More Coming to U.S. than Are Dying in Mexico

William F. Jasper
JBS
Tuesday May 08, 2007

Since 2000, Mexico has been losing more people to migration to the United States than to death, according to a report by Mexico's demographics agency released on May 3. The government study found that an average of 577,000 people migrated to the U.S. each year between 2000-2005, compared to 495,000 deaths a year in the same period. In 2006, it reported, 559,000 Mexicans migrated and there were 501,000 deaths.

Nevertheless, despite losing around one million people per year to death and migration, Mexico experienced an increase of 6.4 million since 2000 and had 104.9 million residents as of last year. Migration to the U.S. has increased dramatically since 1970, when an estimated 800,000 Mexicans lived north of the border. The study estimates that there are currently about 11 million Mexican nationals living in the U.S., both legally and illegally.

An Associated Press report notes the study also showed more and more Mexicans traveling illegally to the United States. In 1993-1997, 48 percent of Mexicans who traveled to the United States entered the country illegally. That percentage jumped to 68 percent between 1998-2001 and to 78 percent from 2001-2005, mostly because of stricter border security measures following the Sept. 11 attacks.