The minimum wage in Mexico experienced significant increases during the six-year term of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024), marking a change in the country’s economic policies.
In 2018, the last year of Enrique Peña Nieto’s government, the minimum wage was 88 pesos per day. However, Beginning with the López Obrador administration, substantial annual increases were implemented that, in some cases, exceeded 20 percent.
According to the former president’s sixth government report, these adjustments helped reduce the wage gap between the best-paid workers and those with lower incomes, contributing to reducing economic and social inequality in the country.
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How much did the minimum wage increase in the López Obrador government?
One of the first adjustments occurred in 2019, when the minimum wage was increased to 102.68 pesos per day, which represented an increase of 16.2%. The following year, in 2020, it reached 123.22 pesos per day, reflecting an increase in the minimum wage of 20%. In 2021, the salary rose to 141.70 pesos per day, an increase of 15%, and in 2022 it reached 172.87 pesos, which implied an increase of 22%.
By 2023, the minimum wage was increased again, reaching 207.44 pesos per day, with an increase of 20%. Finally, in 2024, the last year of López Obrador’s government, the minimum wage reached 248.93 pesos per day, consolidating a trend of sustained increases during his mandate.
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How much will the minimum wage increase in 2026?
The government of President Claudia Sheinbaum has continued with the policy of increasing the minimum wage. This Wednesday, December 3, Sheinbaum announced an agreement reached by consensus between the federal government, the business sector and labor representatives, for a new increase in the minimum wage that will come into force in 2026.
The increase will be 13%, which will bring the general minimum wage to 315.04 pesos per day, an increase of 36.24 pesos compared to the current salary of 278.80 pesos. This increase will represent a monthly salary of approximately 9,582 pesos.
On the other hand, in the free zone of the northern border, the increase will be 5%, raising the minimum wage to 440.87 pesos per day, which is equivalent to 13,149.80 pesos per month.
In addition to this salary adjustment, the government has also confirmed the gradual implementation of a 40-hour work day during the current six-year term, with the aim of improving the quality of life of Mexican workers.
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