Abstract

Mexico has the highest number of Indigenous Peoples in the American hemisphere:23.2 million, according to the 2020 census. Yet, Mexico faces significant challenges in the production of official statistics concerning the identification and enumeration of Indigenous populations.
This paper presents an analysis of the statistical visibility of Indigenous populations and the methodologies employed in census enumeration in Mexico. The paper, in particular, proposes a different approach to the production of statistics on Indigenous people, one that involves these population groups directly in the survey process, conducts surveys in Indigenous languages, and incorporates questions on self-perception, including identification with the Indigenous group to which they belong.
Following the 2020 Census conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) in five Mexican states, an analysis was undertaken using quantitative, descriptive, and
comparative methodologies with attention to gender, human rights, and intercultural perspectives.
The results demonstrate that Indigenous populations in Mexico are disadvantaged in many aspects. These populations experience greater poverty and food insecurity, lower income, reduced access to health services, education, and water, more precarious housing conditions, and higher rates of child mortality.
The most disadvantaged group consists of Indigenous language speakers(ILS), followed by those belonging to or identifying as Indigenous (BIP), compared with the total population.
Moreover, substantial disparities among Indigenous language speakers were identified for women and children, and also between states.

National data from Mexico are presented, with specific analyses of characteristics from official statistics and census measures of identification, focusing on people who consider themselves Indigenous (BIP) and Indigenous language speakers(ILS), limited to the five states with the
largest Indigenous Peoples who consider themselves as such.
These States are Oaxaca, the State of Mexico, Veracruz, Puebla, and Chiapas. Disparities between States were found. To avoid confusion, the country is referred to as Mexico, and the state within the country is called the State of Mexico.
The manifestations of poverty in Mexico are predominantly Indigenous. The data were analyzed to determine whether indicators of disadvantage aligned with particular populations, regions, or languages. Both BIP and ILS populations were found to be significantly disadvantaged across multiple dimensions compared to the total population of the five Mexican states. Data for Indigenous populations reveal restricted access to healthcare and education, lower occupational income, food shortages or insecurity, limited access to water, and precarious housing conditions compared with the rest of the population, alongside minimal or absent social security and inadequate healthcare. Generally, Indigenous Peoples do not experience the same rights as the total population.
Regarding children, beyond restricted access to the rights mentioned above, educational patterns show that while they attend basic education in substantial numbers, the absence of schools in their communities and insufficient resources to pursue education elsewhere compel many to discontinue their studies, even when they wish to continue. These children also experience food insecurity, poverty, and, in some cases, their labor contributions are required for subsistence agriculture and family duties.