Two out of every three persons in Chiapas lived under the poverty line in 2022, making it the federal entity with the largest share of poor population in Mexico. On average, about 36 percent of the Mexican population was living in poverty that year.

In 2022, approximately 4.7 percent of the Mexican population were living on less than 3.20 U.S. dollars per day, a considerable decrease in comparison to the previous year. Furthermore, unemployment rate in this Latin American country during this period was at 3.2 percent. Poverty is considerably higher in the South In 2022, the three states with the highest poverty rate in the Aztec country were Chiapas, Guerrero, and Oaxaca, all in the southern region. In contrast, the top eight federal entities with the lowest were all in the North. The clear division is further accentuated by the Northern Border Free Zone, which encompasses 43 municipalities in the Mexico-U.S. border with higher minimum wages and lower taxes. Poverty in states such as Chiapas reaches over 67 percent, which means two out of three residents are under the poverty line and almost one out of three under extreme poverty conditions.
A country troubled by inequality Poverty and inequality are no news in Mexico. In the most recent data, around 80 percent of the total wealth of the country was concentrated in the top 10 percent of the population. Moreover, the bottom 50 percent had a negative share, meaning that half of the Mexican population had more debts than assets. But inequality does not only encompass wealth distribution, but Mexico also has a problem regarding gender inequality. The government has failed to achieve many of its goals to reduce the gap between genders.

Actual value and historical data chart for Mexico Poverty Headcount Ratio At National Poverty Line Percent Of Population

The poverty rate in Mexico accounted for almost 36 percent of the country's population in 2022, a decrease of 7.6 percentage points when compared with the rate from 2020. The state of Mexico was the state with the highest number of people living in poverty in 2022.

Historical dataset showing Mexico poverty rate by year from 1984 to 2022.

Yearly (annual) dataset of the Mexico Poverty Rate, including historical data, latest releases, and long-term trends from 1984-12-31 to 2022-12-31. Available for free download in CSV format.

The working poverty rate in Mexico, which refers to the percentage of the population with labor income below the cost of the food basket, rose to **** percent in the fourth quarter of 2024. The share of the Mexican population at working poverty peaked in the third quarter of 2020, at ** percent.

Poverty rate at $3.2 a day of Mexico sank by 40.63% from 9.60 % in 2020 to 5.70 % in 2022. Since the 10.00% jump in 2008, poverty rate at $3.2 a day plummeted by 69.52% in 2022. Population below $3.1 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.1 a day at 2005 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Mexico Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data was reported at 22.500 % in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 24.700 % for 2020. Mexico Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 29.450 % from Dec 1989 (Median) to 2022, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 34.600 % in 1998 and a record low of 22.500 % in 2022. Mexico Poverty Headcount Ratio at Societal Poverty Lines: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2017 U.S. dollars and defined as max($2.15, $1.15 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $2.15. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.;World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are mostly from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see http://pip.worldbank.org.;;The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than 2000 household surveys across 169 countries. See the Poverty and Inequality Platform (PIP) for details (www.pip.worldbank.org).

Almost half of the Mexican population (45.8 percent) younger than 18 years old lived in poverty in 2022. The poverty rate among adults (aged 18 or older) was more than ten percentage points lower, standing at 32.5 percent. The poverty rate for both age groups presented a significant decreased when compared to 2020.

Women in Mexico were more likely to face poverty in 2022, as the share of the female population estimated to be in that situation stood at 36.9 percent, whereas among the male population it amounted to 35.6 percent. That year, the poverty rate in Mexico amounted to 36.3 percent.

Mexico MX: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data was reported at 43.600 % in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 46.200 % for 2014. Mexico MX: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 45.500 % from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 46.200 % in 2014 and a record low of 43.600 % in 2016. Mexico MX: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. National poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty lines. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.; ; World Bank, Global Poverty Working Group. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines.; ; This series only includes estimates that to the best of our knowledge are reasonably comparable over time for a country. Due to differences in estimation methodologies and poverty lines, estimates should not be compared across countries.

The number of people living in poverty in Mexico accounted for over 36 percent of the country's population in 2020. In that year, it was estimated that more than 46 million people in Mexico lived in a situation of poverty, a significant decrease of nearly nine millions when compared with 2020. During 2022, Chiapas was the state in Mexico with the highest poverty rate.

Mexico MX: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: Rural: % of Rural Population data was reported at 62.400 % in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 62.800 % for 2012. Mexico MX: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: Rural: % of Rural Population data is updated yearly, averaging 62.950 % from Dec 2008 (Median) to 2014, with 4 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 65.900 % in 2010 and a record low of 62.400 % in 2014. Mexico MX: Poverty Headcount Ratio at National Poverty Lines: Rural: % of Rural Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. Rural poverty headcount ratio is the percentage of the rural population living below the national poverty lines.; ; World Bank, Global Poverty Working Group. Data are compiled from official government sources or are computed by World Bank staff using national (i.e. country–specific) poverty lines.; ; This series only includes estimates that to the best of our knowledge are reasonably comparable over time for a country. Due to differences in estimation methodologies and poverty lines, estimates should not be compared across countries.

22.7 (%) in 2018. Poverty headcount ratio at $5.50 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

Mexico MX: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data was reported at 34.800 % in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 40.500 % for 2014. Mexico MX: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data is updated yearly, averaging 41.000 % from Dec 1984 (Median) to 2016, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 54.100 % in 1996 and a record low of 33.700 % in 2006. Mexico MX: Poverty Headcount Ratio at $5.50 a Day: 2011 PPP: % of Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.World Bank.WDI: Poverty. Poverty headcount ratio at $5.50 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $5.50 a day at 2011 international prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.; ; World Bank, Development Research Group. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income economies are from the Luxembourg Income Study database. For more information and methodology, please see PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/index.htm).; ; The World Bank’s internationally comparable poverty monitoring database now draws on income or detailed consumption data from more than one thousand six hundred household surveys across 164 countries in six regions and 25 other high income countries (industrialized economies). While income distribution data are published for all countries with data available, poverty data are published for low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia) only. The aggregated numbers for low- and middle-income countries correspond to the totals of 6 regions in PovcalNet, which include low- and middle-income countries and countries eligible to receive loans from the World Bank (such as Chile) and recently graduated countries (such as Estonia). See PovcalNet (http://iresearch.worldbank.org/PovcalNet/WhatIsNew.aspx) for definitions of geographical regions and industrialized countries.

Mexico Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: UNDP: % of total population data was reported at 4.100 % in 2021. Mexico Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: UNDP: % of total population data is updated yearly, averaging 4.100 % from Dec 2021 (Median) to 2021, with 1 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.100 % in 2021 and a record low of 4.100 % in 2021. Mexico Multidimensional Poverty Headcount Ratio: UNDP: % of total population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.World Bank.WDI: Social: Poverty and Inequality. The multidimensional poverty headcount ratio (UNDP) is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to UNDPs multidimensional poverty index. The index includes three dimensions -- health, education, and living standards.;Alkire, S., Kanagaratnam, U., and Suppa, N. (2023). ‘The global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2023 country results and methodological note’, OPHI MPI Methodological Note 55, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of Oxford. (https://ophi.org.uk/mpi-methodological-note-55-2/);;

Chiapas was the state in Mexico with the highest average extreme poverty rate in 2022. It was estimated that almost three out of ten people in Chiapas lived in a situation of extreme poverty. In contrast, Baja California was the state with the lowest extreme poverty rate, with 0.8 percent, well below the national average, which stood at 7.1 percent. The share of population living in poverty in Mexico amounted to 36.3 percent in 2022.

The global Multidimensional Poverty Index provides the only comprehensive measure available for non-income poverty, which has become a critical underpinning of the SDGs. The global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) measures multidimensional poverty in over 100 developing countries, using internationally comparable datasets and is updated annually. The measure captures the acute deprivations that each person faces at the same time using information from 10 indicators, which are grouped into three equally weighted dimensions: health, education, and living standards. Critically, the MPI comprises variables that are already reported under the Demographic Health Surveys (DHS), the Multi-Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and in some cases, national surveys.

The subnational multidimensional poverty data from the data tables are published by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of Oxford. For the details of the global MPI methodology, please see the latest Methodological Notes found here.

Data, metadata, and R code for the paper "Identifying gender-specific risk factors for income poverty across poverty levels in urban Mexico: A model-based boosting approach"