Headline:
Disappointment as 2025‘s First Pensión Bienestar Payments Fall Short of Expected 25% Increase
Article:
Pensioners in Mexico were left underwhelmed this week as the first payments of the 2025 Pensión Bienestar program began, failing to reflect the promised 25% increase. Instead, recipients saw a mere 3.3% bump,equivalent to an additional MXN 200 in their bimonthly stipend, totalling MXN 6,200.
In a statement, the Secretaría del Bienestar, which oversees social programs in Mexico, confirmed the increase, which, while modest, is the lowest since the inception of the program. Last year, the pension saw a 25% increase, jumping from MXN 4,800 to MXN 6,000 bimonthly. The recent increment not only falls short of the expected 25% but also fails to surpass the rate of inflation.
President Claudia Sheinbaum had announced an increase for 2025, but the exact amount and commence date remained unspecified until the recent communiqué. Although the tipped 25% boost could have potentially raised the bimonthly pension to MXN 7,500, recipients will now have to wait for further details on when and by how much the promised increase will materialize.
The Pensión Bienestar program, initiated under the administration of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has seen consistent annual increases since its inception in 2019. Here’s a look at how the pension has evolved over the years:
- 2019: MXN 2,550
- 2020: MXN 2,620
- 2021: MXN 3,100
- 2022: MXN 3,850
- 2023: MXN 4,800
- 2024: MXN 6,000
As for the 2025 payment schedule, the Secretaría del Bienestar has announced that dispersions will occur between January 2 and 22, with each date corresponding to a specific initial letter of the recipients’ last names. Those interested can check the full calendar here.
This year, the program will benefit 12,393,658 adult pensioners, 1,395,400 people with disabilities, and 325,171 working mothers. However, with the current state of affairs, there’s widespread uncertainty about the future of these financial provisions.
