Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 2, 2026
Who holds the health record in Mexico?
In 2026, Mexico scores 42 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 89th of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 63rd to 110th allowing for scoring error, in the Weak band (25 to 44). Who holds the keys: doctors, hospitals and insurers. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 2, 2026.
Doctors, hospitals and insurers decide. Its strongest right, compared with the typical country, is getting your full record (55 out of 100, against 40 to 45 for the typical country). The furthest behind is privacy and security (40 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country).
Mexican law gives patients a free copy of their data, but records stay inside each institution until cross-institution sharing, decreed in April 2026, begins.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 2, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Weak band, 25 to 44
42/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 63rd to 110th, allowing for scoring error
In 2026, getting your full record scores 55 out of 100 in Mexico; the typical country scores 40 to 45. Both data laws make access free with a 20-day answer deadline, and the IMSS app shows 36 months of visits, prescriptions and labs. Score: base 45, +5 free with a deadline, +5 official portal; only 493,144 of 54 million eligible had enrolled by October 2025. Source: Camara de Diputados, texto vigente, March 20, 2025, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in Mexico?
In 2026, doctors, hospitals and insurers hold the keys to your health record in Mexico. Control over who sees it scores 35 out of 100 in Mexico; the typical country scores 30. Mexico's public-sector law lets providers use health data for care without consent, and the private-sector law lets them share it for treatment without consent. Source: sidof.segob.gob.mx, April 17, 2026, and the other sources below.
How does Mexico compare?
In 2026, Mexico scores 42 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with Colombia (43 out of 100), Ecuador (43 out of 100) and Panama (44 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with Colombia, Ecuador, Panama and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
55
45 · 50 · 50
Control over who sees it20%
35
27 · 30 · 32
Privacy and security15%
40
50 · 45 · 48
One record across your care15%
38
50 · 40 · 45
Protection from sale and ads10%
45
50 · 52 · 52
Doctors see it when treating you10%
35
50 · 40 · 45
Your say over research use5%
50
45 · 49 · 49
Rules for AI in your care5%
38
35 · 45 · 35
Black dot: Mexico. Hollow dots: Colombia, Ecuador, Panama (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Overall: Mexico 42 out of 100. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would Mexico need to change to score higher?
Mexico sits in Weak (25 to 44); Mixed starts at 45. Its weakest right, compared with the typical country, is privacy and security (40 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country). Every other right is at or above the typical country; the one with the most room to grow, weighted, is control over who sees it (35 out of 100, against 30 for the typical country). Our scoring rules give more points for:
Privacy and security: A health data regulator that is independent and actually acts: it decides cases about health records, breaches must be reported, and fines are applied.
Control over who sees it: A way to say no to sharing (or to be asked first), a log you can read of who opened your record, and finer choices about who sees what. Together these put this right at 60 to 80 out of 100.
Which laws give health record rights in Mexico?
Ley General de Proteccion de Datos Personales en Posesion de Sujetos Obligados (2025): Public bodies: health data sensitive, free access in 20 days, care exempt from consent; INAI replaced by a ministry.
Ley Federal de Proteccion de Datos Personales en Posesion de los Particulares (2025): Private sector: express written consent for health data, fines can double and prison for sensitive data misuse.
Ley General de Salud (reforma de salud digital) (2026): Adds digital health and telehealth chapter; research needs written informed consent; record interoperability rules.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
Doctors per 10,000
27.5 2023 · 32nd highest of 38 OECD countries
Nurses and midwives per 10,000
30.5 2023 · 37th highest of 38 OECD countries
Private insurance + out-of-pocket
49.1% 2023 · 1st highest of 35 OECD countries
Record reaches private care?
no
"ISSSTE, IMSS-Bienestar, state services and private providers keep separate records."
Real cases
January 27, 2025 · Instituto Nacional de Transparencia, Acceso a la Información y Protección de Datos Personales (INAI/013/2025) Public insurer answered late and incompletely when a patient asked for scans
October 3, 2024 · Instituto Nacional de Transparencia, Acceso a la Información y Protección de Datos Personales (INAI/142/2024) · archived copy Asked for a late father's record, a person was given someone else's
In 2026, Mexico scored 42 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 89th of 198 countries and territories (could be 63rd to 110th), in the Weak band. Who holds the keys: doctors, hospitals and insurers. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 2, 2026, https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/mexico/
The 15 sources for Mexico
Each source appears once, under the first right it supports. Titles are shown as our research agents recorded them, usually in the page's own language; text in square brackets is our machine translation. Links were checked on the date shown.
Getting your full record (4 sources)
“Ley General de Proteccion de Datos Personales en Posesion de Sujetos Obligados” [General Law on the Protection of Personal Data Held by Obligated Parties] our machine translation
Camara de Diputados, texto vigente [Chamber of Deputies, current text] (law or regulation) · Title in Spanish
Dated March 20, 2025 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Getting your full record; Control over who sees it; Privacy and security; Doctors see it when treating you; Your say over research use
“Ley Federal de Proteccion de Datos Personales en Posesion de los Particulares” [Federal Law on the Protection of Personal Data Held by Private Parties] our machine translation
Camara de Diputados, texto vigente [Chamber of Deputies, current text] (law or regulation) · Title in Spanish
Dated March 20, 2025 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Getting your full record; Control over who sees it; Privacy and security; Protection from sale and ads
“Decreto por el que se crea el Servicio Universal de Salud (DOF, 17 abril 2026)” [Decree creating the Universal Health Service (DOF, 17 April 2026)] our machine translation
sidof.segob.gob.mx (law or regulation) · Title in Spanish
Dated April 17, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Control over who sees it; One record across your care; Doctors see it when treating you
“NOM-024-SSA3-2012, Sistemas de informacion de registro electronico para la salud” [NOM-024-SSA3-2012, Electronic health record information systems] our machine translation
DOF (law or regulation) · Title in Spanish
Dated November 30, 2012 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Control over who sees it; One record across your care
“Ciberataque a SAT, IMSS y Morena expone datos de 36 millones” [Cyberattack on SAT, IMSS and Morena exposes data of 36 million] our machine translation
El Universal via Yahoo (news) · Title in Spanish
Dated February 10, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“Ley General de Salud, texto vigente con reforma de salud digital del 15 enero 2026” [General Health Law, current text with the digital health reform of 15 January 2026] our machine translation
Camara de Diputados [Chamber of Deputies] (law or regulation) · Title in Spanish
Dated January 15, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: One record across your care; Your say over research use
“Salud e IMSS firman convenio para la interoperabilidad del expediente clinico electronico” [Health Ministry and IMSS sign agreement for the interoperability of the electronic clinical record] our machine translation
ConsultorSalud (news) · Title in Spanish
Dated August 10, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: One record across your care; Doctors see it when treating you
“El IMSS planea IA en su expediente clinico e interoperabilidad con ISSSTE e IMSS-Bienestar para 2027” [IMSS plans AI in its clinical record and interoperability with ISSSTE and IMSS-Bienestar for 2027] our machine translation
El Imparcial (news) · Title in Spanish
Dated June 4, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Doctors see it when treating you; Rules for AI in your care
“Reglamento de la Ley General de Salud en Materia de Investigacion para la Salud” [Regulation of the General Health Law on Health Research] our machine translation
Camara de Diputados [Chamber of Deputies] (law or regulation) · Title in Spanish
Dated April 2, 2014 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
“COFEPRIS: Guia para la obtencion del Registro Sanitario de Dispositivos Medicos” [COFEPRIS: Guide to obtaining the Sanitary Registration of Medical Devices] our machine translation
gob.mx (regulator) · Title in Spanish
Dated December 12, 2023 · Link checked October 3, 2026 (opened)
“Mexico regula la inteligencia artificial por sectores mientras aplaza la ley general” [Mexico regulates artificial intelligence by sector while postponing the general law] our machine translation
El Economista (news) · Title in Spanish
Dated July 23, 2026 · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
SuperTruth Inc. · 24 S. 24th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA · +1 215 918 4140 · supertruth.ai Something wrong? Tell us · Questions or a briefing: supertruth.ai/on-the-record#contact · Full index: healthrecordrights.com
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (38 mostly high-income countries). DTI™: the Data Trust Index, which grades the evidence behind each score. SuperTruth makes it and publishes this index. Everything here comes from public information: laws, government and regulator pages, court decisions, published news, WHO, OECD and World Bank data. Full sources: https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/mexico/#sources. SuperTruth built this index and sells health data verification products; no one paid to be included. Research tool, not legal advice. Our scores and our own words are CC BY 4.0; quoted law and source titles stay with their owners.
