More than 13 million people have been lifted out of poverty in Mexico since 2018, according to new figures that have been hailed as “extraordinary”. 

The data – released by Mexico’s national statistics agency INEGI – measures multidimensional poverty, which goes beyond financial means to include things like access to healthcare, education, housing and food. It found that the number of Mexicans living in poverty fell from 51.9 million in 2018 to 38.5 million, a 26% fall.  

The sharp drop was attributed to the policies of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, or ‘Almo’, who was elected under the slogan ‘for the good of all, first the poor’. Almo tripled the minimum wage and transformed the welfare system, introducing cash payments to pensioners, apprentices and farmers. 

“It’s something extraordinary, historic,” said Amlo’s successor Claudia Sheinbaum during a conference. “‘For the good of all, first the poor’ is not just a slogan, but a reality.” 

Despite the progress, data suggests that access to healthcare has in fact deteriorated for many Mexicans, and that improvements in living standards have been mainly in the north. Cash transfers are also, reportedly, not reaching some of those who need them most, hence extreme poverty falling by a more moderate 19%.  

Image: Frederik Trovatten