Mexico

Abstract

The State of Mexico is located in the Centre meso-region. Alongside Mexico City (Federal District), its populous municipalities encompass the largest metropolitan area in the country with over 18.8 million inhabitants. Because of its proximity to the national capital, the State of Mexico followed the industrial growth of this city for most of the last century and more recently has attracted other manufacturing industries. It is the 25th largest state in surface area, but with a population of over 14 million inhabitants it is the most populous state (13.6% of the nation) and after Mexico City, the most densely populated. Most of the state’s economic activity and population is encompassed in the metropolitan area of Mexico City (national capital) including 40 of its 125 municipalities. The state population is growing at a somewhat higher rate than the national average (1.2% versus 1.0%). In terms of overall rates of educational attainment, the state is slightly above the national averages.