The high levels of insecurity and corruption in Baja California have led the state to occupy middle positions at the national level in terms of competitiveness.

A study produced by the Mexican Institute of Competitiveness called the State Competitiveness Index says the state of Baja California occupied in this 2022 the 13th place of the 32 states, for which it did not register any change compared to the previous report.

The Institute indicated that Baja California ranked 25th in the Reliable and Objective Law System sub-index due to the high numbers of homicides, vehicle theft cases, and criminal incidence, as well as the number of notaries public for every 100,000 inhabitants.

The report adds that in Baja California 26.6 crimes are committed per thousand inhabitants, which have a cost of 2,744 pesos or over $135 each.

Within the Stable and Functional Political System sub-index, Baja California occupies the penultimate place due to the fact that barely one in ten residents consults public finance information online, in addition to the difference between the two candidates with the highest number of votes in the recent gubernatorial election.

Within this category, Baja California is also among the first places for the number of attacks against journalists with a total of 44.

Likewise, the state stands out for the high percentage of residents who perceive corruption in Baja California, with 88 percent, the same as in political parties with 86 percent.

Baja California is in 15th place in Sustainable Management of the Environment, in 18th in Efficient and Effective Governments, in 16th in Innovation of Economic Sectors and in the same place in Efficient Factors Market.

However, within these three sub-indices, the state ranks poorly due to the energy intensity of the economy, regulatory improvement, interaction with the government by electronic means, small number of research centers, reduced number of patents, and its low percentage of job training.

In addition, the state stands out in wage inequality among workers despite the fact that the average income of full-time employees is 10,591 pesos or over $500 per month.

In contrast, Baja California stands out positively in the Inclusive, Prepared and Healthy Society sub-index for the population’s schooling, educational coverage, life expectancy and access to health institutions.

However, the low 39 percent of economically active women leaves Baja California in 20th place.

Other challenges within this index are represented by issues such as low academic performance, infant mortality, the number of hospital beds and the number of medical personnel with specialties.

Baja California is in the last national place in terms of medical and nursing personnel, since it registers 2.3 workers in this sector in contacts per thousand inhabitants.

The state governed by Morenista Marina del Pilar is among the first places only in the sub-index of Exploitation of International Relations, thanks mainly to the export of manufactured merchandise, as well as in the Stable Economy, due to the percentage of the Gross Domestic Product in High Growth Sectors and GDP growth in the state.

According to the report, the Gross Domestic Product per person in the state amounts to 220,000 pesos or more than $1,100.

Within this category, Baja California registers important challenges such as its low percentage of the flow of international air passengers, the high percentage of state debt, the average cost of debt and the low percentage of employed people with incomes higher than the state average.

The Institute explained that the index is made up of 72 indicators, classified into 10 sub-indices based on which the states are classified into six levels of competitiveness.

Mexico City ranks first, while the State of Guerrero ranks as the least competitive entity in the country.

In the 2022 edition, the report establishes that 10 states improved, 11 regressed and another 11 remained in the same place.

“The most competitive entities attract more talent and investment and offer better working conditions,” the report details.

“While in the north work provides families with higher incomes and they have, on average, more access to health, the opposite happens in the south,” adds the Institute.

To solve these problems, the Institute proposes to identify the roots of labor informality, adopt practices to attract female talent, reform the Social Security system to reduce costs for companies and generate a business environment with favorable conditions for investment in the both national and international country