How’s Life?

Mexico has made tremendous progress over the last decade in terms of improving the quality of life of its citizens, especially in the areas of education, health and jobs. Notwithstanding, Mexico performs well in only a few measures of well-being relative to most other countries in the Better Life Index. Mexico ranks above average in civic engagement, but below average in the dimensions of jobs and earnings, subjective well-being, health status, environmental quality, housing, income and wealth, social connections, work-life balance, personal security, and education and skills. These rankings are based on available selected data.

Money, while it cannot buy happiness, is an important means to achieving higher living standards. In Mexico, the average household net-adjusted disposable income per capita is considerably lower than the OECD average of USD 33 604 a year. In terms of employment, about 61% of people aged 15 to 64 in Mexico have a paid job, lower than the OECD employment average of 68%. Some 79% of men are in paid work, compared with 45% of women. In Mexico, almost 29% of employees work very long hours, one of the highest in the OECD where the average is 11%. About 36% of men work very long hours compared with 18% of women.

Good education and skills are important requisites for finding a job. In Mexico, 38% of adults aged 25-64 have completed upper secondary education, much lower than the OECD average of 78% and the lowest rate amongst OECD countries. This is slightly truer of men than women, as 39% of men have successfully completed high-school compared with 37% of women. In terms of the quality of the education system, the average student scored 416 in reading literacy, maths and science in the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), much lower than the OECD average of 486.

In terms of health, life expectancy at birth in Mexico is 75 years, five years lower than the OECD average of 80 years, and one of the lowest in the OECD. Life expectancy for women is 78 years, compared with 73 for men. The level of atmospheric PM2.5 – tiny air pollutant particles small enough to enter and cause damage to the lungs – is 15.6 micrograms per cubic meter, higher than the OECD average of 13.9 micrograms per cubic meter. Mexico also performs below the OECD average in terms of water quality, as 68% of people say they are satisfied with the quality of their water, considerably lower the OECD average of 81%, and one of the lowest rates in the OECD.

Concerning the public sphere, there is a moderate sense of community and level of civic participation in Mexico, where 81% of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in time of need, considerably less than the OECD average of 89%. Voter turnout, a measure of citizens' participation in the political process, was 63% during recent elections, lower than the OECD average of 68%. Social and economic status can affect voting rates; but in Mexico there is little difference across society.

In general, Mexicans are satisfied with their lives. When asked to rate their general satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 to 10, Mexicans gave it a 6.5 grade on average, in line with the OECD average of 6.5.

For more information on estimates and years of reference, see FAQ section and BLI database.