Mexico
Leading cause: Heart Disease · 54% plant-based · 75.3 yr life expectancy · UHC 79/100
What People Eat
Traditional Mexican bean-and-corn diet is one of the most complete plant proteins. Nicoya Blue Zone within the country demonstrates the longevity payoff.
Disease Burden
Leading cause of death: Heart Disease · 109 / 100k
Bars show each rate against the global range; the tick marks the world median.
Mexico's standout figure is its extraordinary diabetes mortality (60/100k), among the highest in the world, alongside high kidney disease and heart disease (109/100k). The traditional bean-and-corn diet is highly protective (the Nicoya Blue Zone lies within Mexico's region), but the world's heaviest sugary-drink consumption has driven a metabolic-disease epidemic.
Healthcare System
Sources: WHO UHC Service Coverage Index (SDG 3.8.1) & WHO Global Health Expenditure Database. Latest available year.
What Could Improve
- Cut sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods, the overwhelming driver of the world-leading diabetes and kidney-disease burden.
- Return to the traditional bean-and-corn diet, one of the most complete plant-protein patterns.
- Expand diabetes screening and primary care to catch the metabolic crisis earlier.
Explore the evidence: Heart Disease
Longo & Anderson, Science · 2022 · Diet & Longevity Review
→ Traditional diet: top-2 longevity food pattern