The figures that hurt: 42 million without income to eat
The National Institute of Statistics says that working poverty fell to 32.3% by the end of 2025. Sounds good, right? Until you translate the percentage to people: 42.3 million Mexicans who do not earn enough to buy the basic food basket.
“The figure represents a decrease of two percentage points compared to the previous quarter,” reports the INEGI.
A drop of two points. A statistical triumph that is celebrated in press conferences while millions continue to choose between paying for electricity or filling the pantry.
The fractured Mexico: from 14% to almost 60%
This is where the national average breaks into pieces. Working poverty is not a uniform monster; He has favorite territories.
While in Baja California Sur it barely affects 14.2% of people, in Chiapas it reaches 59.8%. Oaxaca (56.6%) and Guerrero (51.3%) complete the tragic podium of the hardest hit entities.
Per capita labor income rose 3.7% quarterly, to 3,468 pesos per month. In 21 states it increased, with the State of Mexico leading the way (16.5%).
But those cold numbers collide with a hot reality: the gap between the north and the south remains an abyss. It reduces something on paper, yes. But the full photo shows a country divided in two.
Memory is long: these same southern states have been leading the blacklists for decades. Official amnesia celebrates downward trends, while ignoring geographies of abandonment that are repeated year after year.
Optimism? Perhaps for those who read the headlines without looking at the map.
