Corruption costs Mexicans $3,865 pesos each, highest in a decade: Coparmex

Corruption cost Mexicans an average of 3,865 pesos per person in 2025, reaching the highest level in the last decade, according to the Mexican Employers' Confederation (Coparmex).

The organization's #DataCoparmex 2025 survey revealed that 40.2% of its member companies experienced corruption in the past year, a 6.6-point decrease from the previous measurement. However, corruption remains most prevalent at the municipal level (62.2%), followed by state (57.8%) and federal (42.8%) levels. Nearly one-fifth of companies reported corruption across all three government tiers, indicating its structural nature.

Furthermore, 17.3% of individuals who suffered a crime reported extortion or "cobro de piso" (protection money), with 37% of these cases involving authorities or individuals impersonating them. The National Survey of Government Quality and Impact (ENCIG) 2025 from INEGI indicated that corruption resulted in losses of approximately 17 billion pesos in 2025, impacting 9.42 million people.

Coparmex highlighted that practices like bribery, unjustified delays, and abuse in administrative processes create uncertainty, increase operating costs, and hinder investment. Mexico's score of 27 out of 100 in the 2025 Corruption Perception Index, ranking 141st out of 182 countries, reflects this deterioration. The confederation expressed its willingness to collaborate with all government levels to implement policies and reforms aimed at sustained corruption reduction.