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

In her second annual report speech on Sept. 1, President Claudia Sheinbaum said that federal welfare, social and employment programs would benefit almost 43 million Mexicans in 2026.

In other words, about one in three Mexicans was slated to receive money from a federal program, among which are pension schemes, employment initiatives and scholarships for public school students.

Sheinbaum held up the reach of the various programs as a major achievement of her government, which, like its predecessor, has embraced the motto, “For the good of all, the poor come first.”

“Me dediqué a servir al Pueblo. Me siento muy orgulloso, muy contento, de que atendimos a todos, escuchamos a todos, respetamos a todos, pero les dimos preferencia a los más necesitados. ‘Por el Bien de Todos: Primero los Pobres’”.

Última Mañanera del presidente @lopezobrador_. pic.twitter.com/reAmS0qjgR

— Michael Oviedo (@Mike_Oviedo) September 30, 2024

Spending one trillion pesos on government welfare, social and employment programs — as the government is doing in 2026 — not only allows the Sheinbaum administration to provide monetary support to millions of disadvantaged Mexicans, but also shores up political support for the president and the ruling Morena party, according to analysts.

Three weeks after Sheinbaum delivered her Sept. 1 speech, the national statistics agency INEGI published a report on the results of its 2025 Intercensal Survey, which contains a wealth of data, including national and state statistics on the percentage of households that receive income from government programs.

Four of the five states with the highest percentage of households with at least one person receiving monetary support from federal and/or state authorities are among the five states where Sheinbaum obtained her highest vote shares in the 2024 presidential election. They are Guerrero, Oaxaca, Chiapas and Tabasco — poor southern states whose residents have benefited in large numbers from the federal programs launched by the government of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and continued by the Sheinbaum administration.

In this “Mexico in Numbers” article, we present the INEGI data on households that received payments from government programs in 2025.

In 2025, 41.4% of Mexican households had at least one member who received monetary income from a government program, according to INEGI. That figure rose 16.2 points from 25% in 2020.

In 3 states, more than 50% of households have a government program beneficiary. Those states are:

• Guerrero: 57%
• Oaxaca: 56.9%
• Chiapas: 53%

Government programs reach 40% to 45% of households in 8 states. Those states are Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Puebla, Michoacán, Morelos, Nayarit, Durango and Tlaxcala.

Government programs reach 30% to 40% of households in 9 states. Those states are México state, Sonora, Tamaulipas, Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Querétaro, Chihuahua, Coahuila and Baja California Sur.

Government programs reach less than 30% of households in 3 states. Those states are:

• Baja California: 28.4%
• Nuevo León: 28.3%
• Quintana Roo: 25.8%

By Mexico News Daily chief staff writer Peter Davies (peter.davies@mexiconewsdaily.com)