INEGI's 2010 Statistics Show 52 Million Mexicans Living in Poverty Juan Carlos Cruz Vargas - Proceso
go to original February 22, 2013

MEXICO CITY - The National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) revealed that according to the 2010 figures from the National Evaluation Council (Coneval) in Mexico, 52 million people were recorded in multidimensional poverty.

In an overview of poverty in socially vulnerable groups given by Eduardo Sojo, chair of the agency, stated that this group of people (46.2% of the population) had difficulty accessing health services, education, social security, food, basic services, and quality housing.

He explained that of the 52 million people in multidimensional poverty in 2010:

• about 40.3 million were in moderate poverty; and
• 11.7 million were in extreme poverty.

More than half of Mexican population, he added, six out of ten people lack social security [health and pension benefits], while 35.8 million do not have access to health services, despite  implementation of the Seguro Popular [People's Insurance] during the administration of Felipe Calderón.

But besides that, he emphasized, 28 million Mexicans have difficulty obtaining enough to eat; 23.2 million are devastated by educational backwardness, and 17.1 million lack quality housing spaces.

Regarding the child population in 2010, INEGI said that of the 39.7 million children and adolescents, 53.8% (21.4 million) were found to be in multidimensional poverty:

• 5.1 million were in extreme multidimensional poverty;
• 9.0 million were vulnerable due to social deprivation; and
• 2.9 million were vulnerable [due to inadequate] income.

Most children and adolescents lacking the resources to meet their basic needs are located in the states of Chiapas, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Puebla, Veracruz, Zacatecas, Tabasco, Tlaxcala, Michoacán, Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Durango, Campeche, Yucatán and Guanajuato.

Also in 2010, 3.5 million men and women aged 65 or older were in multidimensional poverty, of whom 2.7 million were moderately poor, while 0.8 million were in extreme multidimensional poverty.

However, the sector of the population most hurt by poverty remain the indigenous peoples, as almost eight out of ten suffer from some type of deficiency.

"In Mexico in 2010, there were just over 6.7 million people aged three or older, indigenous language speakers, of whom 5.4 million, or 79.3% of this population were found in poverty," explained the INEGI official.

Of these, 2.7 million were in extreme multidimensional poverty, i.e., indigenous people who despite making use of all their income to buy food, cannot afford the basic necessities for proper nutrition, plus they do not have education, housing, social security or health services.

With this picture of poverty, the INEGI official said that celebration the World Day of Social Justice  on Wednesday, February 20, should support efforts of the international community aimed at eradicating poverty and promoting decent work and full employment, gender equality and access to social welfare and social justice for all.

He emphasized: "Social justice is a fundamental principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. The fundamental principles of social justice advocate gender equality and the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. It promotes social justice by removing barriers based on gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability."

See Spanish original

Posted by Jane Brundage at Mexico Voices

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