An international organization endorses the socioeconomic transformation of Mexico
The World Bank has issued a recognition of global scope by confirming an unprecedented growth of the middle class in Mexico, according to its latest analysis on poverty and equity. This technical opinion supports the national metrics and indicates a positive trajectory in the country’s development and prosperity indicators during the recent period.
Jesús Ramírez Cuevas, coordinator of advisors to the Presidency, highlighted that the multilateral organization placed Mexico, together with Brazil, at the forefront of strengthening this social stratum in Latin America. The exhibition detailed that the report reports a historical contraction in poverty of 13.6 percentage points between 2018 and 2024, parallel to an expansion of 12.4 points in the population classified as middle class. These achievements are attributed to the model of economic policy and social inclusion executed in the governments of Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo.
Technical criteria and quantifiable impact
The World Bank establishes precise parameters for its measurement: households with incomes greater than 17 dollars a day (approximately 340 pesos) are considered middle class, while the poverty threshold is set at less than 8.30 dollars a day (about 166 pesos). Ramírez Cuevas emphasized that these figures present total coherence with the statistics generated by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI).
Quantitative analysis reveals a profound transformation. In 2018, 35.5% of Mexicans lived in poverty; By 2024, this rate was reduced to 21.7%. This decrease implies that more than 13 million people escaped poverty in that six-year period. In a complementary way, the proportion of the middle class rose from 27.2% in 2018 to 39.6% in 2024, incorporating around 12 million citizens into this segment with greater economic capacity and security.
“The relevant fact, which is rarely highlighted, is that social policy not only reduced poverty, but also raised the living conditions of other segments of the population, particularly the middle class, which today does not present social backwardness or vulnerabilities,” stated the presidential coordinator. He added that these households can now cover the basic basket and family needs without depending on direct government support, which denotes a consolidated economic autonomy.
A long-term trend and its fundamentals
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo contextualized these results within a secular trend. He recalled that in the year 2000 the middle class constituted only 18.1% of the population, compared to 55.1% in poverty. By 2018, the ratios had improved to 27.2% and 35.3%, respectively. After the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic—which contracted the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 8%—, the year 2022 marked a milestone: for the first time, there were more Mexicans in the middle class than in poverty. The jump recorded in 2024 consolidates this inversion of the social pyramid.
The president attributed this progress to a government approach based on a “moral economy“, supported by welfare programs conceived as universal rights, the sustained increase in the minimum wage and the strengthening of the pensions system, with emphasis on older adults. This framework, he argued, generated a positive multiplier effect throughout economic activity, also benefiting companies and financial institutions, and demonstrating that the benefits were transversal.
The recognition of the World Bank, therefore, not only provides international endorsement for the results, but also contributes to modifying the perception that development policies focus exclusively on the most disadvantaged sectors. It evidences, instead, a comprehensive design that promotes upward social mobility and builds a broader base of economic stability and domestic consumption.
“Today there are more families in Mexico that are recognized as middle class and fewer people in poverty. The goal is for this trend to continue,” President Sheinbaum concluded, outlining the future route for the shared prosperity and inclusive growth of the nation.
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