Mexico

Mexican flag

Middle class Mexicans now outnumber those in poverty for the first time

By / / Good News For Humankind

The August report from Mexico’s National Institute of Statistics and Geography confirms that the number of Mexicans living in poverty fell from 51.9 million in 2018 to 38.5 million in 2024. This massive reduction of over 13 million people is driven by sustained minimum wage hikes and robust social safety nets. This demographic shift validates recent social policies and offers a hopeful model for inclusive growth in emerging economies.

Mexican pesos

Mexico to boost minimum wage 13% in 2026

By / / Good News For Humankind

The Mexican government has announced a 13% increase in the daily minimum wage for 2026, raising it to 315.04 pesos. This marks the eighth consecutive year of substantial hikes, a policy that has successfully doubled the real value of the wage since 2018. This sustained commitment is lifting millions out of poverty and strengthening the domestic economy by boosting consumer purchasing power.

Jaguar

Mexico’s jaguar numbers up 30% since 2020 in conservation drive

By / / Good News For Humankind

Mexico is celebrating a major conservation success with a recent surge in its jaguar population, which increased by approximately 30% since 2010, according to the national census. This achievement is the result of strong national investment and strategic protection of habitat corridors. By reducing human-wildlife conflict through compensation schemes, organizations like the World Wildlife Fund and the Wildlife Conservation Society secured the future of this umbrella species.

Rainforest

Guatemala, Mexico, and Belize to protect 14 million acres of Mayan forest

By / / Good News For Humankind

Leaders from Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize have unveiled formal plans to establish the Great Mayan Jungle Biocultural Corridor, a transnational conservation initiative spanning over 14 million acres of tropical forest. This corridor will become the second-largest protected area in the Americas, following only the Amazon. The initiative aims to combat deforestation, illegal logging, and organized crime by integrating strong security measures with community-led conservation efforts. A governing council comprising environmental and Indigenous representatives will oversee development projects within the reserve, ensuring they align with ecological and cultural preservation goals.

Dolphin

Mexico bans dolphin shows

By / / Good News For Humankind

In a landmark move for animal welfare, the Mexican Senate has voted unanimously to ban dolphin and other marine mammal shows across the country. The decision, passed 99 to 0, marks the culmination of a years-long campaign led by activists, researchers, and concerned citizens to end the exploitation of marine mammals in entertainment. The updated legislation amends Mexico’s General Wildlife Law to outlaw all “extractive exploitation” of marine mammals.

Monarch butterfly

Eastern monarch butterfly population nearly doubles in 2025

By / / Good news links

The population of eastern monarch butterflies – which migrate from Canada and the US to Mexico during the winter – has nearly doubled over the last year, according to a recent report commissioned in Mexico, generating optimism among nature preservationists. The growth in numbers for the orange-and-black butterflies follows years of ongoing conservation efforts – and perhaps provides a sliver of optimism after otherwise discouraging long-term trends for the species.

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Claudia Sheinbaum is sworn in as Mexico’s first female president

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After a smiling Sheinbaum took the oath of office on the floor of Congress, legislators shouted “Presidenta! Presidenta!” using the feminine form of president in Spanish for the first time in over 200 years of Mexico’s history as an independent country. In her inauguration speech, Sheinbaum said that she came to power accompanied by all of the women who have struggled in anonymity to make their way in Mexico, including “those who dreamed of the possibility that one day no matter if we were born as women or men we would achieve our dreams and desires without our sex determining our destiny.”

Hands making hear shape over transgender flag in background

Mexico City passes law requiring harsher sentences for anti-trans murderers

By / / Good news links

Mexico City, Mexico has passed a local law banning murders against transgender women, a practice referred to in the country as transfemicidio (transfemicide). Murderers convicted under the law would face between 35 to 70 years in prison. Nearly 600 trans people in Mexico have been murdered between 2008 and 2021. At least 10 trans women have been murdered this year in Mexico City alone.

Claudia Sheinbaum

Mexico elects Claudia Sheinbaum as first female president

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Mexico’s official electoral authority said preliminary results showed the 61-year-old former mayor of Mexico City winning between 58% and 60% of the vote in the recent election. That gives her a lead of about 30 percentage points over her main rival, businesswoman Xóchitl Gálvez. Ms. Sheinbaum will replace her mentor, outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on 1 October.

Desert landscape at sunset

Mexico announces 20 new protected areas covering more than 5 million acres of land

By / / Good news links

Mexico’s government recently announced the creation of 20 new protected areas across 12 states and two coastal areas in the country, covering roughly 5.7 million acres. Officials introduced four new national parks, four “flora and fauna protection areas,” seven sanctuaries, two biosphere reserves and three “natural resources protection areas” under the protection of the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas.