Insecticide use in Mexico
Mexico: Insecticide use was 8,536 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
8,536 tonnes
Change on year
down 12.7%
World rank
16th
of 211 countries
All-time high
12,991 tonnes
in 2018
All-time low
3,054 tonnes
in 2002
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Insecticide use in Mexico, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Mexico recorded 8,536 tonnes for insecticide use in 2023.
That represents a change of down 12.7% on the previous year and down 26.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insecticide use in Mexico peaked at 12,991 tonnes in 2018 and was at its lowest, 3,054 tonnes, in 2002.
Mexico ranks 16th of 211 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Insecticide use in Mexico, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 5,852 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 5,852 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 5,852 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5,852 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 5,852 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 5,852 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 5,852 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 5,852 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 5,852 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 5,852 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 5,852 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4,720 tonnes | -19.3% |
| 2002 | 3,054 tonnes | -35.3% |
| 2003 | 4,106 tonnes | +34.4% |
| 2004 | 4,810 tonnes | +17.1% |
| 2005 | 5,948 tonnes | +23.7% |
| 2006 | 6,123 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 8,431 tonnes | +37.7% |
| 2008 | 7,798 tonnes | -7.5% |
| 2009 | 8,067 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 2010 | 8,268 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 9,555 tonnes | +15.6% |
| 2012 | 11,625 tonnes | +21.7% |
| 2013 | 11,611 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 10,046 tonnes | -13.5% |
| 2015 | 9,547 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2016 | 8,001 tonnes | -16.2% |
| 2017 | 11,174 tonnes | +39.7% |
| 2018 | 12,991 tonnes | +16.3% |
| 2019 | 8,593 tonnes | -33.9% |
| 2020 | 8,076 tonnes | -6.0% |
| 2021 | 8,468 tonnes | +4.9% |
| 2022 | 9,783 tonnes | +15.5% |
| 2023 | 8,536 tonnes | -12.7% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 8,536 tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 339.5 tonnes, 25.1× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 8,536 tonnes is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 492 tonnes, 17.3× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5,852 tonnes | 5,852 tonnes | 5,852 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 5,891 tonnes | 3,054 tonnes | 8,431 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 10,141 tonnes | 8,001 tonnes | 12,991 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 8,716 tonnes | 8,076 tonnes | 9,783 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
More reference data data for Mexico
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.11 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 16.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 32.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 32.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 13.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 7.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 84.69 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 157.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 9.55 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insecticide use in Mexico?
- Insecticide use in Mexico was 8,536 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest insecticide use recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 12,991 tonnes in 2018.
- What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,054 tonnes in 2002.
- How does Mexico rank for insecticide use?
- Mexico ranks 16th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is insecticide use rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Mexico data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Insecticide use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual quantity of insecticides used in agriculture, measured as the tonnes of active ingredient per year.