Pesticide use in Mexico
Mexico: Pesticide use was 37,298 tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Pesticide 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 37,298 tonnes for pesticide use in 2023.
The figure is down 10.5% on the previous year and down 21.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pesticide use in Mexico peaked at 53,220 tonnes in 2011 and was at its lowest, 11,536 tonnes, in 2002.
That places Mexico 20th out of 211 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Pesticide use in Mexico, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 26,625 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 26,625 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 26,625 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 26,625 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 26,625 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 26,625 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 26,625 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 26,625 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 26,625 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 26,625 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 26,625 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 23,372 tonnes | -12.2% |
| 2002 | 11,536 tonnes | -50.6% |
| 2003 | 16,285 tonnes | +41.2% |
| 2004 | 18,508 tonnes | +13.7% |
| 2005 | 39,172 tonnes | +111.6% |
| 2006 | 38,403 tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2007 | 50,894 tonnes | +32.5% |
| 2008 | 50,155 tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 50,328 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 52,305 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 53,220 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 49,214 tonnes | -7.5% |
| 2013 | 47,551 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2014 | 43,029 tonnes | -9.5% |
| 2015 | 48,293 tonnes | +12.2% |
| 2016 | 47,421 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 50,802 tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2018 | 53,144 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 39,903 tonnes | -24.9% |
| 2020 | 38,883 tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 40,811 tonnes | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 41,676 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 37,298 tonnes | -10.5% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 37,298 tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,066 tonnes, 18.0× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 37,298 tonnes is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 1,984 tonnes, 18.8× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Pesticide use in Mexico changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +111.6% | 18,508 tonnes | 39,172 tonnes |
| 2002 | -50.6% | 23,372 tonnes | 11,536 tonnes |
| 2003 | +41.2% | 11,536 tonnes | 16,285 tonnes |
| 2007 | +32.5% | 38,403 tonnes | 50,894 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 26,625 tonnes | 26,625 tonnes | 26,625 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 32,528 tonnes | 11,536 tonnes | 50,894 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 48,488 tonnes | 39,903 tonnes | 53,220 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 39,667 tonnes | 37,298 tonnes | 41,676 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 pesticide use in Mexico?
- Pesticide use in Mexico was 37,298 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 pesticide use recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 53,220 tonnes in 2011.
- What is the lowest pesticide use recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,536 tonnes in 2002.
- How does Mexico rank for pesticide use?
- Mexico ranks 20th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is pesticide use rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.6%. 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 Pesticide 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
Total pesticide use measured in tonnes of pesticide consumption per year.