Mexico FDI ranking jumps in 2026 as nearshoring boosts investment

Mexico climbed from 25th to 19th spot successful Kearney’s 2026 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Confidence Index, marking 1 of the largest gains globally alongside Singapore, arsenic investors progressively people accumulation hubs person to extremity markets.

The leap reflects rising assurance successful Mexico’s relation arsenic a cardinal manufacturing and proviso concatenation spouse to the U.S., adjacent arsenic planetary superior flows go much selective amid tariffs, concern argumentation shifts and geopolitical risk.

The afloat study released connected Thursday shows investors are “recalibrating” toward markets that harvester maturation potential, geopolitical relevance and proviso concatenation resilience.

Mexico’s emergence successful the rankings comes arsenic companies proceed to displacement accumulation person to North America, driven by tariff uncertainty, proviso concatenation disruptions and “China+1” diversification strategies.

Kearney noted that some Mexico and Brazil posted notable gains, driven successful portion by reforms aimed astatine improving easiness of doing business. In Mexico’s case, a caller instrumentality aimed astatine reducing bureaucratic hurdles and streamlining authorities services has helped amended capitalist sentiment.

More broadly, investors are prioritizing technological and innovation capabilities, concern argumentation alignment — cited arsenic captious by 84% of executives, and proviso concatenation resilience and diversification.

At the aforesaid time, 88% of surveyed executives said they program to summation overseas nonstop concern implicit the adjacent 3 years, underscoring continued appetite for planetary enlargement contempt risks.

For freight markets, Mexico’s ascent reinforces its presumption arsenic a cardinal node successful North American manufacturing and cross-border logistics.

Rising capitalist assurance typically translates into:

• Increased concern operation and works expansions

• Higher cross-border motortruck and obstruction volumes

• Growing request for customs brokerage, warehousing and drayage capacity

Mexico’s No. 19 ranking places it firmly among emerging markets benefiting from proviso concatenation realignment, alongside countries similar Thailand and Malaysia that are besides gaining from diversification trends.

While nearshoring remains a cardinal driver, a abstracted study from Morgan Stanley argues that Mexico’s semipermanent concern outlook hinges progressively connected home economical reforms and backstage concern growth.

In a study released connected Tuesday, “Mexico’s Domestic Opportunity”  — the steadfast noted that Mexico’s export motor remains strong, with manufacturing exports to the U.S. rising by $150 cardinal since 2021 to scope $535 cardinal successful 2025.