Mexico ‘discovers’ 1.4 million black Mexicans

Mexico ‘discovers’ 1.4 million black Mexicans—they just had to ask

For the first time in its history, Mexico’s census bureau has recognized the country’s black population in a national survey that found there are approximately 1.4 million citizens (1.2% of the population) who self-identify as “Afro-Mexican” or “Afro-descendant.”

The survey found that more women identify as black than men, by about 705,000 to 677,000. It also found that most Afro-Mexicans live in the states of Guerrero, Oaxaca and Veracruz, which is not entirely unsurprising given Mexico’s history.

Miguel Cervera, director general of sociodemographic statistics for the country’s census bureau (known as INEGI), told Fusion the 2015 survey is a preliminary effort to register demographic changes in preparation for the 2020 national census. He says Afro-Mexicans have always been included in past surveys, but were never given the option to identify themselves as such.

But times are changing, and thinking has evolved since Mexico conducted its last national census in 2010. Government agencies and civil rights groups have pressed for the inclusion of Afro-Mexicans in official stats, leading the census bureau to add the following question in their 2015 survey: