In Mexico, according to the CONEVAL 2005 Social Gap Index, 8.35 percent of the population 15 years of age and older is illiterate, that is, over 8 million people cannot read or right.

Analyzing the data per federal state, Chiapas presents the highest gap: 21.33 percent of its 15 year old or older population is illiterate, that is, over 900 thousand people in Chiapas are in this situation. Guerrero and Oaxaca rank second and third in the need of attention in this matter, reporting 19.86 percent and 19.33 percent, respectively.

The Mexican states where the social gap degree under this item is low are: Distrito Federal (Capital City) (2.59 percent), Baja California (3.07 percent) and Coahuila (3.28 percent).

The CONEVAL Social Gap Index incorporates indicators that enable a multidimensional poverty measurement. These indicators are: education, access to health services, basic services, home quality and spaces, and home assets. With this, it intends to contribute to the generation of information for better decision making in matters of social policy, facilitating the location of priority attention areas, as is set forth by the General Law of Social Development.

The Mexican Government operates the National Reading Program that aims to improve the reading behavior of basic education students and teachers, to influence in the full development of fundamental communication skills.

The 2006 external evaluation of said Program, under the Ministry of Public Education (SEP), reports benefits to the population by proposing modifications in different fields to improve the quality of the educational system and increase the country’s human capital asset. These modifications take place at pedagogical and reading practices, through the administration and management of educational systems and school centers, and through the formation of technical support networks at institutions in process of innovation.

However, major challenges are still faced in the solution of the existing gap in matters of reading, for example: it needs a greater flexibility in its operation, it requires a diversity of contexts, factors and conditions present in each federal state where the program operates; it would be convenient to analyze the assignment of resources to respond to the needs of each of the country’s states; secondary, special, indigenous and normal schools need to be incorporated to the program, among others.