Mexico Cites Fuel Sales Recovery as Evidence of Lower Theft

President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that PEMEX’s rising fuel sales reflect progress in reducing illegal fuel imports and tax-related smuggling, adding new data that shows a gradual recovery in gasoline and diesel demand following years of volatility. Speaking at her morning press conference, Sheinbaum rejected the idea that PEMEX operations are at risk despite the company’s recent disclosure to the US Securities and Exchange Commission that fuel theft remains a material concern. She said the report reflects standard regulatory requirements, not operational deterioration.

Sheinbaum said pipeline tapping has declined significantly and that tax-evasion schemes involving undeclared fuel imports have also been reduced. She attributed these results to the coordinated work of the Ministry of Energy, PEMEX, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Economy. According to the president, the clearest evidence is rising legal sales of fuels across the market.

Company data shows that domestic gasoline sales fell sharply from 2018 through early 2020, dropping from 759Mb/d in April 2018 to 447Mb/d in April 2020, coinciding with the onset of the pandemic. Gasoline sales only exceeded 600Mb/d three times between April 2020 and February 2022. A recovery began in March 2022, though sales surpassed 700Mb/d in only four months from then through October 2025.

In October 2025, domestic gasoline sales reached 690Mb/d, up about 13% from 610Mb/d in January 2025. The highest level recorded this year was in April, when gasoline sales reached 702Mb/d.

Diesel sales followed a similar trajectory. From levels above 300Mb/d between 2018 and early 2020, consumption fell during the pandemic and recovered beginning in March 2022. Since then, diesel sales have occasionally exceeded the 300Mb/d threshold. In 2025, diesel demand rose from 229Mb/d in January to 291Mb/d in October, an increase of roughly 27%.

Sheinbaum said increases in these volumes indicate a reduction in illegal fuel supply to service stations. She emphasized that both PEMEX and private importers have reported higher legal sales, which she described as the most reliable indicator that tax-evasion schemes are being contained. “If legal fuel sales are up, it means illegal supply is going down,” she said.

The president added that PEMEX’s financial position is improving under a debt-support mechanism designed by the Finance Ministry and the federal government. She said the structure has been well received by credit rating agencies, which recently issued more favorable assessments of PEMEX’s outlook.

According to the administration, the strategy aims to eliminate illicit fuel activities entirely, though some incidents still occur. For now, Sheinbaum said the trend is positive. “PEMEX is doing well. We are moving in the right direction,” she said.