Mexico: immigration

How many immigrants live in Mexico?

People born in another country made up 0.9% of Mexico's population in 2025, according to INEGI's 2025 intercensal survey. 57.1% of them were born in the United States, 6.5% in Venezuela and 5.3% in Cuba, and 50.7% held Mexican nationality.

The survey counts people living in private homes, so it may miss migrants in transit or in shelters. 82.2% of the population lived in the state where they were born.

Official sources: INEGI: Intercensal Survey 2025 (PDF)

How many Mexicans emigrate?

1,259,978 people who lived in Mexico moved to another country between 2020 and 2025, according to INEGI's 2025 intercensal survey. Of those, 150,752 had returned and were living in Mexico at the time of the interview.

The survey asks households about members who left to live abroad, so whole households that emigrated are not captured. The figure covers five years, not a single year, and INEGI's bulletin does not break it down by destination.

Official sources: INEGI: Intercensal Survey 2025 (PDF)

How much money do migrants send home to Mexico?

Mexico received US$5.45 billion in remittances in August 2026, according to the Bank of Mexico's remittances table (CE81). That came from 13.25 million transfers, with an average of US$412 each. In July the total was US$5.57 billion.

Almost all remittances arrive by electronic transfer; money orders and cash make up a small share. INEGI's intercensal survey found that 4.7% of households received money from someone living in another country in 2025.

Official sources: Banxico SIE: remittance income (CE81)

How many people apply for asylum in Mexico?

70,482 new asylum applications were lodged in Mexico in 2025, according to UNHCR's refugee data. At the end of 2025 Mexico hosted 152,002 refugees and 173,532 asylum seekers awaiting a decision (UNHCR population data).

UNHCR compiles these figures from government data; in Mexico, asylum claims are decided by the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR), which publishes monthly statistics. The COMAR site could not be read when checked on 14 October 2026, so its own monthly figures are not given here.

Official sources: UNHCR: asylum applications in Mexico, 2025 · UNHCR: refugee population in Mexico, 2025

How many people are internally displaced in Mexico?

UNHCR counted 262,411 internally displaced people in Mexico at the end of 2025, according to its population data. INEGI's 2025 intercensal survey found 1.6 million people living in households where someone had been forced to move by violence or crime.

The two figures measure different things: UNHCR reports people of concern in its statistics, while INEGI's survey counts everyone in affected households and does not limit the question to a recent period. Both sources show displacement within Mexico, not migration across borders.

Official sources: UNHCR: population data for Mexico, 2025 · INEGI: Intercensal Survey 2025 (PDF)

What share of Mexico's population are immigrants?

1.3%: that is the share of people born abroad in Mexico for 2024, according to the UN Population Division. That compares with 0.9% in 2015. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 4.8%, and Mexico placed 25th highest of 33. Of 193 countries with 2024 data, 146th highest.

Are more people leaving Mexico than arriving?

The UN Population Division puts net migration in Mexico at -108,037 in 2025. Its high point since 2005 was 2009, at -30,809; its low point was 2005, at -310,278. Latin America & Caribbean median: -967; Mexico is 32nd highest of 33. World rank, highest first: 178th of 193.

How many refugees does Mexico host?

The latest figure from UNHCR, for 2025, is 152,002. That is the highest since at least 2005. Latin America & Caribbean median: 1,306; Mexico is 2nd highest of 28. Of 169 countries with 2025 data, 39th highest.

How many refugees have fled Mexico?

According to UNHCR, the number of refugees from the country living abroad in Mexico was 41,307 in 2025. It is the top of the series, which starts in 2005. It is 6th highest of 33 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 710. Worldwide: 36th of 189.

How much money do migrants send home to Mexico?

According to the World Bank, personal remittances received in Mexico was 3.6% of GDP in 2025. Since 2005 it has ranged from 1.8% of GDP (2013) to 4.2% of GDP (2022). Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 3.3% of GDP, and Mexico placed 12th highest of 27. Worldwide: 46th of 127.