Mexico in Numbers: Which states have the most welfare beneficiaries?

President Claudia Sheinbaum's second annual report on federal welfare, social and employment programs revealed that almost 43 million Mexicans would benefit from these programs in 2026, with about one-third of the population expected to receive money from these initiatives, including pension schemes, employment programs, and scholarships for public school students. Sheinbaum touted these programs as a significant achievement of her government, which has upheld the motto, “For the good of all, the poor come first.”

According to the 2025 Intercensal Survey by the national statistics agency INEGI, more than 40% of Mexican households had at least one member receiving monetary income from a government program in 2025, up 16.2 points from 25% in 2020. Three states—Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas—recorded more than 50% of households with a government program beneficiary, while nine states had 45% to 50% of households benefiting from these programs.

Nine states—Tabasco, Mexico City, Veracruz, Campeche, Zacatecas, Yucatán, Sinaloa, Colima, and Guanajuato—had 40% to 45% of households receiving government benefits, while eight states—Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Puebla, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Durango, and Tlaxcala—had 30% to 40% of households covered by these initiatives. Mexico state, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Querétaro, Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Baja California Sur had 30% or less of households receiving government program payments.