Introduction
The National Survey of Household Income and Expenditure (ENIGH) by Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi) has reported that 15% of households in Mexico experienced negative impacts from climatic phenomena in 2024. This figure rises to nearly 50% in some states, highlighting the severity of climate change effects on Mexican households.
Key Findings
Out of the estimated 38.8 million households in Mexico, 5.8 million reported some form of impact due to climatic events.
- Sequía: Affected 3.2 million households, accounting for 55.5% of the total affected homes.
- Inundaciones: Impacted 1.5 million households, representing 6% of the total.
- Huracanes o Ciclones: Estimated to have affected 939,775 households.
- Otros fenómenos climáticos: Reported negative impacts on 474,920 households.
State-wise Impact
While all 32 states experienced some form of climatic impact, Guerrero, Nuevo León, and Oaxaca reported the highest percentages of affected households:
- Guerrero: 46% of households were impacted, primarily by cyclones (24.9%) followed by drought (4.4%) and floods (2%).
- Nuevo León: 37.1% of households were affected, mainly by drought (19.1%) followed by floods (3.2%) and hurricanes (1.7%).
- Oaxaca: 31.2% of households were impacted, with drought being the most significant effect (12.8%) followed by hurricanes (3.5%) and floods (2.4%).
The capital, Mexico City, also experienced climatic impacts, with floods affecting 6.2% of households and drought impacting 1.3%.
Types of Impact
The ENIGH survey further categorized the types of damages caused by climatic phenomena:
- Damage to housing: Affected 2.4 million households, accounting for 41.7% of affected homes.
- Others: Impacted 1.7 million households, representing 30.9%.
- Agricultural impact: Affecting 1.6 million households, accounting for 28.3%.
- Impact on employment or business: Affecting 705,119 households, representing 12.5%.
- Impact on health: Affecting 455,697 households, accounting for 8.1%.
Baja California Sur reported the highest housing damages (90.3%), while Nuevo León led in ‘others’ category impacts (82.6%). Puebla topped agricultural impacts (57.2%) and Guerrero led employment or business impacts (38.2%). Tabasco had the highest health impacts (22.2%).
Context and Relevance
According to the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change, 68% of Mexico’s population has been affected by natural disasters at some point in their lives. This ENIGH report underscores the urgent need for climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies to protect Mexican households from the escalating impacts of climate change.
