Maya Zone in Quintana Roo Has Highest Poverty Rates in the State

Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo — Four municipalities in Quintana Roo’s Maya Zone account for over a third of the state’s total poverty, with extreme poverty rates reaching as high as 81%, according to a new government report.

The 2025 Annual Report on Poverty and Social Backlog from Mexico’s Welfare Secretariat shows that 182,244 people in the Maya Zone—comprising the municipalities of José María Morelos, Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Tulum, and Lázaro Cárdenas—live in poverty. This represents 35.25% of Quintana Roo’s total impoverished population of 516,935, or 27% of the state’s residents.

Data from the national statistics agency INEGI indicates that 586,728 people in Quintana Roo self-identify as Indigenous. The report suggests approximately one-third of that Indigenous population lives in poverty.

Municipal Poverty Breakdown

The report details severe poverty across the four municipalities:

• José María Morelos: 43,423 residents (80.8% of the population) live in poverty, with 13,489 (25.1%) in extreme poverty.
• Felipe Carrillo Puerto: 86,771 residents (81.1%) live in poverty, including 33,879 (31.7%) in extreme poverty—the highest rate in the state.
• Tulum: 28,542 residents (61.8%) live in poverty, with 8,682 (18.8%) in extreme poverty.
• Lázaro Cárdenas: 23,508 residents (65.7%) live in poverty, including 7,172 (20.0%) in extreme poverty.

Social Deficiencies

The Maya Zone municipalities show significant social backlogs across multiple indicators:

• Educational lag: 46,701 people lack adequate education.
• Healthcare access: 46,350 residents lack access to health services.
• Social security: 200,321 people lack social security coverage.
• Housing quality and space: 58,965 individuals live in substandard housing.
• Basic housing services: 170,761 people lack access to basic services in their homes.
• Nutritional food access: 71,798 residents lack access to nutritious, quality food.

Specific municipal data shows José María Morelos has the highest percentage of residents without social security (85.3%) and without basic housing services (80.9%). Felipe Carrillo Puerto has the highest number of residents facing educational lag (20,230) and lack of healthcare access (17,039). Tulum shows the highest percentage of residents without healthcare access (28.6%) and with poor housing quality (33.3%).