Mexico (United Mexican States)

Mexico United Mexican States
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	72nd best
Capital	Mexico
Land Area	1 943 950km21
Location	North America, The Americas
Population	126.2m2
Life Expectancy	70.21yrs (2017)3
GNI	$17 896 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	MX, MEX, 4845
Internet Domain	.mx6
Currency	Peso (MXN)7
Telephone	+528

1. Overview
2. Mexico National and Social Development
3. Mexico's Demographics and Migration
4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. Mexico's Health
6. Mexico's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Mexico's Modernity and Learning
8. Mexico's Culture, Peace and Inequality
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

#spain

“The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved its independence early in the 19th century. The global financial crisis beginning in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn the following year, although growth returned quickly in 2010. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but the PRI regained the presidency in 2012. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Jungles, deserts; teeming cities, one-street pueblos; fiesta fireworks, Frida´s angst: Mexico conjures up so many contradictory images, but no preconceptions will ever live up to the reality. From the southern jungles to the smoking, snowcapped volcanoes and the cactus-dotted northern deserts, all surrounded by 10,000km of coast strung with sandy beaches and wildlife-rich lagoons, Mexico is an endless adventure for the senses. Take it easy by lying on a beach, dining alfresco or strolling the streets of some pretty town, or get out and snorkel warm Caribbean reefs, hike mountain cloud forests or take a boat in search of dolphins or whales.

At the heart of your Mexican experience will be the Mexican people. A superdiverse crew, they´re justly renowned for their love of color and frequent fiestas. You will rarely find Mexicans less than courteous; they´re often positively charming. They are fiercely proud of Mexico, their one-of-a-kind homeland with all its variety, tight-knit family networks, beautiful-ugly cities, deep-rooted traditions, unique agave-based liquors and sensationally tasty, chili-laden food. It doesn´t take long to understand why.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Mexico National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better Value11
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
83	Cuba	0.764
84	Peru	0.762
85	Armenia	0.759
86	Mexico	0.758
87	Brazil	0.754
88	Colombia	0.752
89	St Vincent & Grenadines	0.751
90	Maldives	0.747
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $11
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
67	Serbia	$19 123
68	Belarus	$18 849
69	Dominican Rep.	$17 990
70	Mexico	$17 896
71	Nauru	$17 730
72	China	$17 504
73	Thailand	$17 030
74	Antigua & Barbuda	$16 792
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	29.1
2	Norway	32.3
3	Sweden	34.1
	...
69	India	80.5
70	Moldova	80.8
71	Kosovo	81.0
72	Mexico	81.3
73	Jamaica	81.6
74	Ukraine	81.7
75	Georgia	82.1
76	Turkey	82.2
	The Americas Avg	81.5
	World Avg	88.9
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Mexico's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population:

Mexico's population is predicted to rise to 135.4 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.80. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
8	Bangladesh	161.4m
9	Russia	145.7m
10	Japan	127.2m
11	Mexico	126.2m
12	Ethiopia	109.2m
13	Philippines	106.7m
14	Egypt	98.4m
15	Vietnam	95.5m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
116	Suriname	70.3
117	Paraguay	70.3
118	Egypt	70.2
119	Mexico	70.2
120	Honduras	70.1
121	Kyrgyzstan	70.0
122	St Vincent & Grenadines	69.6
123	Cambodia	69.6
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
23	Peru	2.16
24	Venezuela	2.19
25	Romania	1.81
26	Mexico	1.80
27=	Montenegro	1.80
27=	Moldova	1.80
29	Bahrain	1.80
30	France	1.79
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better15
Pos.		2016 Per 10015
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
95	Malaysia	14.5
96	Guyana	15.0
97	Fiji	15.3
98	Mexico	15.4
99	Peru	15.5
100=	Dominican Rep.	15.6
100=	Venezuela	15.6
100=	Kazakhstan	15.6
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
154	Bosnia & Herzegovina	1.1%
155	Guinea	1.0%
156	Iraq	1.0%
157	Mexico	0.9%
158	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	0.9%
159	Zambia	0.9%
160	Bangladesh	0.9%
161	Tanzania	0.9%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
60	Cuba	10.9%
61	Mauritius	10.9%
62	Greece	10.8%
63	Mexico	10.7%
64	Andorra	10.7%
65	Liberia	10.5%
66	Uruguay	10.5%
67	Hong Kong	10.2%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #mexico #mexico_human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
57	Montenegro	65.3
58	Israel	65.7
59	Trinidad & Tobago	66.2
60	Mexico	66.2
61	Bolivia	66.3
62	Bahamas	66.6
	The Americas Avg	71.80
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

Mexico does relatively well in ensuring human rights and freedom, compared to many other countries. Mexico does the second-best in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₁₉. It comes in the best 20 in terms of LGBT equality₂₀ (amongst the best in The Americas). It does better than average in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₁, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₂₂ (but bad for The Americas), commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₃, eliminating modern slavery₂₄ (but high for The Americas), supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₅ (but high for The Americas), freethought₂₆ (but high for The Americas) and in its average Freedom in the World rating (but high for The Americas). Mexico doesn't do so well in other areas. Mexico does worse than average in opposing gender inequality₂₇ and in supporting press freedom₂₈. Since President Enrique Peña Nieto took office in 2012, "security forces have been implicated in repeated, serious human rights violations during efforts to combat organized crime" included murders and the use of torture₂₉. A long-term problem with "disappearances" and poor forensics support for identifying bodies fails to be adequately addressed.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Mexico

5. Mexico's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #mexico #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #suicide #vaccines

Compared to The Americas (2025)30
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank30
1	Curaço	49.7
2	Aruba	49.9
3	US Virgin Islands	51.9
	...
30	El Salvador	103.8
31	St Kitts & Nevis	106.5
32	Guyana	106.6
33	Mexico	107.1
34	Suriname	108.3
35	Venezuela	109.3
36	Dominican Rep.	109.8
37	Puerto Rico	109.9
38	Paraguay	113.6
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=44.

Health (2025)30
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank30
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
127	Fiji	105.9
128	St Kitts & Nevis	106.5
129	Guyana	106.6
130	Mexico	107.1
131	Saudi Arabia	107.2
132	Djibouti	108.3
133	Suriname	108.3
134	Libya	108.5
	World Avg	97.60
q=213.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man₃₁. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Cook Islands, The Marshall Islands and Niue₃₁.

25 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Balkans₃₁, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Australasia₃₁.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

Mexico does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Mexico does better than average in terms of its suicide rate₃₂, its fertility rate₁₄, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₃ and in its smoking rate₃₄. Mexico still has work to do. Mexico does worse than average for its alcohol consumption rate₃₅, its immunizations take-up₃₆, its average life expectancy₁₁, its adolescent birth rate₃₇ and in the prevalence of overweight adults₃₈. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years. Life expectancy in Mexico improved by +4.2yrs in the 30 years from 1990, less than the global average of +7.9yrs. Mexico is amongst only 41 countries who have seen their fertility rate drop by more than 4 since the 1960s. Its peak fertility rate was 6.83 in 1964.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
116	Suriname	70.3
117	Paraguay	70.3
118	Egypt	70.2
119	Mexico	70.2
120	Honduras	70.1
121	Kyrgyzstan	70.0
122	St Vincent & Grenadines	69.6
123	Cambodia	69.6
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better35
Pos.		2016 Per Capita35
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
96=	Peru	6.3
97	Bosnia & Herzegovina	6.4
98=	Angola	6.4
99	Mexico	6.5
100	Philippines	6.6
101	Cambodia	6.7
102=	Belize	6.8
102=	Sao Tome & Principe	6.8
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
23	Peru	2.16
24	Venezuela	2.19
25	Romania	1.81
26	Mexico	1.80
27=	Montenegro	1.80
27=	Moldova	1.80
29	Bahrain	1.80
30	France	1.79
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking Rates Lower is better34
Pos.		201434
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
	...
60	Bahamas	301
61	Sierra Leone	310
62	Sri Lanka	322
63	Mexico	329
64	Barbados	333
65	St Vincent & Grenadines	338
66	Hong Kong	345
67	Colombia	359
	The Americas Avg	457
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Suicide Rate32
Pos.		2013 Per 100k32
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
22=	Belize	7.3
23	Bahrain	7.5
24	Albania	8
25=	Mexico	8.5
25=	Israel	8.5
27	Georgia	8.8
28	Seychelles	8.9
29	Cyprus	9.1
	The Americas Avg	13.57
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
42	El Salvador	42
43	Russia	43
44	Turkey	44
45	Mexico	45
46	Malaysia	46
47	Czechia	47
48	China	48
49	Singapore	49
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better38
Pos.		1976 %38
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
135	Denmark	36.7
136	Slovakia	37.0
137	Luxembourg	37.9
138=	Mexico	38.1
138=	Sweden	38.1
140	Belarus	38.2
141=	Croatia	38.2
142	Germany	38.7
	The Americas Avg	30.7
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better39
Pos.		2022 %39
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
166	Croatia	35.7%
167	Argentina	36.0%
168	Panama	36.1%
169	Mexico	36.1%
170	Libya	36.2%
171	Hungary	36.4%
172	Bahrain	37.2%
173	Iraq	37.4%
	The Americas Avg	32.0%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better37
Pos.		2022 Per 100037
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
124	Seychelles	52.1
125	Yemen	52.5
126	Burundi	52.6
127	Mexico	53.7
128	Cape Verde	54.0
129	Papua New Guinea	54.3
130	El Salvador	54.5
131	Suriname	55.2
	The Americas Avg	48.1
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better36
Pos.		2015 Avg %36
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
110=	Ghana	91.7
110=	Lesotho	91.7
112	Malawi	91.7
113	Mexico	91.6
114	Moldova	91.5
115	Iceland	91.5
116	Trinidad & Tobago	91.4
117	Jamaica	90.9
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Mexico's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #energy #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #sustainability #the_environment #USA #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Americas (2025)40
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank40
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
4	Chile	56.4
5	Peru	56.7
6	Dominican Rep.	65.0
7	Ecuador	65.6
8	Guatemala	66.1
9	Mexico	66.3
10	El Salvador	67.4
11	Brazil	70.2
12	Colombia	70.9
13	Argentina	78.5
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)40
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank40
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
47	Hungary	65.8
48	Guatemala	66.1
49	Lesotho	66.1
50	Mexico	66.3
51	Norway	66.9
52	Guinea	67.1
53	El Salvador	67.4
54	Bangladesh	69.7
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₄₁. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Mexico comes 50th in the world regarding its responsibility towards the environment. This is derived from 21 data sets. Mexico comes in the best 20 for the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₂. It does better than average in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment and in its environmental performance₄₃. Mexico still has work to do. Mexico does worse than average for its score on the Green Future Index₄₄, energy to GDP efficiency₄₅ (still low for The Americas), reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₆ and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₇.

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better47
Pos.		Total47
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
163	American Samoa	-3.4%
164	Rwanda	-3.5%
165	Trinidad & Tobago	-3.6%
166	Mexico	-4.0%
167	Peru	-4.0%
168	S. Africa	-4.1%
169	Brunei	-4.3%
170	Madagascar	-4.6%
	The Americas Avg	-2.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better43
Pos.		201843
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
69	Brazil	60.7
70	Sri Lanka	60.6
71	Equatorial Guinea	60.4
72	Mexico	59.7
73	Dominica	59.4
74	Argentina	59.3
75	Malaysia	59.2
76	Antigua & Barbuda	59.2
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better45
Pos.		2022 Avg45
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
86	Cambodia	1.07
87	Albania	1.08
88	Jordan	1.10
89	Mexico	1.10
90	Taiwan	1.10
91	Bolivia	1.11
92	Chile	1.11
93	Honduras	1.15
	The Americas Avg	1.42
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
34	Jordan	69%
35	Portugal	69%
36	Costa Rica	69%
37	Mexico	69%
38	Uzbekistan	69%
39	India	69%
40	Paraguay	69%
41	Ghana	68%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Mexico was one of the 19 countries that signed the Basel Convention on the very first day it was open, and was one of the 30 who signed the Convention on Biological Diversity on its first day. In 1988, it was the first to sign the Montreal Protocol on the ozone layer (followed by the USA) three weeks later).

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better42
Pos.		2011 %42
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
10	Colombia	70.3%
11	Bolivia	69.3%
12	Paraguay	68.9%
13	Mexico	67.0%
14	Nicaragua	67.0%
15	El Salvador	66.8%
16	Indonesia	66.5%
17	Japan	64.7%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better46
Pos.		2021 kg46
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
132	Finland	74.0
133	Italy	74.3
134	Norway	74.7
135	Mexico	75.4
136	Cyprus	75.8
137	Austria	76.4
138	Germany	76.6
139	Greece	76.8
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

Green Future Index Higher is better44
Pos.		2023 Score44
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
	...
43=	Israel	4.6
43=	Australia	4.6
45	Taiwan	4.5
46=	Mexico	4.5
47	Ukraine	4.4
48	Argentina	4.3
49	Indonesia	4.3
50	India	4.3
	The Americas Avg	4.6
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

7. Mexico's Modernity and Learning

#education #english #intelligence #it_security #maths #modernity #politics #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to The Americas (2020)48
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank48
1=	Canada	21.8
2	USA	26.4
3	Argentina	38.2
	...
7	Chile	48.8
8	Brazil	52.8
9	Uruguay	57.6
10	Mexico	64.5
11	Peru	68.2
12	Costa Rica	69.8
13	Cuba	72.8
14	Trinidad & Tobago	74.5
15	Ecuador	74.8
	The Americas Avg	81.34
q=35.

Modernity & Learning (2020)48
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank48
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
58=	Saudi Arabia	62.0
58=	Tonga	62.0
60	UAE	64.3
61	Mexico	64.5
62	Montenegro	64.9
63	Bosnia & Herzegovina	65.6
64	Georgia	65.6
65	Bahrain	66.2
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₄₉. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₄₉. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₅₀.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₅₁

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄₉, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄₉.

For more, see:

• "Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education:

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.2952
2	Israel	4.1152
3	Japan	3.5852
	...
54	Latvia	0.6053
55=	Gabon	0.5854
55=	Argentina	0.5855
57	Mexico	0.5452
58=	Senegal	0.5456
59	UAE	0.4957
60=	Uganda	0.4856
60=	Cyprus	0.4853
	The Americas Avg	0.47
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education Higher is better58
Pos.		201858
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
90	Peru	62.2%
91	Palestine	61.1%
92	Suriname	60.5%
93	Mexico	59.7%
94	Bahrain	59.6%
95	Brazil	59.5%
96	Bolivia	58.8%
97	Zimbabwe	58.7%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better59
Pos.		2021 Years59
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
62	Mongolia	15.0
63	Ukraine	15.0
64	Bolivia	14.9
65	Mexico	14.9
66	Fiji	14.7
67	St Vincent & Grenadines	14.7
68	Algeria	14.6
69	Ecuador	14.6
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
92	Burkina Faso	92
93	Trinidad & Tobago	93
94	Malawi	94
95	Mexico	95
96	Guinea	96
97	St Vincent & Grenadines	97
98	Zimbabwe	98
99	Panama	99
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading Higher is better60
Pos.		2015 Score60
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
	...
52	Moldova	1264
53	Montenegro	1256
54=	Costa Rica	1247
54=	Mexico	1247
56	Albania	1245
57=	Thailand	1245
58	Colombia	1231
59	Qatar	1222
	The Americas Avg	1287
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity Lower is better61
Pos.		2018 %61
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
41=	Croatia	42
41=	Moldova	42
43	Argentina	43
44	Mexico	45
45	Kyrgyzstan	47
46	Kosovo	48
47=	Tajikistan	50
47=	Romania	50
	The Americas Avg	65.4
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ Higher is better62
Pos.		200662
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
59=	Costa Rica	89
59=	Laos	89
61	Ecuador	88
62=	Mexico	88
63	Brazil	87
64=	Bolivia	87
64=	Iraq	87
64=	Azerbaijan	87
	The Americas Avg	85.3
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users Higher is better63
Pos.		201663
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
106	Nigeria	46%
107	Jordan	46%
108	Panama	45%
109	Mexico	45%
110=	Kenya	45%
110=	Belize	45%
112	Ukraine	44%
113	Philippines	44%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

Freedom On The Internet Lower is better64
Pos.		201264
1	Estonia	10
2	USA	12
3	Germany	15
	...
16=	S. Korea	34
16=	Uganda	34
18	Kyrgyzstan	35
19	Mexico	37
20	India	39
21	Indonesia	42
22=	Libya	43
22=	Malaysia	43
	The Americas Avg	39.3
	World Avg	46.7
q=47.

IT Security Lower is better65
Pos.		201365
1=	Ireland	0.11
1=	Luxembourg	0.11
1=	Belize	0.11
4	Hong Kong	0.12
5	Mexico	0.16
6	Israel	0.20
7	Colombia	0.22
8=	S. Africa	0.22
8=	Japan	0.22
10	Philippines	0.24
11	Czechia	0.24
12	Argentina	0.27
	The Americas Avg	0.84
	World Avg	0.98

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better66
Pos.		2017 Ratio66
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
54	St Kitts & Nevis	0.6
55	Nauru	0.5
56	Egypt	0.4
57	Mexico	0.4
58	Bhutan	0.4
59	China	0.3
60	Iceland	0.3
61	Turkey	0.3
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Digital Quality of Life Higher is better67
Pos.		202467
1	Germany	77.9%
2	Finland	76.9%
3	France	73.9%
	...
67	Kuwait	44.9%
68	Montenegro	44.9%
69	Morocco	44.8%
70	Mexico	44.6%
71	Vietnam	44.2%
72	Armenia	43.9%
73	Belarus	43.5%
74	Georgia	43.4%
	The Americas Avg	44.7%
	World Avg	48.4%
q=121.

8. Mexico's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#capitalism #charitability #charity #corruption #culture #economics #equality #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #life_expectancy #morals #peace #politics #poverty #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism

Compared to The Americas (2020)68
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank68
1	Canada	23.1
2	Barbados	46.9
3	Costa Rica	47.3
	...
19	Guyana	84.9
20	Suriname	85.4
21	El Salvador	85.5
22	Mexico	87.2
23	Peru	87.3
24	Ecuador	88.1
25	Bolivia	88.8
26	St Vincent & Grenadines	89.2
27	Nicaragua	92.1
	The Americas Avg	79.19
q=33.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020)68
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank68
1	Denmark	11.2
2	Norway	13.9
3	Netherlands	14.4
	...
104	Algeria	86.2
105	Turkey	86.8
106	Georgia	87.1
107	Mexico	87.2
108	Namibia	87.3
109	Peru	87.3
110	Ecuador	88.1
111	Saudi Arabia	88.4
	World Avg	78.12
q=180.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 22 datasets, including multiple decades of data on World Giving Index, resisting corruption, overall happiness, Creativity and Culture, Open Trading, Aid and Development, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, Inequality in Life Expectancy, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

National Culture:

World Giving Index Higher is better69
Pos.		2022 %69
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
41=	Paraguay	44.0
41=	Dominican Rep.	44.0
41=	Kyrgyzstan	44.0
41=	Mexico	44.0
41=	Costa Rica	44.0
46	Vietnam	43.0
47=	Iran	43.0
47=	Kosovo	43.0
	The Americas Avg	43.7
	World Avg	39.6
q=125.

Corruption Higher is better70
Pos.		2022 Points70
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
125	Niger	32.0
126	Uzbekistan	31.0
127=	Laos	31.0
127=	Mexico	31.0
127=	Bolivia	31.0
130	Egypt	30.0
131=	Mauritania	30.0
131=	Togo	30.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Happiness Higher is better71
Pos.		2024 Score71
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
7	Norway	7.3
8	Israel	7.2
9	Luxembourg	7.1
10	Mexico	7.0
11	Australia	7.0
12	New Zealand	7.0
13	Switzerland	6.9
14	Belgium	6.9
	The Americas Avg	6.31
	World Avg	5.58
q=147.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
61	Montenegro	61
62	Ukraine	62
63	Israel	63
64	Mexico	64
65	S. Africa	65
66	Lebanon	66
67	USA	67
68	Guyana	68
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
105	Iceland	105
106	Bolivia	106
107	Ghana	107
108	Mexico	108
109	Thailand	109
110	Ecuador	110
111	Malawi	111
112	Laos	112
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability:

Global Peace Index Lower is better72
Pos.		2023 Score72
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
133	Eritrea	2.51
134	Palestine	2.54
135	Lebanon	2.58
136	Mexico	2.60
137	Libya	2.61
138	Niger	2.63
139	Cameroon	2.66
140=	Colombia	2.69
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
	...
82	Russia	82
83	Iran	83
84	Serbia	84
85	Mexico	85
86	Cambodia	86
87	Bangladesh	87
88	Honduras	88
89	Namibia	89
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better33
Pos.		2017 Rank33
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
96	Gabon	96
97	Russia	97
98	Papua New Guinea	98
99	Mexico	99
100	Senegal	100
101	Georgia	101
102	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	102
103	Barbados	103
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better73
Pos.		2019 Score73
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
100	Tunisia	3.94
101	Tajikistan	3.95
102	Uganda	3.96
103	Mexico	4.08
104	Venezuela	4.10
105	Chile	4.12
106	Greece	4.17
107	Germany	4.25
	The Americas Avg	2.16
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

Economic Inequality and Poverty:

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better74
Pos.		201974
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
79	Jamaica	10.00
80=	Samoa	10.00
81	Tonga	10.40
82	Mexico	10.50
83=	St Lucia	10.60
83=	Jordan	10.60
85	Colombia	10.70
86	Peru	10.80
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better75
Pos.		2023 %75
1	Slovakia	24.1%76
2	Slovenia	24.3%76
3	Belarus	24.4%77
	...
136=	Central African Rep.	43.0%76
136=	Chile	43.0%78
138	Ghana	43.5%79
139=	Mexico	43.5%78
140	St Lucia	43.7%80
141=	Rwanda	43.7%79
142	Grenada	43.8%81
143	S. Sudan	44.1%79
	The Americas Avg	44.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

Multidimensional Poverty Lower is better82
Pos.		2018 Severity82
1	Armenia	.001
2	Ukraine	.001
3	Serbia	.001
	...
31	Egypt	.019
32	Colombia	.020
33	Philippines	.024
34	Mexico	.025
35	S. Africa	.025
36	Indonesia	.028
37	Syria	.029
38	Tajikistan	.029
	The Americas Avg	.045
	World Avg	.154
q=101.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#afterlife #belief #buddhism #christianity #god #heaven #hell #hinduism #islam #judaism #mexico #religion #religion_in_mexico #religiosity #secularisation #universalism

Religiosity (2018)61
Pos.		Lower is better %61
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
41=	Croatia	42
41=	Moldova	42
43	Argentina	43
44	Mexico	45
45	Kyrgyzstan	47
46	Kosovo	48
47=	Tajikistan	50
47=	Romania	50
49	Georgia	51
50=	Armenia	53
50=	USA	53
52	Bosnia & Herzegovina	54
53=	Greece	56
53=	Paraguay	56
55	Lebanon	57
56	Panama	61
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)83
Pos.		Higher is better %83
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
53=	Zimbabwe	4
53=	Namibia	4
53=	Iran	4
53=	Mexico	4
53=	Portugal	4
53=	Romania	4
53=	Argentina	4
53=	Georgia	4
53=	Uzbekistan	4
62	Lebanon	3
63=	Congo, (Brazzaville)	3
63=	Poland	3
63=	Jamaica	3
63=	India	3
67	Angola	2
68=	Chile	2
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₈₄:

Christian	95.1%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	4.7%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 95.6% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 45% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 82.7%, Protestant 1.6%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.4%, other Evangelical Churches 5%, other 1.9%, none 4.7%, unspecified 2.7% (2000 census)₈₅.

The Afterlife: Ipsos-NA in 2011 gathered some statistics on Mexico₈₆. Despite the large numbers of Christians, not many have traditional beliefs in the afterlife - just 15%. More people don't know what to believe (16%). Even more people believe that upon death, you simply cease to exist (17%). Also, 1% specifically believe in heaven but not in hell (which is nice - making them possible "universalists"). 11% believe in reincarnation.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: "Mexico has been plagued with periods of violent religious persecution and conflict, especially in the state of Chiapas"₈₇.

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?
• Human Rights and Freedom in Mexico: 4.3. Freedom of Thought