Business Closures Surge in Quintana Roo Amid Extortion

Business Closures and Job Losses

Cancún, Quintana Roo — In Quintana Roo, a total of 3,442 businesses closed their doors, including micro, small, medium, and large enterprises in 2025, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) and statements from Sergio León Cervantes.

Among the causes are the death of owners, extortion problems, lack of access to financing, and a high tax burden, which resulted in the loss of more than 34,000 jobs, according to data from Inegi and statements from the leader of Empresarios por Quintana Roo, Sergio León Cervantes.

Inegi reported that in the state there is a record of 61,958 microenterprises, 5,633 small, 1,007 medium, and 247 large companies, with the latter being the group with the smallest numerical presence. It specified that more than 90 percent of economic units correspond to microenterprises, which have fewer than 10 workers.

Business Leader’s Analysis

The business leader indicated that, on average, during last year approximately 5 percent of the micro, small, medium, and large companies established in Quintana Roo closed. “That would be a conservative figure, considering the multiple factors that influence it,” he emphasized.

Likewise, he anticipated a complex scenario for 2026 due to budgetary restrictions, legal uncertainty derived from the reform to the Amparo Law, and modifications to the Customs Law, which could hinder commercial activity.

Facing this outlook, he highlighted the need to strengthen business unity, promote training, and, above all, foster resilience in the face of the new fiscal discipline that is approaching. He added that the best strategy to face these challenges is to generate synergies between different productive sectors and explore new markets, taking advantage of the region’s strategic location.

Restaurant Sector Impact

For his part, the representative of the restaurant sector, Julio Villarreal Zapata, acknowledged that by the end of the third quarter of the year more than a thousand restaurants in the state had already ceased operations.

He accepted that this productive sector has been dragging a crisis since 2024 and that during 2025 the situation worsened due to the decrease in tourist influx and the loss of purchasing power of the population. However, he warned that the most worrying thing is that no recovery is foreseen for 2026.

“For 2026 we observe an equally complicated outlook, derived from the expected increases in salary and the weight of the tax burden,” expressed the leader.

He added that inflation worries them, which causes a generalized increase in prices and reduces purchasing capacity, which translates into lower consumption.

“Even so we must be resilient and creative to remain competitive,” assured Villarreal Zapata.

National Mipymes Profile

At the national level, microenterprises represent 95.5 percent of economic units, generate 41.5% of employment, and contribute 17.1% of income.

In contrast, although small and medium enterprises constitute only 4.4 percent, they concentrate 29% of jobs and 39% of total income.

One of the main challenges identified by Inegi is the incorporation of technology. Only 22.3 percent of microenterprises use computers and 23.5% have access to the Internet, compared to more than 90% in medium and large enterprises.

Regarding the educational level of personnel, basic education predominates in microenterprises, with 41.3 percent, while in small, medium, and large organizations there is a greater presence of workers with secondary and higher education.

The demographic profile also shows contrasts: in microenterprises, the predominant age group ranges between 41 and 65 years, while in larger companies employees between 31 and 40 years old stand out.