Working Poverty in Mexico Decreases in 2025

ByJuan Luis Ramos

This article by Juan Luis Ramos originally appeared in the February 25, 2026 edition of El Sol de México.

Working poverty in Mexico ended 2025 at 32.3 percent of the population, representing an annual reduction of 3.1 percentage points compared to the previous year, the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) reported on Wednesday.

However, this means that almost a third of the population did not have enough work income to purchase the food basket at the end of the year.

According to the Labour Poverty data for the fourth quarter of 2025, in rural areas the decrease was 4.1 points, going from 50.7 to 46.6 percent between the end of 2024 and a year later.

As for urban areas, the indicator fell 2.7 points, going from 30.8 to 28.1 percent.

The indicator measures the percentage of the population whose labour income is less than the monetary value of the food basket, and is calculated with information from the National Survey of Occupation and Employment (ENOE).

In its quarterly comparison, working poverty also declined. Between the third and fourth quarters of 2025, it fell from 34.3 to 32.3 percent nationally, a decrease of two percentage points.

The behavior was accompanied by an increase in real per capita labour income, which grew 5.3 percent annually, going from 3,294.97 to 3,468.71 pesos per month in real terms, according to INEGI.

In rural areas of the country, the increase in income was 8.3 percent and in urban areas 4.3 percent.

The average monthly income of the employed population was 7,674.56 pesos at the end of the year. Formal employment reported an average income of 10,609.74 pesos, while informal employment reported an average income of 5,455.61 pesos.