Race and Ethnicity in Mexico
Mexico is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of diverse racial, ethnic, and national backgrounds. The Mexican census does not officially collect data on race or ethnicity, so most figures are based on estimates, academic studies, and national surveys.
According to these estimates, Mestizos account for around 50–60% of Mexico’s population. The term mestizo, meaning “mixed” in Spanish, is commonly used across Latin America to describe people of combined European (primarily Spanish) and Indigenous ancestry.
People of European descent (often referred to as “White Mexicans”) make up a significant share of the population, estimated at 15–20%. Mexico is also home to a large Indigenous population, which accounts for nearly one-fifth of the total population, along with smaller Afro-Mexican, Asian, Middle Eastern, and immigrant communities.
👉 Also read about religion in Mexico
Mexico population by Race
Based on various estimates and surveys, about 55% of Mexicans identify as Mestizo, while White Mexicans account for roughly 20% of the population. White Mexicans are primarily descendants of Spanish colonists, as well as immigrants from Italy, Germany, France, and Switzerland, many of whom arrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Approximately 19.41% of the population identifies as Indigenous. In several regions of Mexico, Indigenous peoples remain the dominant population group and continue to preserve their languages, traditions, and community structures.
According to Mexico’s national statistical agency, around 1.4 million people (about 1.2% of the population) self-identify as Afro-Mexican or of African descent, based on shared culture, history, and customs.
Mexico also has small Asian and Middle Eastern communities, including descendants of Lebanese and Palestinian immigrants, as well as East Asian populations of Japanese and Chinese origin.
Racial and Ethnic Composition of Mexico
| Race or Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Mestizo | 55% |
| White | 20% |
| Indigenous | 19.41% |
| Afro-Mexicans | 1.20% |
| Foreigners residing in Mexico (any race) | <1.0% |
| East Asian | <1.0% |
| Middle Eastern | <1.0% |
| Jewish | <1.0% |
Also read about the population of Mexico and its states
Indigenous population in Mexico
Indigenous peoples of Mexico are communities whose ancestry traces back to populations that lived in present-day Mexico before European colonization. According to the National Indigenous Institute (INI) and the National Institute of Indigenous Peoples (CDI), Mexico’s Indigenous population was estimated at around 15 million people in 2012, representing 68 distinct Indigenous ethnic groups.
The 2020 Censo General de Población y Vivienda reported that 11.8 million people live in households where at least one person speaks an Indigenous language, while 23,232,391 people (19.41% of the total population) self-identify as Indigenous.
Indigenous populations are found throughout Mexico but are especially concentrated in the Sierra Madre del Sur, Yucatán Peninsula, Sierra Madre Oriental, and Sierra Madre Occidental. Around one-third of Mexico’s states contain the majority of the Indigenous population. The states with the largest Indigenous populations are Oaxaca and Yucatán, with Yucatán having the highest proportion of Indigenous people within its own territory. Other major states include Campeche, Chiapas, and Hidalgo.
The States wise Indigenous Population and Speaker of Indigenous-Language
| # | State | % Indigenous (2020) | % Indigenous-Language Speaking |
| 1 | Oaxaca | 69.18% | 31.20% |
| 2 | Yucatán | 65.18% | 23.70% |
| 3 | Campeche | 47.26% | 10.40% |
| 4 | Chiapas | 36.79% | 28.20% |
| 5 | Hidalgo | 36.65% | 12.30% |
| 6 | Quintana Roo | 33.23% | 11.70% |
| 7 | Puebla | 33.22% | 9.90% |
| 8 | Guerrero | 33.14% | 15.50% |
| 9 | Veracruz | 26.90% | 8.60% |
| 10 | Morelos | 24.55% | 2.00% |
| 11 | Tabasco | 21.36% | 4.00% |
| 12 | Michoacán | 20.75% | 3.40% |
| 13 | San Luis Potosí | 20.33% | 8.60% |
| 14 | Tlaxcala | 16.46% | 2.20% |
| 15 | Nayarit | 15.94% | 5.90% |
| 16 | México | 15.75% | 2.60% |
| 17 | Sonora | 13.31% | 2.20% |
| 18 | Colima | 13.17% | 0.80% |
| 19 | Querétaro | 13.15% | 1.40% |
| 20 | Baja California | 11.87% | 1.80% |
| 21 | Chihuahua | 10.48% | 3.10% |
| 22 | Sinaloa | 9.35% | 1.40% |
| 23 | Ciudad de México | 9.28% | 1.50% |
| 24 | Durango | 8.87% | 2.70% |
| 25 | Baja California Sur | 7.97% | 1.40% |
| 26 | Jalisco | 7.04% | 1.20% |
| 27 | Tamaulipas | 6.67% | 0.70% |
| 28 | Nuevo León | 6.40% | 1.40% |
| 29 | Guanajuato | 6.39% | 0.30% |
| 30 | Aguascalientes | 6.17% | 0.20% |
| 31 | Zacatecas | 4.88% | 0.70% |
| 32 | Coahuila | 2.13% | 0.20% |
| – | Mexico | 19.41% | 6.20% |
Largest Indigenous Groups in Mexico
Mexico is linguistically diverse, with dozens of Indigenous languages spoken across the country. The ten largest Indigenous language groups, based on the share of Indigenous-language speakers, are:
Náhuatl (22.7%)
Maya (13.5%)
Zapoteco (7.6%)
Mixteco (7.3%)
Otomí (5.3%)
Tzeltal (5.3%)
Tzotzil (4.3%)
Totonaca (3.9%)
Mazateco (3.2%)
Chol (2.4%)
Many of these language groups include multiple distinct regional variants, highlighting Mexico’s deep cultural and linguistic diversity.
Key Takeaways: Race and Ethnicity in Mexico
Mexico is a multi-ethnic country shaped by Indigenous civilizations, European colonization, and later migration.
Mestizos form the majority of the population, followed by significant Indigenous and European-descended communities.
Indigenous peoples account for about 19.4% of Mexico’s population and are most concentrated in southern and central states such as Oaxaca, Yucatán, Chiapas, and Campeche.
Afro-Mexicans represent around 1.2% of the population, while smaller Asian, Middle Eastern, Jewish, and immigrant groups add to Mexico’s diversity.
Mexico is home to 68 Indigenous ethnic groups and dozens of languages, making it one of the most culturally diverse countries in the Americas.
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