It’s official: Mexico City’s traffic is the worst in the world

As World Car-Free Day approaches (Sept. 22), Mexico City residents have more reason than most to consider alternative modes of transportation, after the capital has again been named the most congested city in the world. 

According to the annual Traffic Index by navigation-device maker TomTom, Mexico City recorded an average congestion level of 75.9% in 2025. Even though the indicator fell by 3.6 percentage points compared to 2024, the city occupies the top overall position, dethroning Barranquilla, Colombia, which had in turn dethroned Mexico City for the top spot in the previous edition. 

The seven most congested cities in the world

In this edition, Mexico City was closely followed by Bengaluru, India, which recorded an average congestion level of 74.4%, and Dublin, Ireland, at 72.9%.

The ranking is compiled using anonymous GPS data from up to one in three vehicles on the road from cities around the world, showing vehicle movement—or the lack thereof. TomTom then calculates a congestion level based on how much slower traffic is moving compared to when the roads are clear.

In Mexico City, the company estimated that traveling 10 kilometers took an average of 34 minutes and 29 seconds in 2025 — 58 seconds longer than the previous year. Overall, then, Mexico City drivers can expect to cover on average approximately 4.4 kilometers in a 15-minute span.

During peak hours, however, the average speed is reduced to 13.5 kilometers per hour.

The time cost for drivers was significant. TomTom calculated that each motorist lost 184 hours to congestion during peak periods over the course of a year, equivalent to a total of seven days and 16 hours. 

Although the yearly lost-time figure was one hour and 16 minutes lower than that recorded in 2024, it reflects the persistence of traffic jams as one of the metropolitan area’s major daily mobility challenges.

The index also revealed that Wednesday, May 28, was the most congested day in 2025, with an average congestion level of 117%. On that day, the indicator peaked at 167% at 3:00 p.m., according to the report.

Mexico City’s traffic congestion is not an isolated phenomenon. TomTom’s report showed that major cities across the world experienced increased travel times, including London, Barcelona and Athens.

Overall, TomTom’s findings revealed that congestion worsened globally in 2025 compared to 2024, with congestion levels and travel times per kilometer increasing in the majority of the nearly 500 cities analyzed.

In Mexico, other cities that made the ranking included Guadalajara, Jalisco (No. 17), Monterrey, Nuevo León (No. 111), Tijuana, Baja California (No. 118), León, Guanajuato (No. 186), Ecatepec, Mexico state (No. 197), and Puebla (No. 211).