In a report released yesterday, the number of Mexicans living in poverty grew by 3 million in the past two years to 52 million people. This represents 46.2 percent of the population living below the poverty line.
The report was produced by the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy, an autonomous but federally financed agency, and represents the state’s most comprehensive study of poverty to date.
“Behind these figures are people with stories of injustice, dispossession, discrimination and insecurity,” Alberto Herrera, director of Amnesty International in Mexico, said in a statement. “Millions of people who live in poverty cannot continue to wait” for the government to take action.
The council defines poverty as a monthly earning in urban zones of less than 2,114 pesos, or about $180. Extreme poverty is below 978 pesos, or about $83.
11.7 Million people live in extreme poverty in Mexico.
