This article is adapted from AQ’s special report on the Summit of the Americas. Click here for the full list of countries.
Mexico
President: Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Term: 2018-2024
The former mayor of Mexico City has pursued his “fourth transformation” reform agenda, including large-scale infrastructure projects as well as an energy sector overhaul. Concerns about democratic backsliding mounted in 2022 as López Obrador increasingly lashed out against independent institutions and pursued politicized investigations into his critics. López Obrador’s approval ratings have remained high by regional standards, buoyed by support among Mexico’s poor, but have eroded amid recent scandals. As levels of migrants crossing Mexico towards the United States increase, López Obrador has requested that the U.S. limit immigration restrictions. Still, he has complied with the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy reinstated in December 2021, which human rights groups have denounced for endangering migrants.
the data is color-coded:
High performing Middle performing
Low performing
Governance
President’s approval rating* | 56% | |
---|---|---|
Capacity to Combat Corruption Index ranking (out of 15 Latin American countries) | 12 | |
Share of adults who support democracy* | 63% | |
Military expenditure as % GDP | 0.7% |
Economy
Projected GDP growth 2022 | 2.1% | |
---|---|---|
Projected inflation 2022 | 5.3% | |
Total trade as % of GDP | 78% | |
Unemployment | 4% | |
Share of labor force in informal economy | 59.9% | |
Share of population living in extreme poverty | 9.2% |
Society
Population (millions) | 130.3 | |
---|---|---|
Homicide rate (per 100,000 people) | 26 | |
Annual carbon dioxide emissions (millions of tons) | 357 | |
Share of public social spending on education | 33.1% | |
Global press freedom ranking (out of 180 countries) | 143 |
Argentina | Brazil | Chile | Colombia | Dominican Republic | Ecuador | Guatemala | Peru | Venezuela
*NOTES: Approval rating updated May 6. Support for democracy reflects percentage who agree that democracy is preferable to any other form of government.
Sources: Approval rating: El Financiero (April); support for democracy: Latin American Public Opinion Project (2021); Capacity to Combat Corruption Index (2022); military expenditure: Stockholm International Peace Institute (2021); GDP, inflation, unemployment: Bloomberg; total trade: World Bank (2020); informal labor force: Inter-American Development Bank (2020); poverty, population, education spending: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (2020); Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index (2021); homicide rate: InSight Crime (2021); CO2 emissions: Global Carbon Project (2020)