ITESO: Informality, the Unexpected Driver of National GDP

Mexico closed 2025 with an economic paradox that is beginning to redefine the understanding of national growth: the economy advanced, but a significant portion of the momentum did not come from the formal productive apparatus.

According to the Economic Analysis Bulletin from the ITESO School of Business —based on measurements from INEGI’s National Accounts System— the Gross Value Added (GVA) of the informal economy grew 2.3% annually, while national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased by only 0.7%. This disparity implies that, although the

represents approximately a quarter of the country’s aggregate activity, it accounted for about 80% of the economic growth observed during the year. This data opens a deeper discussion: Mexico maintains economic expansion, but with a growing contribution from activities outside the institutional framework. Learn more.

Economic Growth Loses Speed and Informality Gains Weight in Mexico

The report shows that economic performance in 2025 was uneven.

National Comparison:

Indicator	2025 Annual Growth
Total GDP	0.7%
Informal Economy (GVA)	2.3%
Informal Primary Activities	3.7%
Informal Secondary Activities	2.5%
Informal Tertiary Activities	2.2%

The performance of secondary activities is particularly relevant. While the formal component of industrial sectors faced pressure, informality associated with these activities maintained positive growth.

Informality is No Longer Just Micro-Business: It Also Exists Within Formal Companies

One of the document’s most relevant methodological findings is how INEGI distinguishes between two broad components:

Informal Sector: Economically unestablished units.
Other Modalities of Informality: Employment without social security within formal companies, agricultural activities, and paid domestic work.

Informality can no longer be understood solely as self-employment or street vending; it also appears within structured production chains.

Sectoral Breakdown:

Activity	Informal Economy	Informal Sector	Other Forms	Total
Primaries	3.7%	NA	3.7%
Secondaries	2.5%	5.2%	-4.0%
Terciaries	2.2%	1.4%	3.1%	2.3%

Jalisco Ranks Among Economies with the Highest Relative Weight of Informality

In terms of participation in national informal Gross Value Added, Jalisco was among the entities with the highest contribution.

National Ranking:

Entity	Participation
State of Mexico	11.4%
Mexico City	10.2%
Jalisco	7.5%
Nuevo León	5.9%
Veracruz	5.3%

This does not necessarily mean that Jalisco is one of the most informal entities in proportion to its economy, but rather that it has a significant absolute weight within the country’s informal economic volume.

The entry

first appears on Líder Empresarial.