594 | 22.3 | 5.1 | 17.2 | -5.5 | 2.32 | 74.7 |
| 2012 | 117,054,000 | 2,498,880 | 602,354 | 1,896,526 | 21.3 | 5.1 | 16.2 | -4.5 | 2.29 | 74.9 |
| 2013 | 118,395,000 | 2,478,889 | 623,599 | 1,855,290 | 20.9 | 5.3 | 15.6 | -4.4 | 2.27 | 75.2 |
| 2014 | 119,713,000 | 2,463,420 | 633,641 | 1,829,779 | 20.5 | 5.3 | 15.2 | -4.3 | 2.21 | 75.1 |
| 2015 | 121,005,000 | 2,353,596 | 655,688 | 1,697,908 | 19.4 | 5.4 | 14.0 | -3.4 | 2.22 | 75.1 |
| 2016 | 122,298,000 | 2,293,708 | 685,766 | 1,607,942 | 18.8 | 5.6 | 13.2 | -2.5 | 2.19 | 74.8 |
| 2017 | 123,415,000 | 2,234,039 | 703,047 | 1,530,992 | 18.1 | 5.8 | 12.3 | -3.2 | 2.17 | 74.8 |
| 2018 | 124,738,000 | 2,162,535 | 722,611 | 1,439,924 | 17.3 | 5.8 | 11.5 | -0.8 | 2.07 | 74.9 |
| 2019 | 125,930,000 | 2,092,214 | 747,784 | 1,344,430 | 16.5 | 5.9 | 10.6 | -1.0 | 2.09 | 74.8 |
| 2020 | 126,014,024 | 1,629,211 | 1,086,743 | 542,468 | 12.9 | 8.6 | 4.3 | -3.6 | 1.63(e) | 68.9 |
| 2021 | 126,705,138 | 1,912,178 | 1,122,249 | 789,929 | 15.1 | 8.8 | 6.3 | -0.8 | 1.91(e) | 68.8 |
| 2022 | 127,500,000(e) | 1,891,388 | 847,716 | 1,043,672 | 14.8 | 6.7 | 8.1 | -1.9 | 1.94(e) | 75.2 |
| 2023 | 128,500,000(e) | 1,820,888 | 799,869 | 1,021,019 | 14.2 | 6.2 | 8.0 | -0.2 | 1.60[35] | 75.3 |
| 2024 | 129,500,000(e) | 1,672,227 | 818,437 | 853,790 | 12.9 | 6.3 | 6.6 | -0.81 | 1.38(e) | 75.4 |
| 2025 |
(e) = estimate
| Period | Live births | Deaths | Natural increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| January – June 2024 | 420,457 | ||
| January – June 2025 | 402,320 | ||
| Difference |  –18,137 (–4.31%) | ||
| Source:[36] | |||
The following estimates were prepared by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informatica:
| Crude birth rate (per 1000)[37] | Crude death rate (per 1000)[38] | Natural change (per 1000) | Total fertility rate[39] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 5.7 | |||
| 1981 | 4.4 | |||
| 1987 | 3.8 | |||
| 1990 | 27.9 | 5.6 | 22.3 | 3.4 |
| 1991 | 27.5 | 5.5 | 22.0 | 3.3 |
| 1992 | 27.1 | 5.4 | 21.7 | 3.2 |
| 1993 | 26.8 | 5.3 | 21.5 | 3.1 |
| 1994 | 26.3 | 5.2 | 21.1 | 3.0 |
| 1995 | 25.9 | 5.2 | 20.7 | 3.0 |
| 1996 | 25.4 | 5.1 | 20.3 | 2.9 |
| 1997 | 24.8 | 5.1 | 19.7 | 2.8 |
| 1998 | 24.3 | 5.1 | 19.2 | 2.8 |
| 1999 | 23.9 | 5.1 | 18.8 | 2.7 |
| 2000 | 23.4 | 5.1 | 18.3 | 2.6 |
| 2001 | 23.0 | 5.1 | 17.9 | 2.6 |
| 2002 | 22.6 | 5.1 | 17.5 | 2.6 |
| 2003 | 22.2 | 5.2 | 17.0 | 2.5 |
| 2004 | 21.8 | 5.2 | 16.6 | 2.5 |
| 2005 | 21.5 | 5.2 | 16.3 | 2.5 |
| 2006 | 21.1 | 5.3 | 15.8 | 2.4 |
| 2007 | 20.8 | 5.3 | 15.5 | 2.4 |
| 2008 | 20.4 | 5.4 | 15.0 | 2.3 |
| 2009 | 20.1 | 5.5 | 14.6 | 2.3 |
| 2010 | 19.7 | 5.6 | 14.1 | 2.3 |
| 2011 | 19.4 | 5.6 | 13.8 | 2.3 |
| 2012 | 19.2 | 5.7 | 13.5 | 2.2 |
| 2013 | 19.0 | 5.7 | 13.3 | 2.2 |
| 2014 | 18.7 | 5.7 | 13.0 | 2.2 |
| 2015 | 18.5 | 5.7 | 12.8 | 2.2 |
| 2016 | 18.3 | 5.8 | 12.5 | 2.2 |
Life expectancy in Mexico from 1893 to 1950. Source:Our World In Data
| Years | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 | 1900 | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 | 1910[40] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy in Mexico | 23.3 | 26.6 | 29.5 | 28.8 | 26.2 | 27.0 | 25.0 | 25.0 | 26.7 | 28.4 | 28.7 | 29.1 | 26.8 | 27.8 | 28.0 | 28.7 | 29.2 | 28.0 |
| Years | 1920 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930[40] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy in Mexico | 34.0 | 32.6 | 33.5 | 32.8 | 32.1 | 34.2 | 40.3 | 34.5 | 35.4 | 34.0 |
| Years | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940[40] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy in Mexico | 37.7 | 38.4 | 37.3 | 38.2 | 40.4 | 38.3 | 36.8 | 39.4 | 45.5 | 39.0 |
| Years | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 1946 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950[40] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy in Mexico | 42.6 | 39.8 | 42.8 | 43.2 | 44.2 | 44.8 | 46.3 | 48.3 | 45.8 | 50.7 |
The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.[28]
| Period | Live births per year | Deaths per year | Natural change per year | CBR* | CDR* | NC* | TFR* | IMR* | Life expectancy total | Life expectancy males | Life expectancy females |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950–1955 | 1 469 000 | 509 000 | 959 000 | 48.3 | 16.7 | 31.6 | 6.75 | 121 | 50.7 | 48.9 | 52.5 |
| 1955–1960 | 1 675 000 | 483 000 | 1 193 000 | 46.6 | 13.5 | 33.1 | 6.78 | 102 | 55.3 | 53.3 | 57.3 |
| 1960–1965 | 1 878 000 | 481 000 | 1 397 000 | 44.6 | 11.5 | 33.1 | 6.75 | 88 | 58.5 | 56.4 | 60.6 |
| 1965–1970 | 2 147 000 | 510 000 | 1 637 000 | 43.6 | 10.4 | 33.2 | 6.75 | 80 | 60.3 | 58.2 | 62.5 |
| 1970–1975 | 2 434 000 | 521 000 | 1 913 000 | 43.7 | 9.2 | 34.5 | 6.71 | 69 | 62.6 | 60.1 | 65.2 |
| 1975–1980 | 2 406 000 | 490 000 | 1 916 000 | 37.2 | 7.5 | 29.7 | 5.40 | 57 | 65.3 | 62.2 | 68.6 |
| 1980–1985 | 2 352 000 | 470 000 | 1 882 000 | 32.3 | 6.3 | 26.0 | 4.37 | 47 | 67.7 | 64.4 | 71.2 |
| 1985–1990 | 2 385 000 | 466 000 | 1 919 000 | 29.7 | 5.7 | 24.0 | 3.75 | 40 | 69.8 | 66.8 | 73.0 |
| 1990–1995 | 2 493 000 | 470 000 | 2 022 000 | 27.4 | 5.2 | 22.3 | 3.23 | 33 | 71.8 | 69.0 | 74.6 |
| 1995–2000 | 2 535 000 | 471 000 | 2 064 000 | 25.2 | 4.8 | 20.5 | 2.85 | 28 | 73.3 | 71.3 | 76.1 |
| 2000–2005 | 2 449 000 | 492 000 | 1 958 000 | 23.0 | 4.6 | 18.4 | 2.61 | 21 | 75.1 | 72.4 | 77.4 |
| 2005–2010 | 2 355 000 | 513 000 | 1 841 000 | 20.7 | 4.6 | 16.1 | 2.40 | 17 | 75.1 | 73.7 | 78.6 |
| 2010–2015 | 2 353 000 | 579 000 | 1 774 000 | 19.4 | 4.8 | 14.6 | 2.29 | 74.9 | |||
| 2015–2020 | 2 291 000 | 635 000 | 1 656 000 | 17.6 | 4.9 | 12.7 | 2.14 | 74.9 | |||
| 2020–2025 | 2 206 000 | 699 000 | 1 507 000 | 16.0 | 5.1 | 11.0 | 2.00 | ||||
| 2025–2030 | 2 105 000 | 773 000 | 1 332 000 | 14.6 | 5.4 | 9.2 | 1.89 | ||||
| 2030–2035 | 2 014 000 | 860 000 | 1 154 000 | 13.4 | 5.7 | 7.7 | 1.81 | ||||
| 2035–2040 | 1 936 000 | 960 000 | 976 000 | 12.5 | 6.2 | 6.3 | 1.76 | ||||
| *CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman) | |||||||||||
| Place | Foreign-born population in Mexico | 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States | 797,266 | ||
| 2 |  Guatemala | 56,810 | ||
| 3 |  Venezuela | 52,948 | ||
| 4 |  Colombia | 36,234 | ||
| 5 |  Honduras | 35,361 | ||
| 6 |  Cuba | 25,976 | ||
| 7 |  Spain | 20,763 | ||
| 8 |  El Salvador | 19,736 | ||
| 9 |  Argentina | 18,693 | ||
| 10 |  Canada | 12,439 | ||
| 11 |  China | 10,547 | ||
| 12 |  France | 9,080 | ||
| 13 |  Brazil | 8,689 | ||
| 14 |  Peru | 8,670 | ||
| 15 |  Germany | 6,860 | ||
| 16 |  Italy | 6,619 | ||
| 17 |  Chile | 6,532 | ||
| 18 |  Haiti | 5,895 | ||
| 19 |  Nicaragua | 5,731 | ||
| 20 |  Japan | 5,539 | ||
| 21 |  South Korea | 5,339 | ||
| 22 |  United Kingdom | 4,030 | ||
| 23 |  Ecuador | 3,995 | ||
| 24 |  Costa Rica | 3,803 | ||
| 25 |  Dominican Republic | 2,849 | ||
| 26 |  Belize | 2,813 | ||
| 27 |  Uruguay | 2,706 | ||
| 28 |  India | 2,656 | ||
| 29 |  Bolivia | 2,505 | ||
| 30 |  Russia | 2,321 | ||
| 31 |  Panama | 1,916 | ||
| 32 |  Switzerland | 1,439 | ||
| Other countries | 25,492 | |||
| TOTAL | 1,212,252 | |||
| Source: INEGI (2020)[41] | ||||
Aside from the original Spanish colonists, many Europeans immigrated to Mexico in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Non-Spanish immigrant groups included British, Irish, Italian, German, French and Dutch.[42] Large numbers of Middle Eastern immigrants arrived in Mexico during the same period, mostly from Syria and Lebanon.[43]Asian immigrants, mostly Chinese, some via the United States, settled in northern Mexico, whereas Koreans settled in central Mexico.[44] ThePRI governments, in power for most of the 20th century, had a policy of granting asylum to fellow Latin Americans fleeing political persecution in their home countries. This led to the arrival of immigrants, mainly political refugees fromArgentina,Chile,Cuba,Peru,Colombia and Central America during the 1970s and 1980s.
A second wave of immigrants has come to Mexico as a result of the economic crises experienced by some countries in the region. The Argentine community is quite significant estimated to be somewhere between 11,000 and 30,000.[45][46] Due to the2008–2014 Spanish financial crisis, many Spaniards have been emigrating to Mexico to seek new opportunities.[47] For example, during the last quarter of 2012, a number of 7,630 work permits were granted to Spaniards.[48] In recent time, the country has also received increasing numbers of refugees and migrants from the Caribbean and Central America.[49]
Mexico is also the country where the largest number of American citizens live abroad, with Mexico City playing host to the largest number of American citizens abroad in the world. The American Citizens Abroad Association estimated in 1999 that a little more than one million Americans live in Mexico (which represent 1% of the population in Mexico and 25% of all American citizens living abroad).[50] This immigration phenomenon could well be explained by the interaction of both countries under theNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), but also by the fact that Mexico has become a popular destination for retirees, especially the small towns: just in the State of Guanajuato, inSan Miguel de Allende and its surroundings, 10,000 Americans have their residence.[51]
Discrepancies between the figures of official legal immigrants and all foreign-born residents is quite large. The official figure for foreign-born residents in Mexico in 2020 was 1,212,252,[22] with the majority being born in the United States, who also are the most common immigrant group across the country's states with the exception of the state ofChiapas, where the majority of immigrants are from Central America.[52] The six states with the most immigrants are Baja California (12.1% of total immigrants), Mexico City (11.4%), Jalisco (9.9%), Chihuahua (9%) and Tamaulipas (7.3%).[52]
The nationalnet migration rate of Mexico is negative, estimated at -1.8 migrants per 1,000 population as of 2017[update].[54]The great majority of Mexican emigrants have moved to the United States of America, this migration phenomenon has been a defining feature in the relationship of both countries for most of the 20th century.[55] During World Wars I and II, the United States government approved the recruitment of Mexican workers in their territory, and tolerated unauthorized migration to obtain additional farm and industrial workers to fill the necessary spots vacated by the population in war, and to supply the increase in the demand for labor. Nonetheless, the United States unilaterally ended the wartime programs, in part as a result of arguments from labor and from civil-rights groups.[56] In spite of that, emigration of Mexicans continued at varying rates, growing significantly during the 1990s and the first years of the 2000s, it has been estimated that 37% of all Mexican immigrants to the United States in the 20th century arrived during the 1990s.[55] In the year 2000 approximately 20 million American residents identified themselves as either Mexican, Mexican-Americans or of Mexican origin, making "Mexican" the sixth-most cited ancestry of all US residents.[57]
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In the year 2000 the INEGI estimated that about eight million Mexican-born people, which then was equivalent to 8.7% of the population of Mexico itself, lived in the United States of America[58] and according to thePew Hispanic Center in 2006, an estimated ten percent of all Mexican citizens lived in the United States.[59] For the 2015-2020 period the states who sent the highest percentages of migrants to the United States were Guanajuato (7.8%), Jalisco (7.5%), Michoacán (6.3%) y el Estado de México (5.4%), with the total number of migrants being 803 thousand people,[22] the great majority being men[60] and approximately 30% of them coming from rural communities.[61][62] For the same period, it was reported that 178 thousand migrants returned to Mexico.[22]
The population of Mexican immigrants residing illegally in the United States fell from around seven million in 2007 to about 6.1 million in 2011.[63] This trajectory has been linked to the2008 financial crisis, which reduced available jobs, and to the introduction of stricter immigration laws in many States.[64][65][66][67] According to thePew Hispanic Center the total number of Mexican-born people had stagnated in 2010 and then began to fall.[68] After the Mexican-American community,Mexican Canadians are the second-largest group of emigrant Mexicans, with a population of over 90,000.[69][70] A significant but unknown number ofmestizos of Mexican descent migrated to thePhilippines during the era of theViceroyalty of New Spain, when the Philippines was a territory under the rule of Mexico city.[71] Mexicans live throughout Latin America as well as in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, and theUnited Arab Emirates.
| Emigration list from Mexico[72] Mexican residents in the world by countries | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Population | Position | Continent |
 United States | 36,300,000[73] | 1 | North America |
| Canada | 90,585[69] | 2 | North America |
| Spain | 56,757[74] | 3 | Europe |
| Guatemala | 14,481[75] | 4 | North America |
| Bolivia | 13,377[76] | 5 | South America |
| Germany | 8,848[77] | 6 | Europe |
| Argentina | 6,750[78] | 7 | South America |
| United Kingdom | 5,125[79] | 8 | Europe |
 Australia | 4,872[80] | 9 | Oceania |
| France | 4,601[81] | 10 | Europe |
 Israel | 4,252[82] | 11 | Asia |
 Netherlands | 3,758[83] | 12 | Europe |
| Italy | 3,485[83] | 13 | Europe |
| Venezuela | 3,075[84] | 14 | South America |
 Sweden | 2,794[85] | 15 | Europe |
| Belize | 2,349[86] | 16 | North America |
| Costa Rica | 2,327[87] | 17 | North America |
| Panama | 2,299[88] | 18 | North America |
| Colombia | 2,286[89] | 19 | South America |
| Chile | 1,874[90] | 20 | South America |
 Paraguay | 1,778[91] | 21 | South America |
| The list includes also temporary residents (1–3 years' stay) | |||
| Municipality | Pop. (2020)[8] |
|---|---|
| Mexico City | 9,209,944 |
| Tijuana | 1,922,523 |
| León | 1,721,215 |
| Puebla | 1,692,181 |
| Ecatepec | 1,645,352 |
| Juárez | 1,512,450 |
| Guadalajara | 1,385,629 |
| Monterrey | 1,142,952 |
In 2010, Mexico had more than 189,432localidades (lit. "localities" or "settlements"), which are census-designated places defined as a small town, a large city, or simply as a single unit housing in a rural area whether situated remotely or close to an urban area.[92] Localities with more than 2,500 inhabitants are considered urban settlements whereas thos with less than 2500 inhabitants are considered rural settlements. In 2010 there were 3,021 cities with a population between 2,500 and 15,000 inhabitants, 413 with a population between 15,000 and 50,000 inhabitants, 86 with a population between 50,000 and 100,000, 95 with a population between 100,000 and 500,000, 25 with a population between 500,000 and one million and 11 with a population of more than one million. Urban areas contain 76.81% of Mexico's total population and rural settlements contain 23% of the population.[10]
Municipalities (municipios in Spanish) andboroughs (delegaciones in Spanish) are incorporated places in Mexico, that is, second or third-level political divisions with internal autonomy, legally prescribed limits, powers and functions. In terms of second-level political divisions there are 2,477 municipalities, including 16 semi-autonomous boroughs all within Mexico city.[93] A municipality can be constituted by one or more cities one of which is thecabecera municipal (municipal seat). Cities are usually contained within the limits of a single municipality, with a few exceptions in which small areas of one city may extend to other adjacent municipalitieswithout incorporating the city which serves as the municipal seat of the adjacent municipality. Some municipalities or cities within municipalities are further divided intodelegaciones or boroughs. However, unlike the boroughs of the Federal District, these are third-level administrative divisions; they have very limited autonomy and no elective representatives.
Municipalities in central Mexico are usually very small in area and thus coextensive with cities (as is the case of Guadalajara, Puebla and León), whereas municipalities in northern and southeastern Mexico are much larger and usually contain more than one city or town that may not necessarily conform a single urban agglomeration (as is the case of Tijuana).
A metropolitan area in Mexico is defined as a group of municipalities that heavily interact with each other, usually around a core city.[94] In 2004, a joint effort between CONAPO,INEGI and the Ministry of Social Development (SEDESOL) agreed to define metropolitan areas as either:[94]
In 2020 there were 48 metropolitan areas in Mexico, in which close to 53% of the country's population lives.[9] The most populous metropolitan area in Mexico is theMetropolitan Area of the Valley of Mexico, orGreater Mexico City, which in 2020 had a population of 21.8 million, or around 18% of the nation's population. The next four largest metropolitan areas in Mexico areGreater Monterrey (5.3 million),Greater Guadalajara (5.2 million),Greater Puebla (3.2 million) andGreater Toluca (2.3 million),[8] whose added population, along with Greater Mexico City, is equivalent to nearly 30% of the nation's population. Greater Mexico City was the fastest growing metropolitan area in the country since the 1930s until the late 1980s. Since then, the country has slowly become economically and demographically less centralized. From 2000 to 2005 the average annual growth rate of Greater Mexico City was the lowest of the five largest metropolitan areas, whereas the fastest growing metropolitan area was Puebla (2.0%) followed by Monterrey (1.9%), Toluca (1.8%) and Guadalajara (1.8%).[95]
| Rank | Name | State | Pop. | Rank | Name | State | Pop. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valley of Mexico | Mexico City, State of Mexico, Hidalgo | 21,804,515 | 11 | Aguascalientes | Aguascalientes | 1,225,432 | ||
| 2 | Monterrey | Nuevo León | 5,341,171 | 12 | San Luis Potosí | San Luis Potosí | 1,221,526 | ||
| 3 | Guadalajara | Jalisco | 5,286,642 | 13 | Mérida | Yucatán | 1,201,000 | ||
| 4 | Puebla–Tlaxcala | Puebla, Tlaxcala | 3,199,530 | 14 | Mexicali | Baja California | 1,049,792 | ||
| 5 | Toluca | State of Mexico | 2,353,924 | 15 | Saltillo | Coahuila | 1,031,779 | ||
| 6 | Tijuana | Baja California | 2,157,853 | 16 | Cuernavaca | Morelos | 1,028,589 | ||
| 7 | León | Guanajuato | 1,924,771 | 17 | Culiacán | Sinaloa | 1,003,530 | ||
| 8 | Querétaro | Querétaro | 1,594,212 | 18 | Morelia | Michoacán | 988,704 | ||
| 9 | Juárez | Chihuahua | 1,512,450 | 19 | Chihuahua | Chihuahua | 988,065 | ||
| 10 | La Laguna | Coahuila, Durango | 1,434,283 | 20 | Veracruz | Veracruz | 939,046 | ||
Demographic statistics according to theCIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.[98]
| Federal entity | 1992 | 1997 | 2009 | 2014 | 2018 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | 55.0 | 59.4 | 67.2 | 68.3 | 53.4 | 52.8 |
| Aguascalientes | 47.6 | 51.3 | 63.4 | 66.0 | 48.3 | 49.8 |
| Baja California | 65.0 | 68.0 | 75.3 | 74.1 | 58.6 | 55.7 |
| Baja California Sur | 73.1 | 73.6 | 73.8 | 73.1 | 59.8 | 59.2 |
| Campeche | 54.8 | 59.5 | 67.8 | 66.5 | 52.9 | 52.3 |
| Coahuila de Zaragoza | 68.9 | 67.7 | 71.5 | 71.4 | 58.2 | 54.9 |
| Colima | 64.7 | 66.0 | 71.6 | 71.3 | 54.9 | 57.0 |
| Chiapas | 40.1 | 47.6 | 51.7 | 55.6 | 44.6 | 45.1 |
| Chihuahua | 66.4 | 69.0 | 74.3 | 74.0 | 58.5 | 57.6 |
| Ciudad de México | 68.6 | 71.2 | 74.8 | 72.8 | 55.5 | 55.6 |
| Durango | 53.2 | 60.8 | 68.8 | 71.1 | 55.0 | 55.6 |
| Guanajuato | 41.7 | 42.2 | 59.6 | 61.8 | 50.9 | 49.1 |
| Guerrero | 40.3 | 43.5 | 57.8 | 63.7 | 49.8 | 50.3 |
| Hidalgo | 51.2 | 55.4 | 65.2 | 70.5 | 58.2 | 55.7 |
| Jalisco | 48.8 | 53.4 | 63.2 | 64.4 | 51.4 | 49.8 |
| México | 64.1 | 65.2 | 71.3 | 73.6 | 56.2 | 55.6 |
| Michoacán de Ocampo | 45.2 | 50.7 | 56.9 | 62.5 | 48.3 | 48.1 |
| Morelos | 60.7 | 65.6 | 71.3 | 71.1 | 55.5 | 53.1 |
| Nayarit | 66.7 | 69.9 | 75.2 | 72.9 | 56.9 | 57.6 |
| Nuevo León | 66.5 | 66.1 | 73.2 | 69.3 | 53.3 | 53.3 |
| Oaxaca | 33.6 | 42.4 | 59.6 | 58.9 | 46.4 | 47.4 |
| Puebla | 40.1 | 48.1 | 63.4 | 68.8 | 48.9 | 52.0 |
| Querétaro | 43.2 | 52.1 | 62.7 | 67.9 | 52.9 | 49.7 |
| Quintana Roo | 56.0 | 58.5 | 67.4 | 67.6 | 54.1 | 55.2 |
| San Luis Potosí | 45.3 | 52.6 | 62.9 | 68.2 | 51.4 | 51.6 |
| Sinaloa | 67.7 | 73.3 | 77.6 | 76.2 | 56.1 | 55.7 |
| Sonora | 66.6 | 70.3 | 76.1 | 73.4 | 59.9 | 57.9 |
| Tabasco | 55.5 | 57.9 | 63.4 | 65.8 | 52.1 | 50.9 |
| Tamaulipas | 61.6 | 64.2 | 69.4 | 71.1 | 52.6 | 52.5 |
| Tlaxcala | 47.4 | 53.5 | 60.7 | 70.0 | 54.7 | 55.0 |
| Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave | 52.9 | 61.2 | 70.4 | 66.1 | 56.4 | 52.8 |
| Yucatán | 44.9 | 52.8 | 61.1 | 64.2 | 49.8 | 52.7 |
| Zacatecas | 48.5 | 59.6 | 64.5 | 65.3 | 50.0 | 50.9 |
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 June 6, 2022, Mexico has reported a total of 5,782,405 cases of COVID-19 or 4,484.8 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with a total of 324,966 cumulative deaths or a rate of 252 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of May 20, 2022, 66.68% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2016 est.)
Although Mexico is an ethnically diverse country, for most of the 20th century and early 21st century the Mexican government has not conducted surveys regarding the ethnic origin of the population, except for indigenous peoples. However, recently the Mexican National Institute of Statistics and Geography has begun conducting surveys to quantify the percentage of Afro-descendant Mexicans, as well as Euro-descendant Mexicans living in the country.[99] However, the results of surveys on the population of Euro-descendants has never been published.
Regardless of ethnicity, the majority of Mexicans are united under the same national identity.[100] This is the product of an ideology strongly promoted by Mexican academics such asManuel Gamio andJosé Vasconcelos known asmestizaje, whose goal was that of Mexico becoming aracially andculturally homogeneous country.[101][100][102] The ideology's influence was reflected in Mexico's national censuses of 1921 and 1930: in the former, which was Mexico's first-ever national census (but second-ever if the census made in colonial times is taken into account)[103] that considered race, approximately 60% of Mexico's population identified as Mestizos,[104] and in the latter, Mexico's government declared that all Mexicans were now Mestizos, for which racial classifications would be dropped in favor of language-based ones in future censuses.[105]
Unlike some otherLatin American countries,Mexico does not have a dominant ethnic group at the national level since many areas have different ethnic groups in majority and minority. Several genetic and anthropological studies have shown that the miscegenation inMexico is very diverse and different in each region of the country, for example, in thecentral regions where large Mesoamerican cultures flourished, and where there was a great fusion between Spaniards and Amerindians, a mostly balanced mestizaje is noted, while in the more rural southern regions, Amerindian ancestry predominates, while in the northern and western regions of the country, the population is predominantly of European ancestry, because the native populations existed in a much smaller number, leading to those territories being inhabited mainly by Spanish settlers and their descendants. Each region of the Mexican territory is different in society, culture and traditions.[106][107]
During most of the 20th century these censuses' results were taken as fact, with extraofficial international publications often using them as a reference to estimate Mexico's racial composition,[108][109] but in recent time some historians and academics have claimed that said results are not accurate, as in its efforts to homogenize Mexico, the government inflated the Mestizo label's percentage by classifying a good number of people as such regardless of whether they were of actual mixed ancestry or not,[110][111][112][113] arguing that an alteration so drastic of population trends compared to earlier censuses such as New Spain's 1793 census (on which Europeans were estimated to be 18% to 22% of the population, Mestizos 21% to 25%, and Indigenous peoples 51% to 61%)[103] is not possible.[114][115]
Another factor to consider is that the term mestizo since 1930 is not a racial identity, but a cultural one, since all Mexicans who did not speak indigenous languages were classified as mestizos by the government, so under this definition it is possible for a Mexican to be simultaneously "culturally" mestizo and "racially" indigenous, white, black etc. Traditionally, Mexico has defined itself as a multicultural nation or as José Vasconcelos (1925) said, the "melting pot of all races" both culturally and ethnically.[116][117]
A large majority of Mexicans have been classified as "Mestizos", meaning in modern Mexican usage that they neither identify fully with any indigenous culture nor with a Spanish cultural heritage, but rather identify as having cultural traits incorporating elements from both indigenous and Spanish traditions. By the deliberate efforts of post-revolutionary governments, the "Mestizo identity" was constructed as the base of the modern Mexican national identity, through a process of cultural synthesis referred to asmestizaje[mestiˈsaxe]. Mexican politicians and reformers such asJosé Vasconcelos andManuel Gamio were instrumental in building a Mexican national identity upon this concept,[118][full citation needed][119] which were designed with the main goal of "helping" indigenous peoples to achieve the same level of progress as the rest of society by transforming indigenous communities into Mestizo ones, eventually assimilating them into the Mestizo Mexican society.[120]
According to many 20th- and 21st-century academics, large scale intermixing between theEuropean immigrants and the nativeIndigenous peoples would result in Mestizos making up the vast majority of Mexico's population by the time of theMexican Revolution.[121] However, this claim is contested, as church registers from thecolonial times show that the majority of Spanish men married with Spanish women. Said registers also put in question other assumptions held by contemporary academics, such as the claim that European immigrants who arrived to Mexico were almost exclusively men, or that "pure Spanish" people were part of a small powerful elite, as Spaniards were often the most numerous ethnic group in the colonial cities[122][123] and there were menial workers and people in poverty who were of complete Spanish origin.[124]
As the Mestizo identity promoted by the government is more of a cultural identity, it has achieved a strong influence in the country and has caused many people who may not qualify as "Mestizos" in its original sense to be counted as such in Mexico's demographic investigations and censuses, with many people who may be considered "White" being historically classified as Mestizos.[125] A similar situation occurs regarding the distinctions between Indigenous peoples and Mestizos: while the termMestizo is sometimes used in English with the meaning of a person with mixed indigenous and European blood, In Mexican society an indigenous person can be considered mestizo.[126] and a person with none or a very low percentage of indigenous genetic heritage would be considered fully indigenous either by speaking an indigenous language or by identifying with a particular indigenous cultural heritage.[127][128][129] In certain areas of Mexico the word Mestizo has a different meaning: in the Yucatán peninsula it has been used to refer to the Maya-speaking populations living in traditional communities, because during the caste war of the late 19th century those Maya who did not join the rebellion were classified as Mestizos[113] whereas in the state of Chiapas the word "Ladino" is used instead of "mestizo".[130]
Given that the word Mestizo has different meanings in Mexico, estimates of the Mexican Mestizo population vary widely. According to theEncyclopædia Britannica, which uses a biology-based approach, around three-fifths of the Mexican population is Mestizo[131] while a culture-based criteria estimates a percentage as high as 90%.[105] Paradoxically, the word "Mestizo" has long been dropped from popular Mexican vocabulary with the word even having pejorative connotations, further complicating attempts to quantify Mestizos via self-identification,[132] recent research based on self-identification indeed has observed that many Mexicans do not identify as mestizos[133] and would not agree to be labeled as such,[134] with "static" racial labels such as White, Indian, Black etc. being more commonly used.[135]
The use of variated methods and criteria to quantify the number of Mestizos in Mexico is not new: Since several decades ago, many authors have analyzed colonial censuses data and have made different conclusions regarding the ethnic composition of the population of colonial Mexico/New Spain. Some historians, such as Gonzalo Aguirre-Beltrán who claimed in 1972 that practically the totality of New Spain's population, in reality, were Mestizos, using to back up his claims arguments such as that affairs of Spaniards with non-Europeans due to the alleged absence of female European immigrants were widespread as well as there being a huge desire of Mestizos to "pass" as Spaniards, this because Spanishness was seen as a symbol of high status.[136][137]
Other historians, however, argue that Aguirre-Beltran's numbers tend to have inconsistencies and take too many liberties (it is pointed out in the bookEnsayos sobre historia de la población. México y el Caribe 2 published in 1998 that on 1646, when according to historic registers the mestizo population was of 1% he estimates it to be 16.6% already, with this being attributed to him interpreting the data in a way convenient for a historic narrative),[138][111] often omitting data of New Spain's northern and western provinces.[139] His self-made classifications thus, although could be plausible, are not useful for precise statistical analysis.[140]
According to some 21st-century historians, Aguirre Beltran also disregards facts such as the population dynamics of New Spain being different depending on the region at hand (i.e. miscegenation could not happen in a significant amount in regions where the native population was openly hostile until the early 20th century, such as most of New Spain's internal provinces, which nowadays are the northern and western regions of Mexico),[111] or that historic accounts made by investigators at the time consistently observed that New Spain's European population was notoriously concerned with preserving their European heritage, with practices such as inviting relatives and friends directly from Spain or favoring Europeans for marriage even if they were from a lower socioeconomic level than them being common.[141][138][111] Newer publications that do cite Aguirre-Beltran's work take those factors into consideration, stating that the Spaniard/Euromestizo/Criollo ethnic label was composed on its majority by descendants of Europeans, albeit the category may have included people with some non-European ancestry.[142]
The 2003General Law of Linguistic Rights of the Indigenous Peoples recognizes 62indigenous languages as "national languages" which have the same validity as Spanish in all territories in which they are spoken.[143] The recognition of indigenous languages and the protection of indigenous cultures is granted not only to the ethnic groups indigenous to modern-day Mexican territory, but also to other North American indigenous groups that migrated to Mexico from theUnited States, such as theKikapú[144] in the 19th century and those who immigrated fromGuatemala in the 1980s.[145] The category of "indígena" (indigenous) in Mexico has been defined based on different criteria throughout history. This means that the percentage of the Mexican population defined as "indigenous" varies according to the definition applied.
The latest intercensal survey carried out by the Mexican government in 2015 reports that Indigenous people make up 21.5% of Mexico's population, including both those who self-identified as "Indigenous" and people who self-identified as "partially Indigenous".[146] According to the 2020 national Mexican census, 19.4% of the population self-identified as Indigenous.[22] The number of people who speak an Indigenous language is significantly less than the total population of self-identified Indigenous people. Approximately 6.1% of the population speaks an Indigenous language, while 11.8 million people, or 9.36% of the population, live in what is designated as "Indigenous households" (households where at least one person spoke an indigenous language).[147][148][149] However, activists for the rights of Indigenous Mexicans have referred to the usage of linguistic criterion, rather than self identification, as "statistical genocide."[150][151]
Surveys made by the Mexican government do count as Indigenous all persons who speak an indigenous language and people who do not speak indigenous languages nor live in indigenous communities but self-identify as Indigenous. According to these criteria, theNational Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples (Comisión Nacional para el Desarrollo de los Pueblos Indígenas, or CDI in Spanish) and theINEGI (Mexico's National Institute of Statistics and Geography), state that there are 15.7 million indigenous people in Mexico of many different ethnic groups,[152] which constitute 14.9% of the population in the country,[153] with 1.2% not fluent in Spanish.[154][155] The states with the greatest percentage of people who speak an Amerindian language or identify as Amerindian areYucatán (59%),Oaxaca (48%),Quintana Roo (39%),Chiapas (28%),Campeche (27%),Hidalgo (24%),Puebla (19%),Guerrero (17%),San Luis Potosí (15%) andVeracruz (15%). Oaxaca is the state with the greatest number of distinct indigenous peoples and languages in the country.
| Group | Number |
|---|---|
| Nahua peoples (Nawatlaka) | 2,445,969 |
| Yucatec Maya (Maayatʼaan) | 1,475,575 |
| Zapotec (Binizaa) | 777,253 |
| Mixtec (Ñuu sávi) | 726,601 |
| Otomí (Hñähñü) | 646,875 |
| Totonac (Tachihuiin) | 411,266 |
| % Indigenous[a] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Percentage | ||||||
| Between 50% and 100% | |||||||
 Oaxaca | 69.2% | ||||||
 Yucatán | 65.2% | ||||||
| Between 20% and 50% | |||||||
 Campeche | 47.3% | ||||||
 Chiapas | 36.8% | ||||||
 Hidalgo | 36.7% | ||||||
 Quintana Roo | 33.2% | ||||||
 Puebla | 33.2% | ||||||
 Guerrero | 33.1% | ||||||
 Veracruz | 26.9% | ||||||
 Morelos | 24.5% | ||||||
 Tabasco | 21.4% | ||||||
 Michoacán | 20.8% | ||||||
 San Luis Potosí | 20.3% | ||||||
| Between 10% and 20% | |||||||
 Mexico | 19.4% | ||||||
 Tlaxcala | 16.5% | ||||||
 Nayarit | 15.9% | ||||||
 Mexico | 15.7% | ||||||
 Sonora | 13.3% | ||||||
 Colima | 13.2% | ||||||
 Querétaro | 13.2% | ||||||
 Baja California Sur | 11.9% | ||||||
 Chihuahua | 10.5% | ||||||
| Between 5% and 10% | |||||||
 Sinaloa | 9.4% | ||||||
 Mexico City | 9.3% | ||||||
 Durango | 8.9% | ||||||
 Baja California | 8.0% | ||||||
 Jalisco | 7.0% | ||||||
 Tamaulipas | 6.7% | ||||||
 Nuevo León | 6.4% | ||||||
 Guanajuato | 6.4% | ||||||
 Aguascalientes | 6.2% | ||||||
| Between 0% and 5% | |||||||
 Zacatecas | 4.9% | ||||||
 Coahuila | 2.1% | ||||||
| Source: Mexican census 2020INEGI.[22] | |||||||
White Mexicans areMexicans of total or predominantlyEuropean ancestry and/or those with a European phenotype.[157] Spaniards and other Europeans began arriving in Mexico during theSpanish conquest of the Aztec Empire and continued immigrating to the country during colonial and independent Mexico. This ethnic group contrasts with the Afro-Mexican and Indigenous Mexican groups in the fact that phenotype (hair color, skin color etc.) is often used as the main criterion to delineate it.[158][159][157]
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Estimates of Mexico's white population differ greatly in both, methodology and percentages given, extra-official sources such asThe World Factbook, which uses the 1921 census results as the base of its estimations, calculates this population as only 10%,[160] the results of the 1921 census however, have been contested by many 21st century historians.[161] Field surveys that use the presence of blond hair as reference to classify a Mexican as white such as one by theMetropolitan Autonomous University of Mexico calculated the percentage of said ethnic group at 23% among students at the institution,[162] with a similar methodology, theAmerican Sociological Association obtained a percentage of 18.8% among the general population, having its higher frequency on the North region (22.3%–23.9%) followed by the Center region (18.4%–21.3%) and the South region (11.9%).[163] Another study made by theUniversity College London in collaboration with Mexico'sNational Institute of Anthropology and History found that the frequencies of blond hair and light eyes in Mexicans are of 18% and 28% respectively,[97] surveys that use as reference skin color such as those made by Mexico'sNational Council to Prevent Discrimination and theNational Institute of Statistics and Geography reporting results that estimate light skinned Mexicans at about one-third of the country's population.[164][165][166][167][168]
A study performed in hospitals of Mexico City suggests that socioeconomic factors influence the frequency ofMongolian spots among newborns, as evidenced by the higher prevalence of 85% in newborns from a public institution, typically associated with lower socioeconomic status, compared to a 33% prevalence in newborns from private hospitals, which generally cater to families with higher socioeconomic status.[169] The Mongolian spot appears with a very high frequency (85–95%) in Asian, Native American, and African children.[170] The skin lesion reportedly almost always appears on South American[171] and Mexican children who are raciallyMestizos,[172] while having a very low frequency (5–10%) in Caucasian children.[173] According to theMexican Social Security Institute (shortened as IMSS) nationwide, around half of Mexican babies have the Mongolian spot.[174]
Mexico's northern and western regions have the highest percentages ofwhite population, with the majority of the people being of predominantly European ancestry.[175] In the north and west of Mexico the indigenous tribes were substantially smaller and unlike those found in central and southern Mexico they were mostly nomadic, therefore remaining isolated from colonial population centers, with hostilities between them and Mexican colonists often taking place.[176] This eventually led the northeast region of the country to become the region with the highest proportion of whites during theSpanish colonial period, albeit recent migration waves have been changing its demographic trends.[49]
While the majority of European immigration to Mexico has been Spanish with the first wave starting with the colonization of America and the last one being a consequence of theSpanish Civil War of 1937,[177] immigrants from other European countries have arrived to Mexico as well. During theSecond Mexican Empire, the immigration was mostly French. Then, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, spurred by government policies ofPorfirio Díaz, migrants came mainly from Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, taking advantage of the liberal policies then valid in Mexico, and went into merchant, industrial and educational ventures while others arrived with no or limited capital, as employees or farmers.[178] Most settled in Mexico City, Veracruz, Yucatán, andPuebla. Significant numbers of German immigrants also arrived during and after the First and Second World Wars.[42][179] Additionally, small numbers of White Americans, Croats, Greeks, Poles, Romanians, Russians, andAshkenazi Jews came.[179] The European Jewish immigrants joined theSephardic community that lived in Mexico since colonial times, though many lived asCrypto-Jews, mostly in the northern states ofNuevo León andTamaulipas.[180] Some communities of European immigrants have remained isolated from the rest of the general population since their arrival, among them the German-speakingMennonites from Russia ofChihuahua andDurango,[181] and theVenetos ofChipilo, Puebla, which have retained their original languages.[182]
Afro-Mexicans are an ethnic group that predominate in certain areas of Mexico such as theCosta Chica of Oaxaca and theCosta Chica of Guerrero, Veracruz (e.g.Yanga) and in some towns in northern Mexico, mainly inMúzquiz Municipality, Coahuila. The existence of individuals of Sub-Saharan African descent in Mexico has its origins in the slave trade that took place during colonial times and that did not end until 1829 after the consummation of Mexican independence. The institution was not as prominent as elsewhere in the Americas and was already in decay by the late 1700s, which led to the number of free black people eventually surpassing that of enslaved ones. Although Mexico did not abolish slavery immediately after independence, the expansion of Anglo-American settlement in Texas with their Black slaves became a point of contention between the US and Mexico. The northern territory had been claimed by theSpanish Empire but not settled beyond a few missions. The Mexican government saw a solution to the problem of Indian attacks in the north by inviting immigration by US Americans. Rather than settling in the territory contested by northern Indian groups, the Anglo-Americans and their Black slaves established farming in eastern Texas, contiguous to US territory in Louisiana. Mexican PresidentAnastasio Bustamante, concerned that the US would annex Texas, sought to limit Anglo-American immigration in 1830 and mandated no new slaves in the territory.[184][185]
Historically, the presence of this ethnic group within the country has been difficult to assess for a number of reasons: their small numbers, heavy intermarriage with other ethnic groups, and Mexico's tradition of defining itself as a Mestizo society or mixing of European and indigenous only.[186] Nowadays this ethnic group also includes people from Africa, the Caribbean and elsewhere in the Americas who have been arriving in recent migration waves to the country.[49]
The majority of Mexico's Afro-descendants areAfromestizos, i.e. "mixed-race".According to the intercensal survey carried out in 2015, 1.2% of the population self-identified as Afro-Mexican[187] with 64.9% (896,829) of them also identifying as indigenous and 9.3% being speakers ofindigenous languages.[146] In the 2020 census survey carried out by the Mexican government, Afro-Mexicans were reported to make up 2.04% of the country's population.[148]
| % Afro-Mexican[a] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Percentage | ||||||
| Between 5% and 10% | |||||||
| Guerrero | 8.6% | ||||||
| Between 2.5% and 5% | |||||||
| Oaxaca | 4.7% | ||||||
| Baja California Sur | 3.3% | ||||||
| Yucatán | 3.0% | ||||||
| Quintana Roo | 2.8% | ||||||
| Veracruz | 2.7% | ||||||
| Between 0% and 2.5% | |||||||
| Campeche | 2.1% | ||||||
| Mexico | 2.04% | ||||||
| Mexico City | 2.0% | ||||||
| San Luis Potosí | 2.0% | ||||||
| Morelos | 1.9% | ||||||
| Colima | 1.9% | ||||||
| Querétaro | 1.8% | ||||||
| Morelos | 1.8% | ||||||
| México | 1.7% | ||||||
| Puebla | 1.7% | ||||||
| Baja California | 1.7% | ||||||
| Nuevo León | 1.7% | ||||||
| Jalisco | 1.7% | ||||||
| Chihuahua | 1.6% | ||||||
| Hidalgo | 1.6% | ||||||
| Aguascalientes | 1.6% | ||||||
| Tabasco | 1.6% | ||||||
| Michoacán | 1.5% | ||||||
| Sonora | 1.5% | ||||||
| Coahuila | 1.5% | ||||||
| Sinaloa | 1.4% | ||||||
| Tlaxcala | 1.3% | ||||||
| Tamaulipas | 1.2% | ||||||
| Chiapas | 1.0% | ||||||
| Zacatecas | 1.0% | ||||||
| Durango | 0.9% | ||||||
| Nayarit | 0.8% | ||||||
| Source: Mexican census 2020INEGI.[22] | |||||||
An Arab Mexican is a Mexican citizen ofArabic-speaking origin who can be of various ancestral origins. The vast majority of Mexico's 1.1 million Arabs are from either Lebanese, Syrian, orPalestinian background.[43] Immigration of Arabs in Mexico has influenced Mexican culture, in particular food, where they have introducedKibbeh,Tabbouleh and even created recipes such asTacos Árabes. By 1765,Dates, which originated from the Middle East, were introduced into Mexico by the Spaniards.[188] The fusion between Arab and Mexican food has highly influenced theYucatecan cuisine.[189]
Arab immigration to Mexico started in the 19th and early 20th centuries.[190] Roughly 100,000 Arabic-speakers settled in Mexico during this time period. They came mostly fromLebanon, Syria,Palestine, andIraq and settled in significant numbers inNayarit,Puebla, Mexico City and the northern part of the country (mainly in the states ofBaja California,Tamaulipas,Nuevo León,Sinaloa, Chihuahua,Coahuila, andDurango, as well as the city ofTampico andGuadalajara. During the 1948 Israel-Lebanon war and the Six-Day War, thousands of Lebanese leftLebanon for Mexico. They first arrived inVeracruz. Although Arabs made up less than 5% of the total immigrant population in Mexico during the 1930s, they constituted half of the immigrant economic activity.[43] Another concentration of Arab-Mexicans is inBaja California facing the U.S.-Mexican border, esp. in cities ofMexicali in theImperial Valley U.S./Mexico, andTijuana across from San Diego with a largeArab American community (about 280,000), some of whose families have relatives in Mexico. 45% of Arab Mexicans are ofLebanese descent.
The majority of Arab-Mexicans are Christians who belong to theMaronite Church,Roman Catholic,Eastern Orthodox andEastern Rite Catholic Churches[191] and a scant number areMuslims, The term "Arab Mexican" may include ethnic groups that do not in fact identify as Arab. The inter-ethnic marriage in the Arab community, regardless of religious affiliation, is very high; most community members have only one parent of Arab ancestry. As a result, the Arab community in Mexico shows markedlanguage shift away from Arabic. Only a few speak any Arabic, and such knowledge is often limited to a few basic words. Instead, the majority, especially those of younger generations, speak Spanish as a first language. Today, the most common Arabicsurnames in Mexico include Nader, Hayek, Ali, Haddad, Nasser, Malik, Abed, Mansoor, Harb, and Elias.
Although Asian Mexicans make up less than 1% of the total population of modern Mexico, they are nonetheless a notable minority. Due to the historical and contemporary perception in Mexican society of what constitutes Asian culture (associated with the Far East rather than theNear East), Asian Mexicans typically refers to those ofEast Asian descent, and may also include those ofSouth andSoutheast Asian descent while Mexicans ofWest Asian descent are referred to asArab Mexicans.
Asian immigration began with the arrival ofFilipinos to Mexico during the colonial period. For two and a half centuries, between 1565 and 1815, many Filipinos and Mexicans sailed back and forth between Mexico and the Philippines as crews, prisoners, adventurers and soldiers in theManila-Acapulco Galleon assisting Spain in its trade between Asia and the Americas. Also, on these voyages, thousands of Asian individuals (mostly males) were brought to Mexico as slaves and were called "Chino",[192] which means Chinese, although in reality they were of diverse origins, including Koreans, Japanese, Malays, Filipinos, Javanese, Cambodians, Timorese, and people from Bengal, India, Ceylon, Makassar, Tidore, Terenate, and China.[193][194][195] A notable example is the story ofCatarina de San Juan (Mirra), an Indian girl captured by the Portuguese and sold into slavery in Manila. She arrived inNew Spain and eventually she gave rise to the "China Poblana".
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These early individuals are not very apparent in modern Mexico for two main reasons: the widespreadmestizaje of Mexico during the Spanish period and the common practice ofChino slaves to "pass" asIndios (the indigenous people of Mexico) to attain freedom. As had occurred with a large portion of Mexico's black population, over generations the Asian populace was absorbed into the generalMestizo population. Facilitating thismiscegenation was the assimilation of Asians into the indigenous population. The indigenous people were legally protected fromchattel slavery, and by being recognized as part of this group, Asian slaves could claim they were wrongly enslaved.
Asians, predominantly Chinese, became Mexico's fastest-growing immigrant group from the 1880s to the 1920s, exploding from about 1,500 in 1895 to more than 20,000 in 1910.[196]
Romani people have settled in Mexico since the colonial era.[197] There are around 50,000Vlax Romani in Mexico.[198]
Historically, population studies and censuses have never been up to the standards that a population as diverse and numerous such as Mexico's require: the first racial census was made in 1793, being also Mexico's (then known asNew Spain) first ever nationwide population census. Since only part of its original datasets survive, most of what is known of it comes from essays made by researchers who back in the day used the census' findings as reference for their own works.
More than a century would pass until the Mexican government conducted a new racial census in 1921 (some sources assert that the census of 1895 included a comprehensive racial classification;[121] however, according to the historic archives ofMexico's National Institute of Statistics, that was not the case).[199] While the 1921 census was the last time the Mexican government conducted a census that included a comprehensive racial classification, in recent years it has conducted nationwide surveys to quantify most of the ethnic groups who inhabit the country as well as the social dynamics and inequalities between them.
Also known as the "Revillagigedo census" from the name of the Count who ordered that it be conducted, this census was the first nationwide population census of Mexico (then known as theViceroyalty of New Spain). Most of its original datasets have reportedly been lost, so most of what is known about it nowadays comes from essays and field investigations made by academics who had access to the census data and used it as reference for their works, such as Prussian geographerAlexander von Humboldt.
Each author gives different estimations for each racial group in the country although they do not vary greatly, with Europeans ranging from 18% to 22% of New Spain's population, Mestizos from 21% to 25%, Indians from 51% to 61%, and Africans from 6,000 and 10,000. The estimations given for the total population range from 3,799,561 to 6,122,354. It is concluded then, that across nearly three centuries of colonization, the population growth trends of whites and mestizos were even, while the total percentage of the indigenous population decreased at a rate of 13%–17% per century. The authors assert that rather than whites and mestizos having higher birthrates, the reason for the indigenous population's numbers decreasing lies in their suffering higher mortality rates due to living in remote locations rather than in cities and towns founded by the Spanish colonists or in being at war with them. For the same reasons, the number of Indigenous Mexicans presents the greatest variation range between publications, as in some cases their numbers in a given location were estimated rather than counted, leading to possible overestimations in some provinces and possible underestimations in others.[200]
| Intendecy or territory | European population (%) | Indigenous population (%) | Mestizo population (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| México (only theState of Mexico andMexico City) | 16.9% | 66.1% | 16.7% |
| Puebla | 10.1% | 74.3% | 15.3% |
| Oaxaca | 06.3% | 88.2% | 5.2% |
| Guanajuato | 25.8% | 44.0% | 29.9% |
| San Luis Potosí | 13.0% | 51.2% | 35.7% |
| Zacatecas | 15.8% | 29.0% | 55.1% |
| Durango | 20.2% | 36.0% | 43.5% |
| Sonora | 28.5% | 44.9% | 26.4% |
| Yucatán | 14.8% | 72.6% | 12.3% |
| Guadalajara | 31.7% | 33.3% | 34.7% |
| Veracruz | 10.4% | 74.0% | 15.2% |
| Valladolid | 27.6% | 42.5% | 29.6% |
| Nuevo México | ~ | 30.8% | 69.0% |
| Vieja California | ~ | 51.7% | 47.9% |
| Nueva California | ~ | 89.9% | 9.8% |
| Coahuila | 30.9% | 28.9% | 40.0% |
| Nuevo León | 62.6% | 5.5% | 31.6% |
| Nuevo Santander | 25.8% | 23.3% | 50.8% |
| Texas | 39.7% | 27.3% | 32.4% |
| Tlaxcala | 13.6% | 72.4% | 13.8% |
~Europeans are included within the Mestizo category.
Regardless of the possible inaccuracies related to the counting of Indigenous peoples living outside of the colonized areas, the effort that New Spain's authorities put into considering them as subjects is worth mentioning, as censuses made by other colonial or post-colonial countries did not consider American Indians to be citizens or subjects; for example, the censuses made by theViceroyalty of the Río de la Plata would only count the inhabitants of the colonized settlements.[201] Another example is the censuses made by the United States, which did not include Indigenous peoples living among the general population until 1860, and indigenous peoples as a whole until 1900.[202]
Made right after the consummation of the Mexican revolution, the social context in which this census was conducted makes it particularly unique, as the government of the time was in the process of rebuilding the country and was looking to unite all Mexicans in a single national identity. The 1921 census' final results in regards to race, which assert that 59.3% of the Mexican population self-identified as Mestizo, 29.1% as Indigenous, and only 9.8% as White, were then essential in cementing themestizaje ideology (which asserts that the Mexican population as a whole is product of the admixture of all races), which shaped Mexican identity and culture through the 20th century and remains prominent nowadays, with extraofficial international publications such asThe World Factbook using the 1921 census as a reference to estimate Mexico's racial composition up to this day.[108]
Nonetheless, in recent times, the census' results have been subjected to scrutiny by historians, academics and social activists alike, who assert that such drastic alterations on demographic trends with respect to the 1793 census are impossible and cite, among other statistics, the relatively low frequency of marriages between people of different continental ancestries in colonial and early independent Mexico.[203] It is claimed that themestizaje process sponsored by the state was more "cultural than biological", which resulted in the numbers of the Mestizo Mexican group being inflated at the expense of the identity of other races.[204] Controversies aside, this census constituted the last time theMexican Government conducted a comprehensive racial census with the breakdown by states being the following (foreigners and people who answered "other" not included):[205]
| Federative Units | Mestizo Population (%) | Amerindian Population (%) | White Population (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aguascalientes | 66.12% | 16.70% | 16.77% |
| Baja California (Distrito Norte) | 72.50% | 07.72% | 00.35% |
| Baja California (Distrito Sur) | 59.61% | 06.06% | 33.40% |
| Campeche | 41.45% | 43.41% | 14.17% |
| Coahuila | 77.88% | 11.38% | 10.13% |
| Colima | 68.54% | 26.00% | 04.50% |
| Chiapas | 36.27% | 47.64% | 11.82% |
| Chihuahua | 50.09% | 12.76% | 36.33% |
| Durango | 89.85% | 09.99% | 00.01% |
| Guanajuato | 96.33% | 02.96% | 00.54% |
| Guerrero | 54.05% | 43.84% | 02.07% |
| Hidalgo | 51.47% | 39.49% | 08.83% |
| Jalisco | 75.83% | 16.76% | 07.31% |
| Mexico City | 54.78% | 18.75% | 22.79% |
| State of Mexico | 47.71% | 42.13% | 10.02% |
| Michoacán | 70.95% | 21.04% | 06.94% |
| Morelos | 61.24% | 34.93% | 03.59% |
| Nayarit | 73.45% | 20.38% | 05.83% |
| Nuevo León | 75.47% | 05.14% | 19.23% |
| Oaxaca | 28.15% | 69.17% | 01.43% |
| Puebla | 39.34% | 54.73% | 05.66% |
| Querétaro | 80.15% | 19.40% | 00.30% |
| Quintana Roo | 42.35% | 20.59% | 15.16% |
| San Luis Potosí | 61.88% | 30.60% | 05.41% |
| Sinaloa | 98.30% | 00.93% | 00.19% |
| Sonora | 41.04% | 14.00% | 42.54% |
| Tabasco | 53.67% | 18.50% | 27.56% |
| Tamaulipas | 69.77% | 13.89% | 13.62% |
| Tlaxcala | 42.44% | 54.70% | 02.53% |
| Veracruz | 50.09% | 36.60% | 10.28% |
| Yucatán | 33.83% | 43.31% | 21.85% |
| Zacatecas | 86.10% | 08.54% | 05.26% |
When the 1921 census' results are compared with the results of Mexico's recent censuses[146] as well as with modern genetic research,[206] there is high consistency with respect to the distribution of Indigenous Mexicans across the country, with states located in south and south-eastern Mexico having both the highest percentages of population who self-identify as Indigenous and the highest percentages of Amerindian genetic ancestry. However, this is not the case when it comes to European Mexicans, as there are instances in which states that have been shown through scientific research to have a considerably high European ancestry are reported to have very small white populations in the 1921 census, with the most extreme case being that of the state of Durango, where the aforementioned census asserts that only 0.01% of the state's population (33 persons) self-identified as "white" while modern scientific research shows that the population of Durango has similar genetic frequencies to those found onEuropean peoples (with the state's Indigenous population showing low European admixture as well).[207] Various authors theorize that the reason for these inconsistencies may lie in the Mestizo identity promoted by the Mexican government, which reportedly led to people who are not biologically Mestizos to be classified as such.[125][208]
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Since the end of theMexican Revolution, the official identity promoted by the government for non-indigenous Mexicans has been the Mestizo one (a mix of European and indigenous culture and heritage),[121] established with the original intent of eliminating divisions and creating a unified identity that would allow Mexico to modernize and integrate with the international community.[209] Even though nowadays the large majority of the country's population consider themselves Mexicans, differences on physical features and appearance continue playing an important role on everyday social interactions,[210][125] taking this into account, on recent time Mexico's government has begun conducting ethnic investigations to quantify the different ethnic groups that inhabit the country with the aim of reducing social inequalities between them. According to these recent investigations, 19.4% of Mexico's population self-identify as Indigenous[211] and 2.04% self-identify as Afro-Mexican,[211][212] there is no definitive census that quantifies White Mexicans, with estimates from the Mexican government and other contemporary sources reporting results that estimate them at about one-third of the country's population,[213][164][214][166] with this figure being based on phenotypical traits, rather than genetic ancestry or self-identified ancestry.
Generally speaking ethnic relations can be arranged on an axis between the two extremes of European and Amerindian cultural heritage, this is a remnant of the Spanish caste system which categorized individuals according to their perceived level of biological mixture between the two groups although in practice the classificatory system has become fluid, mixing socio-cultural traits with phenotypical traits allowing individuals to move between categories and define their ethnic and racial identities situationally,[215] the presence of considerable portions of the population with African and Asian heritage makes the situation more complex.[132][216] Even though there is a large variation in phenotypes among Mexicans, European looks are still strongly preferred in Mexican society, with lighter skin receiving more positive attention, as it is associated with higher social class, power, money, and modernity.[209][125] In contrast, Indigenous ancestry is often associated with having an inferior social class, as well as lower levels of education.[121][217] These distinctions are strongest inMexico City, where the most powerful of the country's elite are located.[209]
Despite Mexico's government not using racial terms related toEuropean orwhite people officially for almost a century (resuming using such terms after 2010), the concepts of "white people" (known asgüeros orblancos inMexican Spanish) and of "being white" did not disappear[218] and are still present in everyday Mexican culture: different idioms of race are used in Mexico's society that serve as mediating terms between racial groups. It is not strange to see street vendors calling a potential customerGüero orgüerito, sometimes even when the person is not light-skinned. In this instance it is used to initiate a kind of familiarity, but in cases where social/racial tensions are relatively high, it can have the opposite effect.[209] The lack of a clear dividing line between white and mixed race Mexicans means that the concept of race is fluid and subjective.[121][209] Contemporary sociologists and historians agree that the concept of "race" has a psychological foundation rather than a biological one.[210]
Spanish is thede facto officiallanguage in Mexico, being spoken by 98.3% of the population.[219]Mexican Spanish is spoken in a variety of dialects, accents and variations in different regions across the country. Some indigenous languages are still being spoken by around 5% of Mexicans according to the latest census. In 2003, theGeneral Law of Linguistic Rights of the Indigenous Peoples recognized 68 indigenous languages as "national languages", with the "same validity" in all territories and contexts where they are spoken. The indigenous language with the greatest number of speakers isNahuatl (1,586,884 speakers in 2010 or 1.5% of the nation's population), followed byYucatec Maya (796,405 speakers in 2010 0.8%) spokenYucatán Peninsula, Mixtecas languages (494,454), Tzeltal (474,298), Zapotecas languages (460,683), Tzotzil (429,168), Otomí (288,052), Totonaca (250,252) Mazateco (230,124), Chol (222,051) and 1,462,857 speakers of other languages. After half a century of rural-to-urban migration, in Mexico City and other major cities large districts and sections use both written and spoken Amerindian languages. Approximately 7,364,645 Mexicans (6.1% of the population) speak an indigenous language according to the 2020 Mexican Census.[148]
During the first half of the 20th century the government promoted a policy ofcastellanización, that is, promoting the use of Spanish as a way to integrate indigenous peoples into Mexican society. Later, this policy changed, and since the 1980s the government has sponsored bilingual and intercultural education in all indigenous communities. This policy has mainly been successful in large communities with a significant number of speakers. While some languages, with less than 1,000 speakers, are still facing extinction.
The second most spoken language in Mexico, however, is English. It is used extensively at border areas, tourist centers and large metropolitan areas, a phenomenon arguably caused by the economic integration of North American under theNorth American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the immigration phenomenon and the return of workers and their families from the United States.[220] In border cities, American TV and radio waves in English (and Spanish) are received as much as Spanish-speaking radio and TV stations from Mexico on the US side of the border, thus a bilingual cross-cultural exchange is at work. Among the languages brought to the country by immigrants are theVenetian ofChipilo, andMennonite Low German spoken inDurango andChihuahua.
TheConstitution of Mexico grants Mexican nationality based on birth and naturalization. Mexican laws regarding nationality by birth are very open. Mexican nationality by birth is granted to:[221]
Mexican nationality by naturalization is granted to:[221]
The Mexican population is predominantlyCatholic (78% of the population aged five and older, according to the 2020 census),[222] although the percentage representing those who attend church on a weekly basis is lower (46%).[223] About 7.6% of the population was classified asProtestant or Evangelical, 2.5% were classified as "Non-Evangelical Biblical" (a classification that groupsAdventists,Mormons andJehovah's Witnesses), 0.05% as practicing Jews, and 4.6% without a religion.[224] The largest group of Protestants arePentecostals andCharismatics (classified as Neo-Pentecostals).
The states with the highest percentage of professing Catholics are central states, namelyGuanajuato (96.4%),Aguascalientes (95.6%) andJalisco (95.4%), whereas southeastern states have the lowest percentage of Catholics, namelyChiapas (63.8%),Tabasco (70.4%) andCampeche (71.3%).[224] The percentage of professing Catholics has been on the decrease over the last four decades, from over 98% in 1950 to 78% in 2020.[222]
The average annual growth of Catholic believers from 1990 to 2000 was 1.7% whereas that of non-Catholics was 3.7%.[225] Given that the average annual population increase over the same time period was 1.8%,[226] the percentage of Catholics in relation to the total population continues to be in overall decline.
Since 1857 with theLa Reforma laws, the Mexican Constitution drastically separates Church and State, unlike some other countries in Latin America orIbero-America. The State does not support or provide any economic resource to the Church (as is the case in Spain and Argentina),[227] and the Church cannot participate in public education (no public school can be operated by a Catholic order, although they can participate in private education). Moreover, the government nationalized all the Church's properties (some of which were given back in the 1990s), and priests lost the right to vote or to be voted for (although in the 1990s they regained the right to vote).
enadid_2024 was invoked but never defined (see thehelp page).{{cite web}}:|archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)The United States unilaterally ended both war-time bracero programs, in part because US labor and civil rights groups argued that the presence of Mexican migrants depressed wages and increased unemployment for similar US workers.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
En primer lugar cabe destacar que en México la pertenencia racial no es un indicador relevante ni suficiente para denotar una adscripción étnica específica. [...] Por lo tanto es relativamente factible realizar el llamado tránsito étnico, es decir que un indígena puede llegar a incorporarse al sector mestizo a través de la renuncia a su cultura tradicional y si sus condiciones materiales se lo permiten.
In New Spain, there was no strict idea of race (something that continued in Mexico). The Indians that had lost their connections with their communities and had adopted different cultural elements could "pass" and be considered mestizos. The same applied to Blacks and castas.
mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 62%, predominantly Amerindian 21%, Amerindian 7%, other 10% (mostly European)
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