Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Mexico
Mexico: Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income was 15.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Mexico, 1984–2024
Source: 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 econ. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Mexico stood at 15.7%.
That represents a change of up 2.6% on the previous year and down 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Mexico peaked at 23.4% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 15.3%, in 2022.
That places Mexico 32nd out of 123 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Mexico, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 18.4% | — |
| 1989 | 18.6% | +1.1% |
| 1992 | 19.3% | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 21.5% | +11.4% |
| 1996 | 20.6% | -4.2% |
| 1998 | 23.4% | +13.6% |
| 2000 | 21.9% | -6.4% |
| 2002 | 20.5% | -6.4% |
| 2004 | 19.1% | -6.8% |
| 2005 | 20.4% | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 19.1% | -6.4% |
| 2008 | 21.2% | +11.0% |
| 2010 | 18.4% | -13.2% |
| 2012 | 18.5% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 16.8% | -9.2% |
| 2016 | 16.5% | -1.8% |
| 2018 | 16.0% | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 16.1% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 15.3% | -5.0% |
| 2024 | 15.7% | +2.6% |
Mexico compared with similar countries
- Mexico's 15.7% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 14.8%, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
- Mexico's 15.7% is below the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 18.0%, 87% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 18.5% | 18.4% | 18.6% | 2 |
| 1990s | 21.2% | 19.3% | 23.4% | 4 |
| 2000s | 20.4% | 19.1% | 21.9% | 6 |
| 2010s | 17.2% | 16.0% | 18.5% | 5 |
| 2020s | 15.7% | 15.3% | 16.1% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Mexico
- 29 El Salvador 16.2% compare
- 30 Belize 16.0% compare
- 31 Montenegro 15.9% compare
- 33 Dominican Republic 15.3% compare
- 34 Spain 14.9% compare
- 35 Romania 14.7% compare
- 35 Palestine, State of 14.7% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Mexico
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 5 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.91 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 4,262 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 7.9 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 14.27 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 14.3% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Mexico?
- Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income in Mexico was 15.7% in 2024, according to 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 econ.
- What is the highest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 23.4% in 1998.
- What is the lowest proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.3% in 2022.
- How does Mexico rank for proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income?
- Mexico ranks 32nd out of 123 countries with data for 2024.
- Is proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Mexico data come from?
- The figures come from 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 econ, published as part of Proportion of people living below 50 percent of median income (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The percentage of people in the population who live in households whose per capita income or consumption is below half of the median income or consumption per capita. The median is measured at 2021 Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) using the Poverty and Inequality Platform (http://www.pip.worldbank.org). For some countries, medians are not reported due to grouped and/or confidential data. The reference year is the year in which the underlying household survey data was collected. In cases for which the data collection period bridged two calendar years, the first year in which data were collected is reported.