General Situations and Trends Mexico has an area of 1,967,183 square kilometers, and comprises 31 states and a Federal District, which is the national seat of government. Indigenous peoples, migrant wokers, and small landowners form the core of the impoverished rural population. Life expectancy at birth in 1990 was estimated at 69.7 years for the population as a whole, which is 10.8 years more than in 1960. The group of chronic and degenerative diseases displaced communicable diseases as a cause of death among adults, but not among children. The three leading causes of death among males in the group aged 15-64 are accidents, homicide, and cirrhosis whereas among females they are malignant neoplasms, heart disease, and diabetes mellitus.
Tuberculosis is frequent among adults in all regions of the country.
The disease has shown a downward trend among young adulst, but the incidence rates rise steadily with age. The registered maternal mortality rate decreased from 9.4 per 10,000 live births in 1980 to 5.1 in 1991. Real maternal mortality is higher, as underregistration, incorrect reporting of causes of death, and coding errors are known to exist. The five leading causes of death among the indigenous populations in 542 municipalities were intestinal infectious diseases, heart disease, accidents, influenza and pneumonia, and measles. The population residing in malarious areas is estimated at 43.5 million persons.