Mexico City ranked among the bottom 5 in the world among cities demonstrating technology readiness as well as in the 10 laggards in terms of health, safety and security according to PwC’s 2018 Cities of Opportunity Index.
Nevertheless, Mexico City’s economic prowess is supported by the fact that 17 of the Fortune Global 500 companies have their headquarters located in the capital including crude oil behemoth Pemex and telecommunications giant América Móvil.
In international trade, Mexico has risen to become the world’s top 10 exporting nation, shipping US$472.3 billion worth of goods around the globe in 2019. Highest-value products exported from Mexico are cars (about 11% of its global total), computers (7%), automotive parts and accessories (6.5%), trucks (5.5%) and crude oil (4.8%).
Mexico City is also world leader in terms of having the most museums of any city via its roughly 200 museums. Happily, many of Mexico City’s museums are free on Sundays.
In addition, Mexico City boasts the most IMAX theaters among all cities worldwide and is where the greatest number of Americans reside outside the United States.
Capital Facts for Mexico City: Quick Reference
Geography
Capital landmarks: Independence Monument (Monumento a la Independencia), Latin American Tower (Torre Latinoamericana) and Cortez Palace (Palacio de Cortés)
Famous People
Below, you will find 10 of the most famous people born in Mexico City, Mexico.
- Salomondrin, vlogger & car collector (born Dec. 7, 1984)
- Fernando Romero, architect (born Oct. 11, 1971)
- Helena Rojo, actress & model (born Aug. 18, 1944)
- Ricardo Salinas Pliego, billionaire founder of Grupo Salinas (born Oct. 19, 1955)
- Larry Rubin, US-Mexico political voice (born Aug. 31, 1974)
- Mario Van Peebles, actor & film director (born Jan. 15, 1957)
- Carmen Boullosa, poet, novelist & playwright (born Sep. 4, 1954)
- Julio Frenk, physician & University of Miami president (born Dec. 20, 1953)
- Yésica Sánchez Maya, human rights lawyer (born Nov. 13, 1977)
- Kathe Sandler, filmmaker (born May 11, 1959)
Note: Data for our Famous People tab was sourced from Google searches of published Wikipedia articles specific to each person’s name.
Population
Demonym for a Mexico City resident: Capitalino
Population: 8,918,653 (Mexico City limits) in 2016
Density: 15,600 people per square mile (6,000 per square kilometer)
Population: 21,782,378 (Greater Mexico City) at June 2020
Density: 1,315 people per square mile (508 per square kilometer)
Population: 128,866,805 (Mexico) at June 2020
Density: 172 people per square mile (66 per square kilometer)
Median age for all Mexicans: 29.2 years old
Financial
GDP: US$2.628 trillion in 2019 (Mexico overall)
GDP per person:$20,868
Note: The above GDP metrics are on a Purchasing Power Parity basis and are in U.S. dollars.
Official currency used in Mexico City: Mexican peso
Research
Research Sources:
Brookings Institution, Global Metro Monitor Report (includes GDP data).
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, Field Listing: Major Urban Areas.
Central Intelligence Agency, World Factbook, North America: Mexico.
City Mayors Statistics, The largest cities in the world-ranked 1 to 150.
CityMetric, Where are largest cities in the world? 2015 edition.
Fortune, 2015 Global 500.
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases.
International Trade Centre, Trade Map.
Official Government Website, Government of Mexico City.
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), 2016 Cities of Opportunity Report.
Wikimedia Commons, City Flags.
Note: Some city flags were unavailable. If so, attribution belongs to Wikimedia Commons for pertinent country flags.
Wikipedia, Mexico City.
Wikipedia, Greater Mexico City.
Wikipedia, Mexico.
Wikipedia, Capital Districts and Territories.
WorldOMeter, Mexico Population
Mexico declared its independence from Spain on September 16, 1810. Mexicans celebrate Independence Day as a public holiday each September 16.
Mexico City has a land area measuring 573 square miles (1,485 square kilometers). Within city limits, the capital’s estimated population was 8,918,653 residents in 2016.
However, Greater Mexico City is a much larger land mass measuring 800 square miles (2,072 square kilometers). That suburban area is collectively known as the Federal District and is comprised of 60 municipalities from the State of Mexico plus one from the state of Hidalgo. The population count for Greater Mexico City is 21,782,378 residents as of June 2020.
At the country level, Mexico’s land territory covers 750,563 square miles (1,943,950 square kilometers). The national population was 128,866,805 inhabitants at June 2020.
Population density within Mexico City’s city limits equates to roughly an estimated 15,600 residents per square mile (6,000 per square kilometer).
Density within the vaster Greater Mexico City is less concentrated, averaging 1,315 people per square mile (508 per square kilometer).
Expanding the land mass scope to encompass Mexico’s national boundaries, population density dilutes further to an average 172 Mexicans per square mile (66 per square kilometer).
