Food poverty is the lack of income needed to acquire a basic food basket, even if total household available income is only used to purchase the goods in such basket. Capability poverty is the lack of income needed to purchase a basic food basket and cover health and education expenses, even if total household income is only used for these purposes. Patrimony poverty is the lack of income needed to buy a basic food basket, as well as to cover expenses of health, education, housing, transportation and clothes, even if total household available income is exclusively used to purchase the goods in such basket. Poverty alleviation therefore continues to be a challenge of the highest priority for Mexican policy makers—especially in the current context of the weak global outlook that is exercising additional pressures on poverty reduction and the redistribution of income.