This research provides statistical data, descriptive data, and limited analysis of selected aspects of the Mexican economic environment. The period of interest is 1990 through March 1994.
Mexico's population as of the 1990 census was 81.5 million persons (Hunter, 1993, p. 948). The country's estimated population as of early-1994 is 89.3 million persons (Banco Nacional de Mexico, 1994, p. 21). The rate of natural population increase in Mexico is 2.3 percent annually (The World Bank, 1993, p. 229). In the early-1990s, 72.6 percent of Mexico's population resided in urban areas (Hunter, 1993, p. 948). Approximately 55 percent of the Mexican population lives in urban centers of at least 500,000 persons. The female/male distribution of the Mexican population is 50.6 percent/49.4 percent respectively (Hunter, 1993, p. 948).
Per capita gross national product in Mexico is US$1,730 (Hunter, 1993, p. 948). Stated in American dollars, the per capita gross national product in Mexico has decreased one-sixth over the past ten years. The primary reason for this decrease is the fall in the international currency exchange value of the peso.
Income distribution in Mexico is far more skewed than in the United States. Income distribution by population qunitiles in Mexico and the United States is summarized in Table 1, which may be found on the following page.
Table 1 Income Distribution in Mexico and the United States =================================================================
Population Segment Mexico United States
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Lowest 20 percent 2.9% 4.5%
Second quintile 7.0% 10.7%
Third quintile 12.0% 17.3%
Fourth quintile 20.4% 24.7%
Highest 20 percent 57.7% 42....