Mexico attracted 34,968 million dollars in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first half of 2026, the highest amount ever recorded for a January-June period, according to data from the Secretaría de Economía published on August 25 and reported by El Financiero. The flow grew 2.1 percent compared to the same period in 2025.
Behind the optimistic headline lies a nuance highlighted by El Financiero and BNamericas: most of the flow is not new investment. Reinvested earnings from companies already operating in Mexico totaled 30,957 million dollars, 88.5 percent of the total, while new investment contributed 2,726 million dollars, 7.8 percent, according to the National Foreign Investment Registry. The long-term trend reinforces this picture: between the first half of 2021 and the first half of 2026, FDI nearly doubled, growing 89.7 percent. The distinction matters because reinvesting earnings consolidates existing operations, while new capital brings plants, jobs, and technology.
The United States remained the primary source of capital, with 16,871 million dollars, 48.2 percent of the total, followed by Spain (4,954 million) and Canada (1,741 million). By destination, Mexico City attracted 16,862 million dollars and Nuevo León 3,712 million. The manufacturing sector was the top recipient, with 13,482 million dollars (38.6 percent), driven by production of computer equipment and electronic components. New investment fell 13 percent compared to the first half of 2025, roughly 400 million dollars less, according to Fernando Iglesias Raggio of IPADE Business School. For Francisco Peña-Valdés of the Asociación de Empresarios Mexicanos en Estados Unidos, the record "should be recognized as a signal of permanence and confidence" from those already investing in Mexico.
Nearly half of the capital comes from U.S. companies, confirming how tightly the Mexican economy is bound to corporate decisions on the other side of the border. For strategist Marco Oviedo of XP Investments, investment flows will gain greater momentum once the USMCA review is resolved.
This article was written with artificial intelligence assistance from verified sources and reviewed by a human editor before publication.