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Mexico's population, regions and labor market: the official numbers investors use

Last verified: 2026-10-26 · Status: Stable

INEGI, the autonomous statistics agency whose data are official and mandatory for all levels of government, estimates Mexico's population at 130,911,314 on 15 October 2025, up from 126,014,024 in the 2020 census, with a median age that rose from 29 to 32. Activity is concentrated: Mexico City produced 15.0 percent of 2024 GDP, the State of Mexico 9.1 percent, Nuevo León 8.1 percent and Jalisco 7.5 percent, and the State of Mexico alone has 17.6 million people. The labor market is tight but largely informal: in September 2026 unemployment was 2.8 percent of a 61.7 million labor force, while 54.3 percent of workers were informal, and the legal work week is falling from 48 hours in 2026 to 40 in 2030.

USD figures use MXN 18.5026 per US dollar, the noon buying rate for 16 October 2026 published by the US Federal Reserve (H.10 series DEXMXUS, read on FRED), the latest value available on 2026-10-26. Conversions are for orientation only.

Key facts

Population, 2020 Census of Population and Housing	126014024 peopleINEGI, Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020, as of 2020-03-27 · in force
Population estimate, Intercensal Survey 2025 (reference date 15 October 2025)	130911314 peopleINEGI, Encuesta Intercensal 2025, as of 2025-10-15 · in force
Median age, 2025	32 yearsINEGI, Encuesta Intercensal 2025, as of 2025-10-15 · in force
Median age, 2020 census	29 yearsINEGI, Censo de Población y Vivienda 2020, as of 2020-03-27 · in force
Population of the State of Mexico, the most populous entity, 2025	17612480 peopleINEGI, Encuesta Intercensal 2025, as of 2025-10-15 · in force
Population of Mexico City, 2025	9165819 peopleINEGI, Encuesta Intercensal 2025, as of 2025-10-15 · in force
Federal entities (31 states plus Mexico City)	32 entitiesConstitution art. 43, as of 2016-01-29 · in force
Mexico City share of national GDP, 2024 (preliminary)	15.0 %INEGI, PIB por entidad federativa 2024, as of 2024-12-31 · in force
National GDP at current market prices, 2024 (state GDP release)	33506847 MXN millionINEGI, PIB por entidad federativa 2024, as of 2024-12-31 · in force
Unemployment rate, September 2026, share of the labor force	2.8 %INEGI Boletín de Indicador 634/26 (ENOE), as of 2026-09-30 · in force
Labor informality rate (TIL 1), September 2026	54.3 %INEGI Boletín de Indicador 634/26 (ENOE), as of 2026-09-30 · in force
Labor force participation rate, September 2026, population aged 15 and over	58.5 %INEGI Boletín de Indicador 634/26 (ENOE), as of 2026-09-30 · in force
Economically active population, September 2026	61.7 million peopleINEGI Boletín de Indicador 634/26 (ENOE), as of 2026-09-30 · in force
Employed population, second quarter 2026	60.0 million peopleINEGI Boletín de Indicador 503/26 (ENOE), as of 2026-06-30 · in force
Maximum legal work week in 2026, falling to 40 hours in 2030	48 hoursConstitution art. 123 A IV; DOF 3 March 2026, as of 2026-03-03 · in force

The rule

1. Official statistics come from an autonomous agency. The State has a National System of Statistical and Geographic Information whose data are official and must be used by the federation, states, municipalities and Mexico City's boroughs. It is run by an organism with technical and management autonomy (INEGI), whose five member board is appointed by the President with Senate approval. A reform published on 20 December 2024 also gave this organism the measurement of poverty and the evaluation of social policy.Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (DOF 5 February 1917, consolidated text to DOF 7 October 2026), Art. 26, section B, 2024-12-20 official text · verified 2026-10-26 · changed: The paragraph assigning poverty measurement and social policy evaluation to the statistics organism was added to art. 26 B by the decree published in the DOF on 20 December 2024.

2. What INEGI alone may produce. INEGI has the exclusive power to carry out the national censuses, compile the national accounts (including GDP) and prepare the national price indexes (including the consumer price index used for inflation and for updating tax amounts). Information that is declared of national interest is official and mandatory for the federation, states and municipalities.Ley del Sistema Nacional de Información Estadística y Geográfica (LSNIEG), DOF 16 April 2008, last reform DOF 14 November 2025, Art. 6 and art. 59, sections I to III, 2008-04-16 official text · verified 2026-10-26

3. Thirty two federal entities and free municipalities. The federation has 31 states and Mexico City. Municipalities manage their own finances and in all cases receive the state set taxes on real estate (such as property tax and real estate transfer tax), plus federal participations. Where you operate therefore changes local taxes, registries and permits; see taxes/local-taxes and real-estate/overview.Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (DOF 5 February 1917, consolidated text to DOF 7 October 2026), Art. 43; art. 115, section IV, subsections a) and b), 1999-12-23 official text · verified 2026-10-26

4. The work week is being cut to 40 hours. A constitutional reform published on 3 March 2026 sets a legal work week of 40 hours, reached gradually from 1 January of each year: 48 hours in 2026, 46 in 2027, 44 in 2028, 42 in 2029 and 40 in 2030, with at least one paid day of rest for every six days worked. The reduction may not cut wages, salaries or benefits. For labor intensive investments this raises the cost per hour worked each year to 2030.
Example: A worker paid MXN 12,000 a month on a 48 hour week earns about MXN 57.7 per hour (12,000 x 12 / 52 / 48). With the same pay on a 40 hour week in 2030 the cost per hour is about MXN 69.2, 20 percent more. / About USD 3.12 and USD 3.74 per hour.Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (DOF 5 February 1917, consolidated text to DOF 7 October 2026); Decreto en materia de reducción de la jornada laboral, DOF 3 March 2026, Art. 123, section A, part IV; decree transitory articles Third and Fourth, 2026-03-03 official text · verified 2026-10-26 · changed: From 1 January 2027 the maximum legal work week falls from 48 to 46 hours, reaching 40 hours on 1 January 2030 (DOF 3 March 2026). See labor/working-hours-and-overtime.

Entity	Share of national GDP 2024 (%)	Population 2025
Mexico City	15.0	9,165,819
State of Mexico	9.1	17,612,480
Nuevo León	8.1
Jalisco	7.5	8,633,761

Largest entities by share of national GDP, 2024 preliminary (INEGI, PIB por entidad federativa 2024), with 2025 population where verified (INEGI, Encuesta Intercensal 2025).

Indicator	Value	Period	Bulletin
Unemployment rate	2.8 %	September 2026	634/26
Informality rate (TIL 1)	54.3 %	September 2026	634/26
Participation rate	58.5 %	September 2026	634/26
Economically active population	61.7 million	September 2026	634/26
Employed population	60.0 million	Second quarter 2026	503/26

Labor market snapshot (INEGI, ENOE). Monthly and quarterly figures are separate series and not directly comparable.

Year	Maximum weekly hours
2026	48
2027	46
2028	44
2029	42
2030	40

Legal work week phase in (Constitution art. 123 A IV and DOF 3 March 2026 transitory Third), applicable from 1 January of each year.

Worked example

Sizing a consumer market: with 130.9 million people and a median age of 32 in 2025, about half the population is 32 or younger (INEGI, Encuesta Intercensal 2025).
Labor cost per hour: a monthly wage of MXN 12,000 equals about MXN 57.7 per hour on the 2026 week of 48 hours and about MXN 60.2 on the 2027 week of 46 hours (12,000 x 12 / 52 / 46), about USD 3.12 and USD 3.25.
Hiring pool: an unemployment rate of 2.8 percent means about 1.8 million people unemployed out of a 61.7 million labor force (INEGI, September 2026), so most hiring will draw people from other jobs or from the informal sector.

Step by step

1. For market sizing use INEGI's Encuesta Intercensal 2025 (population by state and municipality, reference date 15 October 2025) and the 2020 census for detailed tables.
2. For site selection compare state GDP shares, state population and the city level ENOE indicators INEGI publishes each quarter.
3. Budget payroll with the 40 hour week schedule and check the state payroll tax where you hire (taxes/payroll-taxes).
4. Read the monthly ENOE bulletin for labor market conditions and the quarterly bulletin for detail by sex, sector and state.

Common traps

Mixing the census and the intercensal survey. The 2020 figure (126,014,024) is a full census; the 2025 figure (130,911,314) is a survey estimate with a reference date of 15 October 2025.
Reading low unemployment as a deep formal labor pool. More than half of workers (54.3 percent in September 2026) are informal, so formal skilled labor can be scarce even with 2.8 percent unemployment.
Comparing monthly and quarterly ENOE figures. INEGI publishes them as separate series.
Ignoring the work week schedule. Each 1 January from 2027 to 2030 the legal week shortens by two hours without any cut in pay.

Sources

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