Demographics of Mexico

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Image:Mexico-demography.png

Mexico, with its population of 103.1 million in 2005 (INEGI), is the most populous Spanish-speaking country in the world, and the second-most populous country in Latin America after Portuguese-speaking Brazil. Mexico's population is characterized by rapid growth, with a large cohort of youths.

The population of Mexico is ethnically and culturally diverse. Mexico has defined itself, in the second article of its constitution, as a "pluricultural" nation, in recognition of the diverse ethnic groups that constitute it, and in which the indigenous peoples are its foundation. Recent changes in legislation have allowed for a greater recognition of the indigenous culture and language (creating the concept of "national languages") as well as greater cultural, social, economical and political autonomy.

[edit] Ethnic groups

[edit] Mestizos

Since its independence, Mexico has defined itself as a mestizo nation, redefining the Spanish Conquest of the Amerindian population as the "painful birth of the Mexican people". As such, the "mestizo" concept has become the identity and culture of the independent country. As an ethnic group, mestizos constitute officially 65-75% of Mexico's population. Other international organizations prefer a lower percentage, close to 60%, that allows for a categorization of 30% of predominantly Amerindians.

[edit] Native Amerindians

Main article: Indigenous peoples of Mexico

According to official statistics, Native Amerindian peoples make up 12% (a little more than 12 million, as of 2000) of the population, though only half of them (6% of the population) still speak an indigenous language, (as reported by the Commission for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples or CDI). While it has been a common misconception, the government does not define race on the basis of language, though it puts a strong emphasis on culture. Other organizations prefer to report a 30% of predominantly Amerindians (like the CIA World Factbook), given the fact that assimilated Amerindians (through the so-called "Hispanization" of the indigenous peoples) might have been considered mestizos. Therefore, there is no precise statistic on the mestizo population, which varies from 60% to 75%, depending on which source and which definition (pure or predominant) is used.

According to the CDI, [1], Amerindians of Maya origin are majority in the state of Yucatán. Official statistics of the CDI (based on race, not on language) are:

• Yucatán, 59% of the state's population is of Amerindian origin
• Oaxaca, 48%
• Quintana Roo, 39%
• Chiapas, 28%
• Campeche, 27%
• Hidalgo, 24%
• Puebla, 19%
• Guerrero, 17%
• San Luis Potosí, 15%
• Veracruz, 15%

[edit] Europeans

Between 9 to 15% of the population, primarily located in Mexico City, Jalisco, Sonora, Sinaloa, Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Durango, Nuevo León, Zacatecas and Chihuahua and other large metropolitan areas, would be classified as White. Most of these are criollos, the relatively unmixed descendants of Spanish colonists; however, other settlers arrived during the Mexican Empire period in the 19th century, including mostly French, then Italians during the government of Porfirio Díaz; White Americans, Yugoslavs and Germans arrived in Mexico after World War I. During the 1930s many Spanish refugees fleeing the Spanish Civil War arrived, mostly in Mexico City. Polish and Russian (Guadalupe, Baja California) refugees, Ashkenazic Jews among them, also settled during the war. The European Jewish immigrants joined the Sephardic community that had lived in Mexico since the Spanish Inquisition. Germans have been a great influence in Mexico's history especially in the state of Sinaloa, primarily in the city of Mazatlan. The Germans founded Mazatlan and were the creators of Banda music (which sounds like polka) and the Pacifico beer.

Also of note are colonies of Mormons, Mennonites and Molokans, mainly in the northern states of Chihuahua and Durango. British and Irish immigrants also settled, mainly in mining areas, as well as French settlers in Santa Rosalía, Baja California Sur. Some believe that the British first brought Protestantism into Mexico.^{[citation needed]} Greek immigration has been important as well, especially in the state of Sinaloa and its capital Culiacán, where thousands still live.

[edit] Middle Easterners & Asians

Mexicans of Lebanese and Turkish descent are present in large numbers (Tampico has one of the highest concentration of Lebanese Mexicans), some Chinese and Filipinos arrived from the Philippines in colonial times. During the period of Asian Exclusion from the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Chinese, Japanese, and Korean immigrants settled in northern and western Mexico, especially Baja California. Mexicali is known for its relatively prominent concentration of people of Chinese descent. There are also Jewish Mexicans of Lebanese, Turkish or other Mediterranean descent, with common ancestral roots in Spain, and speak Ladino, which is closely related to Spanish. Also in the last couple of years there have been hundreds of chinese immgrating to the state of Sinaloa for its great agriculture.

[edit] Africans

Since colonial times, when thousands of Africans were brought as slaves, Mexico has had a significant number of people of black-African descent. Today Afro-Mexicans of relatively unmixed black-African ancestry, as well as Zambos and mulattos, represent only about 0.5% of the population ^{[citation needed]}, due to higher birth-rates amongst the other groups as well as their continued absorption into the general population ^{[citation needed]}.

Most of African Mexicans live in the states of Veracruz, Oaxaca, Guerrero, Michoacan, and Yucatán. Major populations also exist in Mexico's larger cities, such as Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Tijuana; there are also concentrated populations of African Mexicans in towns such as Arenal (in Jalisco), etc. In addition to those present since the colonial era, many African-Americans seeking to escape racial discrimination in the United States during the early 20th century emigrated to Mexico ^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Foreigners in Mexico

During the 1970s and 1980s Mexico opened its doors to immigrants from Latin America, mainly political refugees from Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Brazil and Colombia, Venezuela and Central America. The PRI governments in power for most of the 20th century had a policy of granting asylum to fellow Latin Americans fleeing political persecution in their home countries. A second wave of immigrants has come to Mexico as a result of the economic crises experienced by some countries in the region. Today, Mexico is the country where the largest number of Argentines live abroad, estimated to be 150,000 [2].

Mexico is also the country where the largest number of American citizens live abroad. The American Citizens Abroad Association has estimated that a little more than one million Americans live in Mexico (which represent 1% of the population in Mexico and 25% of all American citizens living abroad) [3]. This immigration phenomenon could well be explained by the interaction of both countries under NAFTA, but also by the fact that Mexico has become a popular destination for retirees, especially the small towns: just in the State of Guanajuato, in San Miguel de Allende and its environs, 200,000 Americans have their residence [4].

[edit] Attitudes toward race

While most non-indigenous Mexicans consider themselves mestizo, and while there are no longer rigid racial lines dividing the population, light skin and European features tend to be valued, at least in the mass media. Even today the great majority of upper-class Mexicans are either whites or lighter-skinned mestizos. Events in recent years involving the issue of human rights in Chiapas have increased awareness of issues such as racism and discrimination toward the indigenous communities of Mexico.

[edit] Population growth and migration

See also: Metropolitan Areas of Mexico

Mexico's population doubled between 1970 and 2000. However, in recent years the rate of population growth has slowed. Fertility rates are still high in rural areas and among the indigenous population. Migration to the United States has also become significant, with the number of Mexican citizens resident abroad reaching as many as 8 million, mostly in the United States but also in Canada. Mexico City is by far the largest city in the country, with a metropolitan population of about 20 million. Guadalajara, Jalisco, and Monterrey, Nuevo León, are the two next-largest metropolitan areas (with almost 4 millions each) followed by Puebla, Ciudad Juárez, Tijuana, and León.

[edit] Demographic statistics according to the CIA

Population growth rate: 1.16% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 20.69 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 4.74 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.26 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.19 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.24 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.41 years
male: 72.63 years
female: 78.33 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.42 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Mexican(s)
adjective: Mexican

Ethnic groups: Mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%¹, white 9%, other 1%

Religions: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%

Languages: Spanish (official), Nahuatl, various Maya, and other indigenous languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.2%
male: 94%
female: 90.5% (2003 est.)

[edit] External links

• UN: Fertility in Mexico: Trends and Forecasts
• (Spanish) Mexico population bureau CONAPO
• (Spanish) Mexican government fertility calculation since 1976
• (Spanish) The Amerindian population in Mexico is 12.7 million

[edit] Notes

According to the Council for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples only 13% of Mexico's population is Amerindian [5]ca:Demografia de Mèxic