Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Mexico
Mexico: Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median was 15.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Mexico, 1984–2024
Source: World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Mexico stood at 15.7%.
The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and down 7.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Mexico peaked at 23.4% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 15.3%, in 2022.
Mexico ranks 28th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.
Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median in Mexico, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 18.4% | — |
| 1989 | 18.6% | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 19.3% | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 21.5% | +11.4% |
| 1996 | 20.6% | -4.0% |
| 1998 | 23.4% | +13.5% |
| 2000 | 21.9% | -6.3% |
| 2002 | 20.5% | -6.5% |
| 2004 | 19.1% | -6.6% |
| 2005 | 20.4% | +6.8% |
| 2006 | 19.1% | -6.6% |
| 2008 | 21.2% | +11.0% |
| 2010 | 18.4% | -13.2% |
| 2012 | 18.5% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 16.8% | -8.9% |
| 2016 | 16.5% | -2.2% |
| 2018 | 16.0% | -2.7% |
| 2020 | 16.1% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 15.3% | -5.2% |
| 2024 | 15.7% | +2.3% |
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
- 25 Türkiye 16.3% compare
- 26 El Salvador 16.2% compare
- 27 Montenegro 15.9% compare
- 29 Dominican Republic 15.3% compare
- 30 Spain 14.9% compare
- 31 Romania 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 relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Mexico?
- Relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median in Mexico was 15.7% in 2024, according to World Bank Poverty and Inequality Platform (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Mexico?
- The highest recorded value was 23.4% in 1998.
- What is the lowest relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median recorded in Mexico?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.3% in 2022.
- How does Mexico rank for relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median?
- Mexico ranks 28th out of 120 countries with data for 2024.
- Is relative poverty: share of population below 50% of the median rising or falling in Mexico?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.0%. 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 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Relative poverty: Share of population below 50% of the median. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Percentage of population living in households with an income or consumption below 50% of the median.