Urban population growth in Mexico
Mexico: Urban population growth was 1.2% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Urban population growth in Mexico, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population growth in Mexico is 1.2%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 2.2% on the previous year and down 12.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population growth in Mexico peaked at 4.9% in 1964 and was at its lowest, 1.0%, in 2021.
That places Mexico 115th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.
Urban population growth in Mexico, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 4.7% | — |
| 1962 | 4.8% | +1.9% |
| 1963 | 4.9% | +0.5% |
| 1964 | 4.9% | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 4.9% | -0.1% |
| 1966 | 4.8% | -0.5% |
| 1967 | 4.8% | -1.0% |
| 1968 | 4.7% | -1.5% |
| 1969 | 4.6% | -2.1% |
| 1970 | 4.5% | -2.5% |
| 1971 | 4.4% | -2.0% |
| 1972 | 4.3% | -1.6% |
| 1973 | 4.3% | -1.8% |
| 1974 | 4.2% | -2.1% |
| 1975 | 4.1% | -2.5% |
| 1976 | 3.9% | -3.0% |
| 1977 | 3.8% | -3.1% |
| 1978 | 3.7% | -2.9% |
| 1979 | 3.6% | -3.4% |
| 1980 | 3.4% | -4.3% |
| 1981 | 3.2% | -5.7% |
| 1982 | 3.1% | -4.8% |
| 1983 | 3.0% | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 2.9% | -2.7% |
| 1985 | 2.8% | -2.6% |
| 1986 | 2.8% | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 2.7% | -2.3% |
| 1988 | 2.6% | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 2.6% | -3.1% |
| 1990 | 2.5% | -1.9% |
| 1991 | 2.5% | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 2.4% | -2.5% |
| 1993 | 2.4% | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 2.3% | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | -2.6% |
| 1997 | 2.1% | -2.9% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | -2.4% |
| 1999 | 2.0% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 2.0% | -2.1% |
| 2001 | 2.0% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 2.0% | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 1.9% | -4.2% |
| 2004 | 1.7% | -7.5% |
| 2005 | 1.5% | -11.1% |
| 2006 | 1.4% | -10.2% |
| 2007 | 1.4% | +2.3% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 1.5% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 1.5% | -1.1% |
| 2011 | 1.5% | +1.2% |
| 2012 | 1.5% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 1.5% | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 1.4% | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 1.4% | -6.4% |
| 2016 | 1.3% | -4.3% |
| 2017 | 1.3% | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 1.3% | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 1.4% | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 1.2% | -10.2% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | -19.5% |
| 2022 | 1.1% | +10.2% |
| 2023 | 1.2% | +11.6% |
| 2024 | 1.2% | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 1.2% | -2.2% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 1.2% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.0%, 1.2× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 1.2% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 0.7%, 1.6× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.8% | 4.6% | 4.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 4.1% | 3.6% | 4.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.9% | 2.6% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.3% | 2.0% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.7% | 1.4% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.4% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.2% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More climate change data for Mexico
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 1.98 billion kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 107,348 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 27,904 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 79,444 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 105.3 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 2,837 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 14,399 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 13,607 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 791.54 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 51.35 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Mexico?
- Urban population growth in Mexico was 1.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 4.9% in 1964.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.0% in 2021.
- How does Mexico rank for urban population growth?
- Mexico ranks 115th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population growth rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mexico data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.