North America
To which language should you translate to localize in Mexico?
What we know from our community
“Spanish is the most widely-spoken language in the country. With almost 124 million people, Mexico is the country with the largest number of native Spanish speakers in the world! However, Mexico has an extraordinary linguistic diversity that includes more than 50 indigenous languages such as Nahuatl, Zapotec or Mayan.That’s why the Spanish spoken in Mexico is a mix of many regional variations, local accents, a wide spectrum of expressions and a unique colloquial vocabulary defined by its indigenous heritage.For example, in the southern state of Chiapas, Spanish might resemble that of Central American Spanish. But in the northern states, there’s a very distinctive accent and evident influence from their English-speaking neighbors. In contrast the one used in the Yucatán Peninsula is defined by the intonation and use of Mayan words. And while the Central-Mexican accent from Mexico City might be commonly used as the “neutral” for translating, each region has its very distinctive features.“
What the 150 top websites do
Of the top 150 website (Global by design ranking):
- 130/150 translate into Spanish.
- 34/150 translate into English.
If you need others information, below you can find a selection of economic/social/cultural data
Overview
Language
Official language
Spanish (99%)
T-index
1.4%
T-Index ranks countries according to their potential for online sales.
Other languages
English, German, Greek, Italian, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Russian.
Indigenous languages
Nahuatl (1,376,026 speakers), Yucatec Maya (759,000 speakers), Zapotec, Mixtec, Mayo, Yaqui, Tzeltal, Tzotzil, Chol, Totonac, Purépecha, Otomi, Mazahua, Mazatec, Chinantec, Mixe, Zoque, Popoluca, Popoloca language, Me’phaa, Wixarika, Chontal, Huave, Pame, Teenek, Kickapoo, Kiliwa, Paipai, Cucapá, Amuzgo, Triqui, Lacandon Maya, Mam Maya, Jakaltek, Matlatzinca, Tepehua, Chichimeca Jonaz, Pima Bajo, Ngiwa, Ixcatec, Ayapanec, Huasteco etc.
English
Low proficiency (EF) – 89 out of 113 countries/regions in the world- 19/20 position in Latin America.
Demography
Capital: Mexico City
Currency: Mexican peso
Population: 128.9 mln
Population density: 65.8/km2
Economy
GDP: 1.26 Trillion USD (2023)
GDP per capita: 9,863.07 USD (2023)
Exports: $549 billion (2022)
Statistics
Internet users: 83.2% penetration, 107.3 million
Unemployment rate: 3.3% (2022)
Urbanisation: 81.7% (2024)
Literacy: 95.3% (2024)
Conventions
Numbering system
Arabic numbering system with the comma as decimal separator
Date format: mm – dd – yyyy
Time: 12h time system (a.m./p.m.)
Country code: 0055
Language data sources: Worldatlas/Britannica//EF/Wikipedia; Demography data sources: IMF/Worldometers; Conventions data source: Wikipedia; Economy data sources: WTO/OEC/CIA/Esomar/Datareportal; Statistics data sources: Datareportal/WorldBank/UN/UNESCO/CEIC/IMF/Culturalatlas/Commisceoglobal
Facts and data
Economy
Imports
$530 billion (2022). Refined Petroleum ($42.5B), Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($29.3B), Office Machine Parts ($22.1B), Integrated Circuits ($20.9B), and Petroleum Gas ($15.8B), importing mostly from United States ($294B), China ($90.9B), Germany ($16.9B), South Korea($13.8B), and Japan ($11.3B).
Financial inclusion factors (over 15 years of age)
• 46.2% have an account with a financial institution
• 11.2% have a credit card
• 18.1% have a mobile money account
• 15.9% make online purchases
Ease of doing business
It is easy to conduct businesses (rated 72.4 out of 100). Ranked 1st out of 32 Latin American and Caribbean countries. Ranked 60th out of 190 countries worldwide (2020, World Bank).
Global Innovation Index
Ranked 3rd out of 19 Latin America and the
Caribbean countries, 58th out of 132 worldwide.
The Global Innovation Index captures the innovation
ecosystem performance of 132 economies and tracks the most recent global innovation trends.
Exports
$549 billion (2022). Cars ($48.4B), Computers ($39.3B), Crude Petroleum ($38.2B), Motor vehicles; parts and accessories (8701 to 8705) ($38.1B), and Delivery Trucks($29.1B), exporting mostly to United States ($421B), Canada ($22.2B), China ($12.7B), Chinese Taipei ($7.86B), and South Korea ($7.29B).
Main local online stores
MercadoLibre, eBay and Amazon, Netshoes, Alibaba, Garbarino.com, Musimundo.com, Frávega, Apple and Cencosud
Economic freedom
‘Moderately free’ (rated 62 out of 100). Ranked 14th out of 32 Latin American countries. Ranked 68th out of 186 countries worldwide (2024, Heritage Foundation and Wall Street Journal).
Economy data sources: WTO/OEC/CIA/Esomar/Datareportal
Service Imports (2020)
Service Exports (2020)
Source: OEC
Trade balance of goods from 2012 to 2022
Source: Statista
Historical Data Trade Imports (2020)
The following section uses historical trade data imports from partners of Mexico.
Historical Data Trade Exports (2020)
The following section uses historical trade data exports from partners of Mexico.
Source: OEC
The Top Export Opportunities for Mexico by Relatedness
Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product by showing only products that Mexico is not specialized in.
Mexico's Most Complex Exports
The Product Complexity Index (PCI) measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.
Source: OEC
Most specialised products by RCA Index
Specialisation is measured using Revealed Comparative Advantage, an index that takes the ratio between Mexico observed and expected exports in each product
Source: OEC
Perception of products made in selected countries in 2017
Source: Statista
Which attributes do you associate with products made in Mexico?
Source: Statista
Market Growth Imports (2020)
This score represents the likelihood that the given country will start importing that product in the next few years. It forecasts the opening of a new specific market.
Market Growth Exports (2020)
This score represents the likelihood that the given country will start exporting that product in the next few years. It forecasts the opening of a new specific market.
Source: OEC
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP)
Source: WorldBank
T-index
Reach most of the online purchasing power
T-Index ranks countries according to their potential for online sales. It estimates the market share of each country in relation to global e-commerce.
Try it nowMedia
Media language Spanish
Information channels
Mexico is the one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists and media workers.
Reporters investigating police issues, drug trafficking and official corruption face serious, sustained risk of physical harm.
Self-censorship has increased, with many newspapers in violent areas avoiding publication of stories concerning organized crime, says Freedom House.
Some 90% of cases of journalists who are killed are unresolved.
Two networks, Televisa and TV Azteca, dominate the TV sector. The radio market is very large, with around 1,400 local and regional stations and several major station-owning groups. Some high-powered stations on the northern border beam into lucrative US markets.
Newspapers reflect different political views; sensationalism characterises the biggest-selling dailies.
The press
Excelsior – established daily
La Jornada – daily
Reforma – influential daily
El Universal – established Mexico City daily
El Sol de Mexico – daily
El Financiero – business daily
Siempre! – political weekly
Proceso – political weekly
Television
Televisa – Mexico’s TV giant, operates four networks and has many local affiliates
TV Azteca – main competitor of Televisa, operates two networks and local stations
Imagen TV – privately owned national network
Once TV – Canal 11 – Canal 11 – public, educational, cultural
Television Metropolitana – Canal 22 – government-owned cultural network
Radio
Grupo ACIR – has stations in Mexico City and across the country
MVS Radio – operates in the capital and elsewhere
Nucleo Radio Mil – operates several outlets in Mexico City
Grupo Radio Centro – operates a large network of stations
W Radio – news, talk network; part of Televisa group
Instituto Mexicano de la Radio (IMER) – state-run
News agency
Notimex – state-run
El Universal – private
Media data source: BBC
Types of audio content consumed in Mexico in the 20th century
Internet Data
Internet users
83.2% penetration rate, 107.3 million
Share of web traffic by device
59.38% mobile phones, 38.91% computers (laptops and desktops), 1.52% tablet devices, others 0.19%
Median speed of mobile Internet connection
25.14 Mbps
Median speed of fixed Internet connection
60.28 Mbps
Mobile connection as a percentage of total population: 97.3%
Percentage of mobile connections that are broadband (3G-5G): 95.8%
Most popular web search engines
Google (90.91%), Bing (3.64%), YANDEX (1.61%), Baidu (1.15%), Yahoo (1.13%), DuckDuckGo (0.55%).
Most used social media
Facebook (61.21%), Instagram (11.59%), YouTube (8.88%), Twitter (8.22%), Pinterest (7.49%), reddit (1.55%)
Internet data sources: Datareportal/Statcounter
Social statistics
Life expectancy
70 yrs (2021)
Corruption perceptions Index
Mexico scored 31 out of 100, ranked 126 out 180 countries worldwide.
Current health expenditure
6.24% of GDP
Gender
This is a very complex issue in Mexican culture. It is a matriarchal society where the “Mother” is the most respected figure in society. At the same time it is still pretty much male-dominated. Women nowadays do have influential positions, but their earning power will be lower than men. Women are still seen as sexual objects and the ones who should be in charge of household duties – even if they hold a full time position.
Localization Tips
Business in Mexico, like in many other countries, is not just about providing a service or selling a product, but also about relationships. Generally, Mexicans are very warm and passionate people, so it is crucial to establish a good network of professionals in order to be successful when localizing in Mexico.
CO2 emissions
3.0 metric tons per capita
World Happiness Index
Mexico ranked 46 out of 146 countries, with a score of 6.128.
Current education expenditure
97.9% of total expenditure in public institutions
Religion
Mostly Catholic. Very important part of most people’s lives. Particularly for lower class and less educated. Religious holidays will be respected at work.
Class
Mexican society is highly “classist” and elitist. The way you are seen by others and the position you hold in society will depend on the class to which you belong. People will treat you according to your class. Opportunities and education will depend on class. It is not impossible to climb to a higher class (e.g. winning the lottery) but still there will be several cultural issues that will make the climbing hard.
Ethnicity
Ethnic background greatly influences the way one is seen and treated. Belong to an acceptable ethnic group means one is treated with respect; lack of respect means suffering discrimination.
A person suffering ethnic discrimination would struggle twice as hard to be accepted as the one whose ethnicity is accepted.
Social statistics sources: WorldBank/UN/UNESCO/CEIC/IMF
The Data Factbook is a work in progress project. Our community is helping us to fill it up always with new and updated data. Your contribution is precious. If you want to help us, please write your advices at imminent@translated.com
Country Curiosities
The name “Mexico” carries a profound Aztec heritage, rooted in the poetic amalgamation of two ancient words: “Metztli,” meaning “moon,” and “xictli,” signifying “navel.” This linguistic fusion yields the evocative phrase “navel of the moon,” encapsulating a sense of mystical significance. The Aztecs, renowned for their rich cultural symbolism, bestowed this name upon their land, drawing inspiration from celestial elements and imbuing it with a profound cosmic resonance. With its etymological origins inextricably intertwined with the celestial sphere, Mexico therefore evokes a sense of enchantment and mystery, reflecting the enduring cultural legacy of its Indigenous peoples.
Additionally…
- Mexico is the world’s largest producer of silver.
- The country is the world’s largest consumer of Coca-Cola. In the town of San Juan Chamula, Coca-Cola is even considered a sacred beverage.
- Mexico is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world, with over 125 million inhabitants.
- Before the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), California, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico were part of the Mexican territory known as Alta California and New Mexico.
- The Chicxulub Crater, located off the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, is associated with the extinction of the dinosaurs around 66 million years ago.
- Mexico boasts various unique records, including having the largest number of taxis (approximately 60,000), Mexico City being the city with the most museums, and the country having the most expensive telephone service in the world.
Languages research
Dialects in Mexico
Legend
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1-Cocopa
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2-Tohono Oodham
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3-Prima Bajo
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4-Huarijio
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5-Plautdietsch
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6-Huichol
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7-Afro-Seminoli Creole
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8-Kickapoo
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9-Nahuati
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10-Cuicaten Chinatec
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11-Mixe
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12-Popoluca
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13-Chontal
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14-Chol
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15-Kacandon
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16-Youcatan Maya
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17-Chan SantaC.M.
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18-Tzeltal
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19-Tojolabal
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20-Ixtatan Chuj
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21-Mocho
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22-Todos Santos Mam
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23-Tzotzil
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24-Zapotec
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25-Zoque
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26-Chatinoi
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27-Amuzgo
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28-Me’paa
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29-Mixtec
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30-Mazatec
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31-Purepecha
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32-Mazahua
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33-Otomi
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34-Totonac
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35-Pame
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36-Huastec
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37-Cora
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38-Spanish
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39-Mayo
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40-Tepehuan
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41-Tarahumara
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42-Yaqui
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43-Seri
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44-Kiliwa
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45-Paipai
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46-Kumiai
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47-Uninhabited
The geographical distribution of languages that you will find in the maps published in this section is a work in progress. Our community is helping us to fill it up with always new and updated data. Your contribution is precious. If you want to help us, please write to imminent.factbook@translated.com
Photo credit: Jezael Melgoza, Unsplash