As the 13th largest country in the world, with a nearly 2000-mile-long border with the United States, Mexico is a country that is hard to ignore. The country is the largest in Central America and its cultural reach stretches around the world. Mexico is a country millions of people know; however it does not appear much in global news. Could that be because it is not a major world power?
Mexico is ranked the 30th most powerful country in the world. With its large population, semi-developed economy, and a per capita income of 18,170 USD, Mexico is a moderately powerful country.
…but that’s just an overview. In order to really understand if Mexico is a powerful country, we need to go into a bit more detail.
How Powerful Is Mexico?
The first question we need to ask to determine if Mexico is a powerful country is how strong is Mexico? We also need to look at Mexico’s power in relation to other major global nations.
Mexico is a mid-tier world power. The country has moderate global influence and is a major power in the America’s. However, on the worldwide stage, Mexico is only moderately powerful.
There are several factors that determine how powerful a country is. These include its economic size, population, military strength, cultural and artistic influence, and the country’s role in international diplomacy.
Mexico has a GBP of 1.07 trillion USD. This makes it the 16th largest economy in the world. Mexico is classed as an upper-middle income country. Mexico is categorized as a developing nation, although the country is partly industrialised and has moderate infrastructure in most regions. With a per capita income of 18,170 USD, Mexicans are poorer than people in the most developed nations, however are richer than the global average. Overall, Mexico’s economy and level of development makes it mid-tier global power.
With a population of over 128 million, Mexico is the tenth most populous country in the world. This means Mexico is a significant world power in-terms of population size.
There are over 200,000 frontline soldiers in the Mexican army. This means the country has the 27th largest military in the world. Mexico also has over 80,000 reservists and an air force with over 80 combat aircraft. However, the country lacks any main battle tanks and Mexico’s navy is tiny. Mexico’s military is unable to project its power around the world and this limits the country’s strength globally.
Mexico has significant cultural influence around the world. Mexican food, as well as drinks, music, film, and art, are consumed globally. Many people around the world build a connection with Mexico through the consumption of its culture and this gives the nation a degree of global power. Mexico’s’ cultural reach is perhaps one of the country’s greatest strengths.
International diplomacy is major way countries use their power. Mexico is active in international organisations such as the United Nations. The country has 67 embassies around the world allowing it to build many direct relationships with other countries. Mexico’s role in the world of international diplomacy is influential, however it lacks the ability to dictate global affairs. This is another reason why Mexico is a mid-tier power.
Is Mexico A Superpower?
So, we know Mexico has a degree of power on the world stage. With that established, could we say that Mexico is a global superpower?
Mexico is not a superpower. The country doe does not have global strength or influence to dominate world affairs. Mexico also lacks the population, economic or military strength to be a superpower. There has never been a time in history Mexico has been considered a global superpower.
A superpower is defined by Encyclopaedia Britannica as:
‘a state that possesses military or economic might, or both, and general influence vastly superior to that of other states’
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2022
As we can see from this definition, Mexico is not a global superpower. Mexico has the 27th largest military in the world. With many nations having larger armed forces, Mexico cannot be classed as superpower.
Mexico is the 16th largest economy in the world. As well as lacking the military strength, Mexico also lacks the economic size needed to be classified as a superpower.
As well as lacking the military and economic power needed to have global influence, Mexico is also unable to dictate or control global affairs as a superpower could. Although Mexico does yield significant soft power, and is an influential country in North, Central and South America, Mexico is unable to project its power globally. This is a key reason why Mexico is not a superpower.
Why Is Mexico A Power Country?
Ok, so Mexico is a moderately powerful country, but not a superpower. But what makes Mexico powerful as a nation? Really, there are five main factors:
- Mexico has a large population
- The size of the Mexican economy
- Mexico has considerable soft power
- Mexico is part of NAFTA
- The country has a strong military
Let’s take a quick look at each of these…
Mexico Has A Large Population
Mexico has a population of over 128 million people. As the tenth most populous country in the world, Mexico has a degree of influence in world affairs. The size of the country’s population means it is a major population centre in Central America. It also makes it a key population hub in the Western Hemisphere. These are factors that add to Mexico’s power.
The Size Of The Mexican Economic
Mexico has the 27th largest economy in the world. With a GBP of 1.07 trillion USD, this means Mexico plays a significant role in the global economy. Mexico is still a developing nation, but its economic output means that it trades globally and is able to command a degree of strength from its economic size.
With a per capita income of 18,170 USD, Mexican’s are wealthier than many other people in the world. Although Mexico is not within the top-tier of nations in-terms of wealth, the income Mexico generates also gives it a degree of global strength.
Mexico Has Considerable Soft Power
Soft power is a nations ability to influence others through cooperation and the co-option, as opposed to force and coercion.
Mexico is adept at using soft power on the global stage. The country’s culture is widely consumed and enjoyed around the world, giving people in many countries a feeling of a connection to Mexico. The country also has a significant diplomatic presence, with embassies in 67 countries. Mexico is active in major international organisations such as the United Nations. All these factors add significantly to Mexico’s power in the world.
Mexico Is Part Of NAFTA
NAFTA – the North America Free Trade Agreement, is a free trade area covering Mexico, Canada, and the United States. It removes trade barriers between the countries and has resulted in major economic integration especially between Mexico and the United States.
Mexico’s position in NAFTA, and its closeness of the economy of the United States, is a major source of the country’s power. It provides Mexico almost unlimited access to the US economy, the largest in the world – a position few other nations hold.
The Country Has A Strong Military
Mexico has the 27th largest military in the world and has the largest armed forces in Central America. The strength of the Mexican armed forces is one factor adding to the country’s global power.
Why Isn’t Mexico A Strong Country?
Having gone over what makes Mexico a strong country, we now need to look at what holds Mexico back from being a major world power. Many agree there are four main areas that weaken Mexico as a country. These are:
- The country’s lack of development
- Mexico has widespread corruption
- Mexico has significant Internal conflict
- The country has limited global influence
Let’s go over each of these in-turn…
The Country’s Lack Of Development
Mexico is classified as developing country. 55.7 million Mexicans live in poverty, 43% of the country’s population Some regions of the country lack advanced infrastructure. Mexico is classed as a developing nation. The level of development in Mexico is a major reason why the country is not a top-tier world power.
Mexico Has Widespread Corruption
Corruption is a major issue in Mexico. The country is ranked the 56th most corrupt in the world. The rampant and embedded corruption in Mexico detracts from the country’s ability to be a major global power.
Mexico Has Significant Internal Conflict
Mexico sees a significant amount of internal armed conflict. In 2018, nearly 40,000 people were killed in armed violence in the country. Drug cartels, mafias and other gangs are seen as responsible for the majority of the violence. The Mexican state struggles to battle these groups and at times does not fully control significant areas of the country. The internal armed conflict within Mexico is perhaps one of the biggest reasons why the country lacks global power.
The Country Has Limited Global Influence
Generally, Mexico lacks the ability to influence global affairs. Although the country has significant soft power and is a major cultural player on the world stage, Mexico is not able to control how world event unfold and cannot push other nations to act in ways that could forward its own strategic and economic interests. Mexico is often forced to work with other countries in order to push for diplomatic outcomes that can benefit it. A lack of global influence weakens Mexico.
How Strong Is The Mexican Army?
A key factor that determines a country’s strength is the power of it’s military. If we want to understand how powerful Mexico is as a country, we need to ask how strong its armed forces are.
Mexico has the 27th largest military in the world. With 216,000 active personnel, the Mexican armed forces have significant power. However, the Mexican army has no tanks, and the Mexican navy has only five ships. This limits the strength of the Mexican armed forces.
…that’s a broad overview. However, in order to fully understand the how strong Mexico’s military is, and thus how powerful Mexico is as a country, we need to look in more depth.
Mexico’s Military Strength: An Overview
Below is table detailing the strength of the Mexican armed forces:
| Country | Number of Active-Duty Soldiers | Number of Reservists | Number of Main Battle Tanks | Number of Combat Aircraft | Number of Warships |
| Mexico | 216,000 | 81,500 | 0 | 83 | 5 |
As we can see, Mexico has a significant number of troops in its military. With over 200,000 frontline soldiers, Mexico can deploy around the same number of active troops as Saudi Arabia and Ukraine. However, this is much less than major military powers such as the United States, Russia, or China.
Mexico has over 80,000 reservists in its armed forces. This provides significant extra power to the Mexican military. However, 35 countries in the world have more reservists in their military than Mexico does, which again shows that Mexico is a mid-tier world power.
A major weakness of the Mexican military is that it has no main battle tanks. Although this is a strategic decision taken by assessing the likely foes the Mexican armed forces are likely to face, it does mean the Mexican army is much less powerful than most major military powers.
Mexico has a sizable air force. With 83 combat aircraft, it is the 42nd largest air force in the world. This highlights how Mexico is middle-tier global power, as there are a number of countries with larger air forces, however there are also a significant number of nations with smaller ones.
The Mexican Navy is tiny and lacks any significant strength. This is another reason why Mexico is not a major world power as it lacks the naval forces needed to project its military.
Mexico’s Military Strength: A Comparison
In order to fully understand how strong the Mexican military is, we need to compare it directly with the most powerful armed forces in the world:
| Country | Number of Active-Duty Soldiers | Number of Reservists | Number of Main Battle Tanks | Number of Combat Aircraft | Number of Warships |
| Mexico | 216,000 | 81,500 | 0 | 83 | 5 |
| United States | 1,388,100 | 844,050 | 6,209 | 2,628 | 490 |
| China | 2,185,000 | 1,170,000 | 5,650 | 1,747+ | 355 |
| Russia | 1,015.000 | 2,000,000 | 1,200 | 950 | 352 |
| Vietnam | 482,000 | 5,000,000 | 1,379 | 80 | 65 |
| North Korea | 1,280,000 | 600,000 | 3,500 | 537 | 630 |
| India | 1,455,550 | 1,155,000 | 4,732 | 687 | 150 |
As we can see, Mexico’s armed forces are significantly weaker than the major global military powers. This is a key reason why Mexico is only a medium strength country.
So, it’ clear that Mexico is much weaker than the countries with the largest armed forces, but what about in Mexico’s own region? How strong is Mexico’s army compared to its neighbours in Central and South America?
Below is a table comparing Mexico’s military strength to other countries in the America’s:
| Country | Number of Active-Duty Soldiers | Number of Reservists | Number of Main Battle Tanks | Number of Combat Aircraft | Number of Warships |
| Mexico | 216,000 | 81,500 | 0 | 83 | 5 |
| Guatemala | 18050 | 63850 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nicaragua | 12000 | 0 | 147 | 0 | 0 |
| Belize | 1,500 | 700 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Honduras | 14950 | 60000 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Colombia | 293200 | 34950 | 0 | 72 | 4 |
| Brazil | 366500 | 1340000 | 296 | 214 | 18 |
| Argentina | 72100 | 0 | 231 | 72 | 13 |
As we can see, Mexico’s number of active and reserve soldiers means it has the largest number of troops in Central America. It also has by far the largest air force in the region. Mexico is clearly the largest military power in Central America and yields significant military strength compared to other countries in the region.
Although Mexico is a large military power compared to other Central American countries, it has a much weaker military than the major powers in South America. Both Brazil and Colombia have larger and stronger armed forces. This highlights that Mexico is a medium-sized military power, but that there are many countries, even in the Western hemisphere, that are stronger militarily.
Will Mexico Ever Become The Most Powerful Nation In The World?
Finally, let’s look into the future. We know Mexico is a mid-tier global power, however, could we ever see a time when Mexico becomes significantly stronger? Could Mexico ever become the most powerful country in the world?
Mexico will never become the most powerful nation in the world. Although Mexico is likely to grow economically and build on its regional influence in the America’s, the country lacks the potential for growth and resources needed to become the most powerful nation globally.
There are only two ways that Mexico could become the most powerful country in the world. The first is that it grows enormously, both economically and militarily, and so takes over major global powers such as the United States and China. This is incredibly unlikely.
The second way that Mexico becomes the most power country globally is if other major world powers collapse or suddenly fall behind Mexico. Any worldwide event that would cause such as decline would also have an enormous impact Mexico, and therefore this is also extremely unlikely to happen.