Population figures
Total country population
129,388,468
Forcibly displaced population
Refugees (under UNHCR's mandate):
136,428
Asylum-seekers:
276,696
IDPs (of concern to UNHCR):
262,411
Other people in need of international protection:
72,225
Other
Statelessness persons
13
Host community
0
Others of concern to UNHCR
50,803
Country context
Located in America, Mexico is bordered to the north by the United States, to the west by the Pacific Ocean, to the southeast by Guatemala, Belize and the Caribbean Sea and to the east by the Gulf of Mexico. Mexico has the 10th largest population in the world, and the 13th largest economy, and is a federal republic with 32 states.
Mexico continues to be a major destination for people seeking asylum, as one of the 10 countries globally with the highest number of asylum applications since 2021. In recent years, the majority of asylum applicants have come from Central America, particularly from Honduras, but also from Haiti, Venezuela, and Cuba (this being the leading nationality in 2025).
...The asylum process in Mexico is managed by the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR). Given the high number of asylum applications , efforts have been made to streamline procedures, including through digital platforms, to reduce workload and improve coordination.
Mexico’s asylum procedure is governed by the Refugees, Complementary Protection and Political Asylum Law adopted in 2011. It is protective of refugee rights and includes the broader regional definition, provided by the Cartagena Declaration, as well as specific protection for those who suffered gender-related persecution among the inclusion criteria. There is also complementary protection for individuals who are not refugees but have protection needs. All of these protective mechanisms are applied in practic.
The legal framework for refugees also includes the provision of Temporary Visitor Cards for Humanitarian Reasons (TVRH) for asylum seekers and permanent residency cards for recognized refugees, which facilitate access to essential services such as healthcare, education, and employment. However, challenges persist in issuing and renewing these documents, and currently TVRHs are rarely issued to asylum seekers without a lawsuit. This lack of documentation impacts the access to basic rights and services for asylum seekers in Mexico, and places them at risk of arbitrary detention and refoulement.
Mexico's legal framework for refugees has generally been inclusive, offering opportunities for integration into society. The federal and local governments have shown receptiveness to address the refugees’ needs, and local initiatives have been established to promote the inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers into public policies. These initiatives aim to improve access to employment, education, health and social services for displaced populations, fostering social cohesion between refugees and host communities. However, asylum seekers and refugees still face important challenges accessing formal jobs and fair working conditions due to lack of documentation or delays in the issuance of such documents, and ineffective financial inclusion. Asylum seekers and refugees struggle importantly in opening a bank account, given national documentation issued to them is still not recognized as official identification without the submission of their passports by most banks.
Mexico also faces challenges regarding internally displaced persons (IDPs). The government, in cooperation with local and international partners, has been working to address the needs of IDPs, including developing policies and frameworks to protect them. State laws in Chiapas, Guerrero, Sinaloa and Zacatecas now recognize and protect internally displaced persons, as efforts to expand legal frameworks nation-wide in the matter continue.
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