Mexico in Numbers: Corruption, bribes and who Mexicans trust the least

In 2025, 15.6% of people who carried out a bureaucratic procedure (trámite), made a payment to a government office, requested a public service or had any other kind of contact with authorities experienced an “act of corruption,” according to the results of the latest National Survey of Governmental Quality and Impact (ENCIG).

The national statistics agency INEGI conducted the survey at 46,000 homes in late 2025 and the results were published in May.

In this “Mexico in Numbers” article, we look at where in Mexico people are most and least likely to encounter corruption when interacting with municipal, state and federal authorities. One of the main ways people experience corruption in Mexico is by being asked to pay a bribe.

We also present survey results on:

• The situations in which corruption directly affecting citizens is most prevalent.
• The institutions that are considered the most and least corrupt.

Where is corruption most and least prevalent? 

The state where people most commonly experience corruption is Hidalgo. Around 21.5% of residents from that state who came into contact with authorities last year experienced an act of corruption, according to the ENCIG results.

The states with the next highest percentages of people who were victims of an act of corruption last year were:

• Oaxaca: 20.3%
• Sinaloa: 19.8%
• Chihuahua: 18.4%
• Sonora: 18.3%

The states with the lowest percentages of people who were victims of an act of corruption last year were:

• Colima: 7%
• Nayarit: 8.9%
• Zacatecas: 9.4%
• Querétaro: 9.5%
• Tamaulipas: 10.8%

In what situations is corruption most prevalent? 

According to the ENCIG results, the five most common situations in which acts of corruption occurred last year were:

1. When people came into contact with public security authorities, such as police: 63.5% of respondents who experienced corruption said it occurred in this context.
2. When people were applying for property-related permits: 32%
3. When people were making “other payments,” submitting bureaucratic paperwork (trámites) or submitting “requests”: 29.3%
4. When people were submitting trámites to open a business: 23.5%.
5. When people were submitting trámites to the Federal Attorney General’s Office or a State Attorney General’s Office: 22.3%

Of the five most common situations in which acts of corruption occurred last year, the only one whose incidence declined compared to 2023 was No. 4.

Which institutions are seen as most and least corrupt? 

ENCIG respondents were also asked their opinions about the frequency with which various institutions engage in corruption.

Police forces are seen as the most corrupt institution. (Note: The survey didn’t differentiate between municipal police forces and state police forces.)

Almost nine in 10 respondents — 86.5% — believe that police engage in corruption “very frequently” or “frequently.”

According to survey respondents, the next most corrupt institutions are:

• Political parties: 83.9% of respondents believe they engage in corruption “very frequently” or “frequently.”
• Prosecutor’s Offices: 75.3%
• State governments: 74.1%
• Houses of Congress: 73%.

According to survey respondents, the least corrupt institutions in Mexico are:

• Public schools: 31.8% of respondents believe they engage in corruption “very frequently” or “frequently.”
• Public autonomous organizations: 36.9%
• Civil society organizations: 41.2%
• Religious institutions: 43%
• The Army and Navy: 46.1%

INEGI also asked respondents their opinions about the frequency with which families, neighbors and work colleagues engage in corruption. The results were as follows:

• Families: 18.7% of respondents believe they engage in corruption “very frequently” or “frequently.”
• Neighbors: 19.1%
• Work colleagues: 21.8%