major role in the recent economic and social development of the country. Population The population growth rate in Mexico over the 1960-70 period was 3.4 percent per year. Figure 1 compares Mexico's growth in population with those of other key countries in which Utah has or is contemplating operations. According to the census of January 1970, Mexico's population totaled 48,313,400 persons or an increase of 38.3 percent over 1960. The constant reduction in the death rate, together with the country's unusually high birth rate, have resulted in Mexico's having one of the highest if not the highest rates of population growth in the world. Mexico's birth rate has been rising steadily, but has tended to level off at 3.4 percent as indicated above. At this rate, the Mexican population will double in only 21 years. The most generally accepted demographic projections indicate that by 1980 the population will reach 71 million. It is also expected that the present internal migratory shift from rural areas to urban centers will continue. Accordingly, it is expected that the urban population in 1980 will constitute more than two-thirds of the total as compared with 60 percent in 1970. Figure 1 Annual Growth in Population, GNP, and Industrial Output in Mexico Compared with Selected Countries - 1965-1970 Sources Brazil, an Economic Survey, Ronald A. Krieger, First National City Bank, March 1971. - Mexico, 1970 - World Costs Product, Predicasts, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, 1971 8