The Mex Files

Jorge Ramon Perez, in El Universal reports (my translation):.  Of course, it was published on Dia de los Muertos…

Life expectancy in Mexico over the last two decades has lengthened by 7.6 years, according the the National Population Council ( Consejo Nacional de Población, Conapo).

Mortality rates in general for the Mexico Republic augmented the life expectancy from 67 years in 1980 to 74.6 years in 2005.

According to a Conapo study done in 1980, 31.8 percent of 429,000 registered deaths in the country were caused by transmittable diseases; 45.7 percent by non-transmittable diseases; 15.8 percent as the result of accidents or injuries; and 6.7 percent from undefined causes.

In 2005, the 484,000 registered deaths showed only 13.2 percent caused from transmittable disease; 74.1 percent from non-transmittable diseases; 10.7 percent from accident or injury; while only 2.0 percent were from unknown or unregistered causes.

In 1980, 57.2 percent of all recorded deaths were male (42.8 percent female). There was a slight change in the 2005 ratio of male to female deaths – 55..1 percent male, 44.9 percent female.

Infant mortality declined from 21.9 percent in 1980 to 6.8 percent in 2005 throughout the country. An analysis of the data shows that Guerrero and Chiapas have the highest death rate among children under one year of age. Perinatal defects, infectious diseases and parasites – in that order – are the most common causes of death.

According to Conapo projections, 209,000 people will die in 2007, equivalent to a death rate of 4.8 per thousand, while the infant mortality rate (for children under one year of age) will be about 15.7 per thousand live births.