Southern Mexican states are struggling to keep pace with the nation's falling poverty rate
Mexico has made significant strides in reducing poverty over the past few years, according to a recent survey by the nation's statistics agency, INEGI. The survey, which measures poverty beyond household income, considers access to health services, education, housing, and food, shows a reduction in poverty by more than 13 million people between 2018 and 2024.
However, the reform that led to INEGI taking over the responsibilities previously held by the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (Coneval) has been met with controversy. Established in 2005, Coneval was seen as a reliable and independent agency, providing objective evaluations of social development policies and poverty in Mexico.
The reform, effective from December 2024, aims to provide a more accurate picture of the country's social development, thereby improving the formulation, implementation, and monitoring of public policy. INEGI, which is now managed by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's former finance minister, Graciela Márquez, has been assigned the responsibility for poverty measurement and social policy evaluation.
Critics, including former Coneval officials, argue that the new arrangement undermines the independence and credibility of social policy evaluation. They express concerns about insufficient transparency and accountability under INEGI’s management, fearing that poverty data and social policy assessments may now be less objective and possibly more politically influenced.
The four states with the highest percentage of its population living in multidimensional poverty are Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Veracruz. Conversely, the five states with the lowest percentages of people living in extreme poverty are all in northern Mexico: Baja California, Nuevo León, Aguascalientes, Coahuila, and Colima.
The reform has eliminated Coneval, transferring its duties to INEGI. This is INEGI's first survey measuring poverty since the constitutional reform. The survey indicates that in 2024, the number of people living in poverty decreased to 38.5 million (29.6% of the population), with 7 million (5.3% of the population) remaining in extreme poverty.
Despite the controversy surrounding the reform, the significant reduction in poverty since 2018 is a positive development. However, it is crucial to maintain an independent watchdog on social development to ensure the reliability and impartiality of social policy evaluation in Mexico.
The reform transferring responsibilities from Coneval to INEGI for poverty measurement and social policy evaluation has been met with controversy, as critics argue it undermines the independence and credibility of social policy evaluations. Despite the adjustments, Mexico has reported a decrease in poverty, with 38.5 million people living in poverty in 2024, representing 29.6% of the population, and 7 million (5.3% of the population) in extreme poverty. The highest percentages of multidimensional poverty are found in Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Veracruz, while the states with the lowest percentages of extreme poverty are all in northern Mexico: Baja California, Nuevo León, Aguascalientes, Coahuila, and Colima. This positive development in poverty reduction should be accompanied by maintaining an independent watchdog on social development to guarantee the objectivity and impartiality of social policy evaluations.
