Corruption has historically been one of the largest and most serious structural problems facing Mexico. Virtually every administration, regardless of political affiliation, has promised to eradicate it—or at least significantly reduce it. However, allegations of corrupt practices remain widespread at every level of government, from municipalities and boroughs to the federal administration.
Data collected by INEGI through the National Survey on Government Quality and Impact (ENCIG) show a significant increase in public perception regarding the frequency of corruption in both state governments and the federal government.
INEGI Data on Corruption
According to the survey, in the 2019 edition, 44.6% of people aged 18 and older believed corruption was very frequent in their state, while 42.2% considered corruption to be frequent.
By comparison, in the 2025 survey, 53.3% of respondents believed corruption was very frequent in their states, while 32.2% considered it frequent.
Although the combined percentages show a one-percentage-point decrease in 2025 compared to 2019, the proportion of people who perceive corruption as very frequent increased by nearly nine percentage points during that period.
In relative terms, there was no statistically significant change in the indicator measuring the rate of people who personally experienced at least one act of corruption while carrying out government procedures.
In 2019, the rate stood at 15,732 acts of corruption per 100,000 inhabitants, while in 2025 the rate was 15,642 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Likewise, in 2019, INEGI estimated that there were 44,199 people per 100,000 inhabitants who reported knowing someone who had experienced acts of corruption during official procedures.
In contrast, the reported rate in 2025 increased to 46,243 per 100,000 inhabitants, representing a statistically significant increase in this indicator.
States With the Highest Perceived Corruption
According to INEGI, the states where residents were most likely to perceive corruption as very frequent in 2025 were:
- Baja California: 53.2%
- Michoacán: 51.9%
- Sinaloa: 51.8%
- State of Mexico: 49.7%
- Mexico City: 46.5%
- Guerrero: 45.3%
- Morelos: 43.5%
Meanwhile, the states where corruption was most commonly considered frequent were:
- Veracruz: 53.4%
- Baja California Sur: 51.8%
- Campeche: 51.0%
- Tlaxcala: 49.6%
- Aguascalientes: 49.1%
- San Luis Potosí: 48.6%
- Zacatecas: 48.4%
- Tabasco: 48.2%
By contrast, only 12.9% of the population considered corruption to be infrequent in their states.
The states with the highest percentages of residents holding that view were:
- Querétaro: 26.7%
- Yucatán: 22.3%
- Aguascalientes: 21.1%
- Coahuila: 21.0%
- Campeche: 18.8%
- Nuevo León: 18.3%
- San Luis Potosí: 17.9%
- Tamaulipas: 17.3%
The states with the lowest percentages of people who considered corruption to be infrequent were:
- Michoacán: 6.8%
- Mexico City: 9.0%
- Zacatecas: 9.4%
- Baja California: 9.5%
- Oaxaca: 9.6%
- Sinaloa: 9.9%
- Guerrero: 9.9%
Source: excelsior
