Mexico’s Ongoing Struggle with Inequality Despite Poverty Reduction Progress

Despite significant progress in poverty reduction, Mexico’s battle with economic inequality remains a major hurdle in achieving sustainable development.

Mexico’s first female president, leftwing academic and climate scientist Claudia Sheinbaum, has set out her agenda. She pledged to maintain the social policies of her mentor and predecessor, the widely popular former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (commonly known by his initials, AMLO).

She promised a transition to green energy, and set out the need for new infrastructure in railways, ports and airports. Sheinbaum inherits a US$1.79 trillion (£1.4 trillion) economy closely integrated to that of the US – in fact, Mexico has the second-largest economy in Latin America. It is also the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world with 128 million people.

But Sheinbaum also inherits Mexico’s largest budget deficit since the 1980s.