Overview
- INEGI’s intercensal survey shows Mexico’s average children per woman fell from about 2.1 in 2020 to 1.9 in 2025, with Mexicali at 1.72 and a rising median age that signals slower municipal growth.
- Researchers link the decline to higher female schooling, later motherhood, and women’s greater participation in the workforce, and they urge gender‑focused policies such as childcare, maternity protections, and housing support.
- Pro‑life groups say economic barriers like high housing costs and low wages are reducing births and have promoted a lower fertility figure of 1.2 for 2024 that differs from INEGI’s statistics.
- More than 1,000 organizations have backed national demonstrations planned for October 11 to press pro‑life positions and oppose abortion and euthanasia measures while highlighting fertility concerns.
- The falling fertility rate raises practical risks for public services and the labor supply because fewer births mean higher care needs for an aging population and a smaller future workforce.