Mexico
Mexico country brief
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Strong bilateral relationship with growing trade and investment.
Key engagement
Substantial investment and commercial ties across education and research, food and agribusiness, infrastructure finance, mining technology and services, and close cooperation in multilateral fora.
Outlook
Mexico is forecast to be among the world's top 10 economies by 2030.
Bilateral relations
Australia and Mexico established diplomatic relations in 1966. Australia has an Embassy in Mexico City.
Mexico has an Embassy in Canberra.
People-to-people links between Australia and Mexico are also deepening, with high numbers of Australians visiting Mexico and increasing numbers of Mexican students choosing to study in Australia.
Australia is working closely with Mexico on our shared interests in combatting the narcotics trade through the Australian Federal Police office in Mexico.
Foreign relations
Australia and Mexico are members of the G20, APEC, MIKTA, OECD, WTO, UN, and UN organisations.
Mexico has 13 free trade agreements covering 50 countries, making it one of the world’s broadest networks of free trade agreements.
Mexico was elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2021-22. Mexico also sits on the UN Human Rights Council and the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and has been reelected to ECOSOC for the 2021-2024 term.
Fast facts
- Mexican visitors to Australia (2019 Dept of Home Affairs) #
- 13,300
- Australian visitors to Mexican (primary destination (2019 Dept of Home Affairs) # *
- 26,600
- Resident Australian population born in Mexico (2016 Census)
- 4,871
- Australian residents of Mexican descent (2016 Census)
- 7,414
- Mexican students in Australia (2019 Dept of Education)
- 3,118
# This data is owned by Home Affairs. They provide quarterly updates to this data on their website
* Mexico reports the number of Australian visitors as 60,192 in 2019 (datatur.sectur.gob.mx)
High level engagement
2020 January – January – Mexican Parliamentary delegation visit to Canberra, Australia
2019 November – Senator The Hon. Scott Ryan, President of the Senate visit to Mexico
Agreements with Mexico
- 2020 MoU on Indigenous Cooperation
- 2019 Tax Information Exchange Agreement
- 2018 Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)
- 2015 MoU on Education, Research and Vocational Education and Training
- 2010 Air Services Agreement
- 2010 MoU on Cooperation in Agriculture
- 2010 MoU on Mining
- 2009 MoU on Political Consultations
- 2005 MoU on Energy
- 2005 Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA)
- 2004 Double Taxation Agreement
Public diplomacy
In 2019, Australia was the guest of honour at the Festival de Mayo in Guadalajara (second largest cultural festival in Mexico). The month-long event included a wide range of Australian art, music and cultural performances.
Through the Direct Aid Program (DAP), the Australian Government supports projects coordinated by civil society, which empower of women and girls, and advocate for the rights of indigenous communities, persons with disabilities and LGBTIQI+ communities. DAP funds were also pivoted to support indigenous communities recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19.
In 2019, the Council on Australia-Latin America Relations (COALAR) provided grants to a range of institutions and practitioners to support collaborative projects between Australia and Mexicos.
Economic diplomacy
Mexico has a growing economy and is widely projected to rise to a top 10 economy by 2030.
With over 80 per cent of its exports going to the United States, Mexico is keen to move away from its reliance on the United States and diversify its trade and investment relationships, including in the Asia Pacific region.
An Agriculture Counsellor, based in Mexico City, commenced work in February 2019 to build agricultural engagement in areas of mutual interest and progress agriculture market access opportunities.
An Education Counsellor, based in Mexico City, commenced in March 2018 to leverage and promote the growing education and research relationship between Australia and Pacific Alliance countries (Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Chile).
Australia and Mexico have a growing trade relationship. Both countries are party to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Australia’s first free trade agreement with Mexico.
Mexico became the first country to ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in April 2018. The CPTPP entered into force for all parties in December 2018.
Australia is also negotiating a free trade agreement with Mexico through the Pacific Alliance Free Trade Agreement.
Further economic and trade information can be found in our Economic Factsheet for Mexico
Business
Mexico presents significant opportunities for Australia as both look to diversify markets. Key growth sectors include resources and energy, education and research, infrastructure finance, and food and agribusiness. There are 71 operating affiliates of Australian companies in Mexico, which generate more than 2,000 jobs in Mexico.
In recent years Australia has emerged as one of Mexico’s seventh largest source of new foreign investment with significant engagement in the infrastructure and energy sectors. This follows BHP’s landmark investment in 2017 to explore the Trion oilfield in the Gulf of Mexico.
Mexico is Australia's largest merchandise trading partner in Latin America. Major Australian exports to Mexico include medical instruments, telecommunications equipment and parts, alcoholic beverages, and ores and concentrates.
Austrade’s Mexico Office aims to attract foreign direct investment into Australia.
Austrade
Travel
See Smartraveller for Information on travelling to Mexico: smartraveller.gov.au .
Australian Embassy in Mexico
Ruben Dario 55
Col. Polanco
Mexico City 11580
Tel: 52-55-11012200
General: australianembassy.mexico@dfat.gov.au
Facebook: Australia en México, Centroamérica, Cuba y República Dominicana