El Economista – Mexico City
Work stress affects 62% of people in Mexico, a level that positions the country as the third economy with the most burnout, only behind Turkey (68%) and Italy (63%) and surpassing Asian nations, such as China, Japan or Thailand.
These are the findings of the 2026 Mental Health Report of Axa. In the last year, levels of moderate to severe work stress in Mexico increased five percentage points, this “confirms a growing trend that represents a challenge for organizations,” the insurer highlights in a statement.
Workers between 35 and 44 years old are the population with the most work stress in Mexico, 71% experience it, almost 10 percentage points higher than the average. Management roles (68%) also exceed the general figure.
Burnout has other implications. 82% report at least one negative impact on their daily life due to work stress: difficulty sleeping, physical ailments (headache), increased irritability, decreased productivity, procrastination or difficulty concentrating, stand out among the most common consequences.
The effects are not only reflected in daily life, but also in one of the indicators that most impact company operations: absenteeism. In the last year, 28% of people took medical leave for mental health, younger people tend to be absent more for this reason.
Despite this panorama, the conversation about mental health is far from being a reality in the workspace. Only 64% of people consider that they can talk about these topics in their professional context, and of that universe, a quarter prefers to talk with their colleagues, only 17% perceive that they can have a talk about mental health with leaders.
Of the 36% who are not willing to talk about mental health at work, the factors that most influence this lack of communication are the perception that it is a private matter, doubts about whether the employer can really help, concern that these conversations will affect career or job stability, and fear of being judged.
Mental health programs, with low presence
Although workers show a high willingness to participate in mental health programs, 95% of people in Mexico declare this, the highest proportion globally, only 41% of workers have these benefits.
However, the findings reflect that the challenge is not only to increase adoption, but to attack the factors that most influence burnout. Of the universe of employees who have a mental health program at work, 27% focus on employee support and wellness programs, such as yoga or meditation classes.
While these benefits are important, they do not solve the underlying problems. For example, among the work factors that most negatively impact mental health, financial instability and job insecurity is the one that affects the most, followed by uncertainty about the future and personal traumatic events.
