Tighter border security in the U.S. and global economic crisis have slowed the migration of Mexicans

In the past six years, the rate of Mexican migration has decreased by 45.5 percent as it went from 64.1 migrants per 10,000 persons to just 34.9.

According to the National Statistics and Geography Institute (INEGI), factors such as tighter border security measures in the United States and the global economic crisis of 2008 have slowed the migration of Mexicans.

The main cause of migration is still the search for jobs. Seven out of every 10 Mexicans abroad said they left the country in search of better job opportunities. The motivation of 22 percent of the migrant population was to reunite with family and to study abroad.

Migrants thread their way along footpaths just north of the Mexico/Arizona border in 2007 (Photo: LA Times)

According to data from the INEGI, most people who decide to leave their place of origin do so at a productive age, between 20 and 39 years old. The majority are men: for every 100 migrant women there are 355 men.

A large portion of the migrant population is made up of persons with only a basic level of education, but the INEGI has stated that recently there are more immigrants with high school and college level education.

A net loss of population in Mexico continued during the third quarter of 2015. This means that more people traveled abroad than came to live in the country.

According to data from the National Survey of Occupation and Employment (ENOE), the Net Migration Balance (SNM) had a population loss of 17.8 persons per 10,000 inhabitants.

INEGI reported that migrant numbers increased in 2008 when the country faced financial imbalances, but from 2010 onward, it has shown a modest recovery.