Mexico’s Transport and Logistics Sector Expands in 2024: INEGI

Mexico’s transport, courier, and storage sector closed 2024 with moderate but broad-based growth in employment and revenues, reflecting a sector increasingly supported by freight demand, logistics expansion, and higher-value transport services, according to the Annual Transport Survey (EAT) released by INEGI.

The survey, which provides definitive data for 2023 and preliminary figures for 2024, shows uneven performance across subsectors but confirms that freight transport, railways, storage, and specialized trucking were among the strongest drivers of growth.

In 2024, total employment across transport, courier, and storage activities increased 6.4% year-on-year, with notable gains concentrated in freight-related segments. Rail transport employment expanded 15.2%, while general cargo trucking grew 14.7% and specialized cargo trucking rose 19.4%, reflecting stronger demand for industrial and logistics services.

Storage services recorded one of the most significant rebounds, with employment surging 34.1%, following a contraction in 2023. Courier and parcel services also posted a solid 10.0% increase, underscoring the continued relevance of e-commerce and last-mile distribution.

In contrast, intermediation services for freight transport declined 17.1%, signaling structural adjustments in brokerage and coordination models across the logistics value chain.

Persistent Gender Gaps, with Some Exceptions 

INEGI’s data highlights a strong male predominance across all 14 transport subsectors, most pronounced in rail transport, where men represented 93.6% of the workforce. However, women showed a comparatively higher presence in regular air transport (42.3%) and freight transport intermediation services (37.0%).

Despite this participation, men continued to receive higher overall remuneration across all sectors. Exceptions were again found in regular air transport, where women accounted for 42.5% of total remuneration, and in freight transport intermediation, where women represented 37.3%, suggesting better wage parity in more specialized or service-oriented roles.

Revenues Rise Across Most Transport Activities

Revenues increased in 12 of the 14 transport subsectors during 2024. The strongest performance came from specialized cargo trucking, where revenues jumped 38.8%, followed by general cargo trucking at 25.2%, reflecting higher freight volumes and increased value-added services.

Rail transport revenues grew 10.7%, while regular air transport posted a moderate 16.8% increase, signaling recovery but at a more measured pace. Services linked to road, air, and maritime transport also recorded double-digit growth, reinforcing the role of ancillary logistics services in overall sector performance.

Conversely, freight transport intermediation revenues fell 2.2%, and storage services declined 4.5%, suggesting margin pressures and ongoing consolidation in these segments.