Nuevo León captures 12% of Mexico's investment pledges in first half of 2026
Nuevo León has secured the top position among Mexican states for investment commitments in 2026, accumulating $5.58 billion of the $46.96 billion in total pledges recorded through June by Mexico's Finance Ministry. This represents 12% of all investment announcements nationwide during the first half of the year.
The state's performance comes as Mexico jumped from 25th to 19th place in Kearney's 2026 Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index, marking one of the largest gains globally. The country attracted a record $23.591 billion in actual foreign direct investment during the first quarter alone, representing a 10.4% increase compared to the same period in 2025.
Economy Minister Betsabé Rocha Nieto attributed Nuevo León's success to the confidence national and international companies place in the state as a primary destination for productive projects. The announced investments are expected to generate 6,120 new jobs across advanced manufacturing, electromobility, technology, logistics, energy and innovation sectors.
Manufacturing powerhouse status
Nuevo León's dominance in attracting investment reflects its position as Mexico's top manufacturing hub, with the sector representing approximately 42% of state GDP. Between January and May 2026, the state generated 19,966 new manufacturing jobs, accounting for nearly 30% of all manufacturing employment created nationwide and bringing total formal manufacturing workers to a record 675,000.
The automotive sector remains particularly strong, with the state hosting more than 860 automotive companies including five OEM plants, 291 Tier 1-3 facilities, and over 500 specialized suppliers. These operations generate more than 110,000 direct jobs. Manufacturing salaries in Nuevo León average 15% higher than the national benchmark.
Major automotive investments contributing to the state's totals include Volvo Group's $1 billion heavy truck manufacturing plant in Ciénega de Flores, set to open in 2026 as the company's largest truck facility globally. The industrial sector is projected to grow 4% this year and create up to 27,000 jobs, according to CAINTRA, the chamber of industrial transformation.
National investment landscape
Following Nuevo León in investment expectations are Chihuahua, Sinaloa, Hidalgo and México state. Manufacturing remained the primary recipient of announced investments during the first six months, with pharmaceutical companies including Laboratorios Kener, Liomont, Bayer and Grupo Neolpharma among leading investors.
Investment expectations in the automotive sector surpassed $2 billion, heavily focused on electromobility, supply chain integration and regional production. In June, e-commerce and financial services platform Mercado Libre announced a $4.6 billion investment focusing on logistics, development and technological innovation. The commitment will create 8,500 new jobs and bring the company's cumulative investment in Mexico since 2020 to over $14 billion, with the workforce expected to exceed 42,000 employees by year-end.
Infrastructure investments included $800 million from Vinci Airports to modernize and expand the airport network managed by Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte. Spanish energy company Naturgy announced plans to invest more than €300 million (approximately $325 million) through 2030 to expand Nuevo León's natural gas distribution network, which currently spans over 11,000 kilometers.
Rocha Nieto emphasized that the results reflect joint efforts by state and federal governments, the business sector and universities.
Every new project represents more opportunities for development, quality jobs and heightened welfare for Nuevo León families.
Mexico's Infrastructure Investment Plan for Development 2026-2030 envisions total investments of 5.6 trillion pesos ($325.8 billion), with more than half directed toward the energy sector to add 7,500 megawatts of new generation capacity by 2030, primarily through renewable sources.
