Although the quality of life in Mexico has improved in the last decade, an analysis of the Social Progress Index (IPS) revealed that progress is uneven and the persistence of structural crises in education, health and security is slowing down social mobility and regional cohesion.
The study published by the organization ‘Mexico, how are we doing?’ pointed out that the country is divided into two social realities between the north and center, and the south.
The IPS shows that, although the national average score rose from 59 to 65 points out of 100 in the last decade, regional inequalities persist and are “enormous.”
“If we place the difference between the north and the south internationally in a ranking, it turns out that the north moves in the range of countries with the least inequality of opportunities and the south in the range of countries with the greatest economic inequality,” said Roberto Vélez, executive director of the Espinosa Yglesias Studies Center (CEEY).
According to this analysis, the states in the lower part of the distribution (Guerrero, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz and Tabasco) consistently remain in the last places regardless of the year of observation, in the same way that the states in the highest positions remain in that area.
“Social progress is advancing, that is good news. However, regional inequalities persist, they are enormous and they are not closing fast enough (…). In the last year, all the federal entities have increased the quality of life, but it has been unevenly and for different reasons,” stated the general director of the organization, Sofía Ramírez.
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Concern for education and health
In the presentation of the report Patricia Vázquez, director of Mexicanos Primero, emphasized that one of the main brakes is the crisis of the educational system, whose basic education is at its worst level in a decade.
“When educational lag is present, it clearly determines the complete educational trajectory,” Vázquez explained.
As reported, primary enrollment has fallen 4.2% in the last 12 years, in the same way that it has occurred in secondary (2.9%) and preschool (9.3%).
“If we do not invest well in the first years of life in childhood, we are going to have enormous possibilities of having shorter trajectories and more possibilities of dropping out of school,” he summarized.
In the health section, the study detailed that a third of the population lives without access to health services, a lack that is related to less social progress.
In the absence of robust public systems, six out of ten people with health problems are forced to cover their medical needs privately, Vélez explained.
Between 2015 and 2024, 17 states recorded declines in the personal security component, and 22 states experienced increases in the homicide rate in the last year.
Elisa Sánchez, director of Mexico United Against Crime (MUCD), pointed out that the problem is not only criminal, but is also related to a deficient public security and justice policy that has not invested in its institutions.
To improve this social situation, they pointed out, the formalization of the economy, the creation of a comprehensive care system, urgent investment in security institutions and the financing of public infrastructure for essential services are necessary.
With information from EFE
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