Key Border Indicators

U.S.-Mexico Border Region by the Numbers

frontera

Understanding the evolving economic, social and environmental landscape is essential to achieving our mission of financing sustainable infrastructure. Critical indicators related to demographics, economic growth and bilateral trade help guide our investments in a wide array of infrastructure sectors, such as water, energy and transportation.

Leveraging data-driven decision-making ensures that our financing addresses regional challenges effectively and supports the long-term resilience and prosperity of border communities.

Border Region Overview

Our Geographic Jurisdiction:

United States: Within 100 km (about 62 miles) north of the international boundary in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

Mexico: Within 300 km (about 186 miles) south of the border in Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora and Baja California.

Our jurisdiction spans 41 counties in the U.S. and 224 municipalities in Mexico, which together are home to approximately 26 million people.

panorama

NADBank Jurisdictional Area (Population 2020)

Área jurisdiccional

Source: Developed by NADBank with population data from the U.S. Census Bureau (2020) and the Mexican 2020 census (INEGI,2020)

Border data

Demographics

26
millon

MX border,
19,295,177

U.S. border
7,129,653

The U.S.-Mexico border is one of the most dynamic regions in the world with more than 26 million people living and working in urban centers, binational metropolitan areas and rural communities within the NADBank jurisdiction. Approximately 7.1 million are living on the U.S. side of the border and 19.3 million on the Mexico side.

U.S.-Mexico Border Population within in NADBank Jurisdiction (2020)

U.S. 7.1 million Counties
Arizona 1,098,874 6
California 3,433,549 3
New Mexico 208,247 5
Texas 2,388,983 27
See details
Mexico 19.3 million Municipalities
Baja California 3,764,221 6
Chihuahua 3,352,370 46
Coahuila 2,086,069 35
Nuevo Leon 5,745,773 50
Sonora 1,893,122 57
Tamaulipas 2,453,622 30
See details

A Dynamic Economy

The U.S.-Mexico border economy reached US$1.5 trillion in 2023 and continues to demonstrate a rapid pace of economic growth and recovery since 2020.

Real GDP (U.S.-MEX Border)
(Trillion USD; unless otherwise indicated)1

ndb-pagina-web-indicadores-frontera@2x

 

In 2023, the U.S. border—41 counties that are part of NADBank jurisdiction—accounted for 57% of the real GDP of the region, driven by the size of San Diego County, CA and Maricopa County, AZ.

Real GDP U.S.-Mexico Border, 20232

1.5
trillion
USD (2023)

57%
U.S. Border

43%
MEX Border

Real GDP U.S.-Mexico Border by state, 20233

Real GDP (million USD)
U.S.
AZ
CA
NM
TX
U.S. border
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
307,095
325,927
12,303
94,430
739,755
320,739
335,810
12,614
99,645
768,809
325,584
331,502
12,301
96,614
766,001
352,439
353,892
13,045
101,124
820,500
367,495
364,591
13,292
101,533
846,911
378,216
371,020
13,716
110,263
873,215
Real GDP (million MXN)
MEX
BC
CH
CO
NL
SO
TA
MEX border
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
878,817
853,323
966,055
1,909,026
782,098
732,094
6,121,412
893,946
866,861
953,384
1,918,825
783,103
752,814
6,168,934
839,693
808,711
843,598
1,743,166
731,238
691,400
5,657,805
896,314
846,064
921,587
1,865,875
760,930
725,030
6,015,799
919,233
911,306
935,813
1,928,649
790,058
748,690
6,233,748
951,066
940,263
929,625
1,995,055
827,424
748,220
6,391,653

In recent years, the U.S. border region has been growing at a faster rate than the nation, reflecting a rapidly expanding and resilient economy.

REAL GDP GROWTH (ANNUAL PERCENT CHANGE)4

grafica-estados-unidos-crecimiento-pib
grafica-mexico-crecimiento-pib

Economic growth in the border has shown uneven patterns in recent years with some counties or states outpacing the border average due to sectoral strengths, investment dynamism, and population expansion. 5

real-gpd-growth-vs-border-average

1 Source: NADBank calculations based on data from U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, INEGI and World Bank. Note: Data for U.S. border refers to the real GDP of the 41 counties within the NADBank jurisdiction. Data for Mexico refers to the real GDP at the state level for the six border states, converted to USD using purchasing power parity (PPP) conversion factors.

2 Source: NADBank calculations based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, INEGI and World Bank. Note: Data for U.S. border refers to the real GDP of the 41 counties within the NADBank jurisdiction. Data for Mexico refers to the real GDP at the state level for the six border states, converted to USD using purchasing power parity (PPP) conversion factors.

3 Source: NADBank calculations based on data from U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, INEGI and Federal Reserve Economic Data. Note: Data for U.S. border refers to the real GDP of the 41 counties within the NADBank jurisdiction. Data for Mexico border refers to the real GDP at the state level for the six border states.

4Source: NADBank calculations based on local currency values; U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, INEGI. Note: Data for U.S. border refers to the real GDP of the 41 counties within the NADBank jurisdiction. Data for Mexico border refers to the real GDP at the state level for the six border states. Growth rates are calculated using local currency values. .

5 Source: NADBank calculations based on data from U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, INEGI and World Bank. Note: Data for U.S. border refers to the real GDP of the 41 counties within NADBank jurisdiction. Data for Mexico refers to the real GDP at the state level for the six border states, converted to USD using purchasing power parity conversion factors.

Cross-Border Trade

Bilateral trade between the U.S. and Mexico reached an estimated US$840 billion in 2024, creating millions of jobs in both countries, which are supporting commercial trade, boosting local economies, strengthening supply chain resilience and advancing regional development.

$839,892
millons USD

Exports to MX
$334,041

Imports from MX
$505,581

Source: Developed by NADBank with data from: the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Trade of Goods (2024)

In 2024, approximately US$1.6 million in goods crossed the U.S.-Mexico border every minute through vital land ports that enable social, economic and logistical integration between the two countries.

U.S.-Mexico Ports of Entry

Around 8 million cargo trucks moving goods for supply value chains and to meet end-customer needs in the U.S. and Mexico crossed the border in 2024.

Aside from cargo to boost international trade, the movement of people and personal vehicles between the two countries reflects the deep economic, social and cultural ties in the border region, with about 77 million personal vehicles and 41 million people crossing the border in 2024.

Image description: Cross-border mobility continues to evolve, with legitimate trade and travel showing significant long-term growth since 1996.

puertos-entrada
transporte-carga

Border Crossings by Type in 2024

trucks

Trucks

7,617,207

+134%

Var. % 96´ vs 24´

pedestrians

Pedestrians

40,769,064

+20%

Var. % 96´ vs 24´

Personal Veh.

Personal Veh. Passengers

138,370,646

-19%

Var. % 96´ vs 24´

Personal Vehicles

Personal Vehicles

76,884,566

+23%

Var. % 96´ vs 24´

Source: Developed by NADBank with data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)

Laredo, TX—the largest international port in the United States—facilitated the crossing of US$331 billion in total trade last year (40% of total trade).