Cancún, Quintana Roo — Corruption remains the biggest headache for investment and competitiveness in Mexico. In 2025, the average cost per citizen reached 3,865 pesos, the highest level recorded in the last decade. A total of 9.42 million people were victims of at least one act of corruption while conducting procedures or interacting with authorities, resulting in losses of nearly 17 billion pesos.
These figures come from the Employers’ Confederation of the Mexican Republic (Coparmex), based on the National Survey on Government Quality and Impact (ENCIG) 2025 by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). The survey indicates that corruption continues to advance in the country, reaching its highest level in a decade.
Coparmex called for combating corruption as a national priority. It is essential to strengthen the National Anti-Corruption System, improve coordination among responsible institutions, and ensure effective mechanisms for prevention, investigation, punishment, and accountability.
According to the National Survey on Business Victimization (ENVE) 2024 by INEGI, 98.9% of corruption acts faced by economic units remain unpunished because they are neither reported nor investigated.
Although efforts are recognized, Coparmex maintains that fighting corruption must be a national priority, strengthening transparency, legal certainty, and public integrity to drive economic growth and trust in institutions.
Beyond the economic impact on millions of citizens, corruption continues to affect the operation of public institutions. In 2025, according to ENCIG, 16% of people who conducted a procedure, payment, or requested a public service were victims.
Practices such as bribery, discretion, unjustified delays, and abuses in procedures generate uncertainty, raise operating costs, and limit the country’s ability to attract investment and grow.
Data Coparmex tracked this indicator, and the results of #DataCoparmex 2025, through the #MxSinCorrupción indicator, show that 40.2% of Coparmex member companies faced at least one act of corruption in the last year.
The highest incidence occurs at the municipal level (62.2%), followed by state (57.8%) and federal (42.8%). Additionally, nearly one-fifth of companies reported corruption at all three levels of government. Extortion adds to this: among crime victims, 17.3% suffered extortion or protection payments, and in 37% of cases, the payment was made by authorities or people posing as them.
Coparmex demands strengthening control, audit, and oversight mechanisms at all three levels of government; applying effective and timely sanctions against those who commit corruption, especially public servants; implementing safe and confidential reporting channels for citizens and businesses; and ensuring the participation of the business sector and civil society in the design, implementation, and evaluation of anti-corruption policies, strengthening oversight, collaboration, and co-responsibility.
