Amnesty: Mexico's Poverty Figures Staggering
Mexico's enormous and worsening poverty figures underscore that authorities have not made fighting it a top priority, Amnesty International charged Tuesday.
The government this week reported that the number of Mexicans living in poverty rose from 52.8 million in 2010 to 53.3 million in 2012 -- representing almost half the population of 112 million.
"The figures are hair-raising," said Daniel Zapico, the Mexico director for the London-based group. "And they only represent part of the vulnerable sector of the population," he said.
That is because another 34 percent of the population is economically vulnerable -- near poverty though not technically classed as poor, government figures show.
Mexico, Latin America's second largest economy after Brazil, is a partner with its giant neighbors to the north, the United States and Canada, in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Source: Agence France Presse
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