The population has grown by 13 million persons since the 1990 census.
Population growth is concentrated among adults in their thirties and forties, and the elderly.
The number of people in elderly age categories also continues to increase. A more pronounced percentage increase occurs to the oldest segment of the elderly population or those 85 years old and over. This differential increase in the population 85 years old and over is the result of improvements in the life expectancy at advanced ages, continued high levels of births during the first decade of the century, and very high immigration from Europe during the early part of the century. The number of births falls below the 4 million mark for the first time since 1988. According to recent estimates, there were 3,949,000 births in 1994, a 2.2 percent decline from the previous year's total.