View source for Demographics of Puerto Rico

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{infobox
| abovestyle       = background:lightblue
| above            = Demographics of Puerto Rico
| image            = [[file:Puerto Rico single age population pyramid 2020.png|350px]]
| caption          = Puerto Rico [[population pyramid]] in 2020
| image2           = [[Image:Puerto Rico population.svg|350px]]
| caption2         = Population change timeline (1960–2017)
| image3           = [[Image:Population Density, PR, 2000 (sample).jpg|350px]]
| caption3         = Population density
| label1           = Population <small>(2021)</small>
| data1            = 3,263,584
| label2           = Male population <small>(2010)</small>
| data2            = 1,785,171
| label3           = Female population <small>(2010)</small>
| data3            = 1,940,618
| label4           = [[Population growth rate|Population growth]]
| data4            = -1.32%
| label5           = [[Birth rate]]
<small>(2022 est.)</small>
| data5            = 5.9/1,000
| label6           = [[Death rate]]
<small>(2022 est.)</small>
| data6            = 10.9/1,000
| label7           = Infant mortality rate
| data7            = 8.24/1,000
| label8           = [[Life expectancy]]
| data8            = 78.29 years
| label9           = Nationality
| data9            = American
| label10          = Demographic bureaux
| data10           = [[2010 United States census]]
}}

The population of [[Puerto Rico]] has been shaped by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|native American settlement]], [[European colonization of the Americas|European]] colonization especially under the [[Spanish Empire]], [[Atlantic slave trade|slavery]] and economic migration. [[Demography|Demographic]] features of the population of Puerto Rico include [[population density]], [[Ethnic group|ethnicity]], education of the populace, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

==Population size and structure==
At the 2020 census Puerto Rico had a population of 3.3 million, down from 3.7 million in 2010. The highest population was reached around the year 2000 (3.8 million) and has been decreasing since, due to low fertility and emigration.
{{Historical populations
|type = Spanish colony, American colony, Commonwealth
| percentages = pagr
|1765 |  44883
|1775 |  70250
|1800 | 155426
|1815 | 220892
|1832 | 350051
|1846 | 447914
|1860 | 583308
|1877 | 731648
|1887 | 798565
|1899 | 953243
|1910 |1118012
|1920 |1299809
|1930 |1543913
|1940 |1869255
|1950 |2210703
|1960 |2349544
|1970 |2712033
|1980 |3196520
|1990 |3522037
|2000 |3808610
|2010 |3725789
|2020 |3285874
|align-fn=center
|footnote={{ubl|The [[Spanish Government]] conducted the censuses from 1765 to 1887.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://welcome.topuertorico.org/reference/pophistory.shtml|title=Puerto Rico Population History, 1765–2000|website=Welcome.topuertorico.org|access-date=October 14, 2017}}</ref>|The United States [[United States Department of War|War Department]] took the census in 1899.|1910–2020<ref>{{cite web|title=Resident Population Data |url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php |year=2010 |work=Census |publisher=Government |location=US |access-date=January 2, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019160532/http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/apportionment-pop-text.php |archive-date=October 19, 2013 }}</ref>}}
}}
[[Image:Porto-Rico-demography.png|thumb|300px|right|Demographics of Puerto Rico, Data of [[Our World in Data]], year 2022; Number of inhabitants in millions.]]
===Structure of the population===
{{Hidden begin 
|title= Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2012) (Including armed forces stationed in the area. Based on the results of the
2010 Population Census.):<ref>{{cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm|title=United Nations Statistics Division – Demographic and Social Statistics|website=Unstats.un.org|access-date=October 14, 2017}}</ref>
|titlestyle = background:#EEBC35;
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="80pt"|Age Group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80pt"|Female
! width="80pt"|Total
! width="80pt"|%
|-
| align="right" | Total
| align="right" | 1 755 479
| align="right" | 1 911 605
| align="right" | 3 667 084
| align="right" | 100
|-
| align="right" | 0–4
| align="right" | 107 000
| align="right" | 102 597
| align="right" | 209 597
| align="right" | 5.72
|-
| align="right" | 5–9
| align="right" | 116 188
| align="right" | 109 665
| align="right" | 225 853
| align="right" | 6.16
|-
| align="right" | 10–14
| align="right" | 129 722
| align="right" | 123 006
| align="right" | 252 728
| align="right" | 6.89
|-
| align="right" | 15–19
| align="right" | 138 646
| align="right" | 132 250
| align="right" | 270 896
| align="right" | 7.39
|-
| align="right" | 20–24
| align="right" | 134 894
| align="right" | 131 768
| align="right" | 266 662
| align="right" | 7.27
|-
| align="right" | 25–29
| align="right" | 112 981
| align="right" | 117 257
| align="right" | 230 238
| align="right" | 6.28
|-
| align="right" | 30–34
| align="right" | 115 030
| align="right" | 125 281
| align="right" | 240 311
| align="right" | 6.55
|-
| align="right" | 35–39
| align="right" | 111 971
| align="right" | 121 837
| align="right" | 233 808
| align="right" | 6.38
|-
| align="right" | 40–44
| align="right" | 113 223
| align="right" | 123 276
| align="right" | 236 499
| align="right" | 6.45
|-
| align="right" | 45–49
| align="right" | 114 114
| align="right" | 129 441
| align="right" | 243 555
| align="right" | 6.64
|-
| align="right" | 50–54
| align="right" | 109 550
| align="right" | 127 211
| align="right" | 236 761
| align="right" | 6.46
|-
| align="right" | 55–59
| align="right" | 103 031
| align="right" | 123 108
| align="right" | 226 139
| align="right" | 6.17
|-
| align="right" | 60–64
| align="right" | 96 256
| align="right" | 115 745
| align="right" | 212 001
| align="right" | 5.78
|-
| align="right" | 65–69
| align="right" | 86 858
| align="right" | 104 308
| align="right" | 191 166
| align="right" | 5.21
|-
| align="right" | 70–74
| align="right" | 64 745
| align="right" | 79 593
| align="right" | 144 338
| align="right" | 3.94
|-
| align="right" | 75–79
| align="right" | 46 652
| align="right" | 60 431
| align="right" | 107 083
| align="right" | 2.92
|-
| align="right" | 80–84
| align="right" | 29 398
| align="right" | 41 911
| align="right" | 71 309
| align="right" | 1.94
|-
| align="right" | 85+
| align="right" | 25 220
| align="right" | 42 290
| align="right" | 68 140
| align="right" | 1.86
|-
! width="50"|Age group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80"|Female
! width="80"|Total
! width="50"|Percent
|-
| align="right" | 0–14
| align="right" | 352 910
| align="right" | 335 268
| align="right" | 688 178
| align="right" | 18.77
|-
| align="right" | 15–64
| align="right" | 1 149 696
| align="right" | 1 247 174
| align="right" | 2 396 870
| align="right" | 65.36
|-
| align="right" | 65+
| align="right" | 252 873
| align="right" | 329 163
| align="right" | 582 036
| align="right" | 15.87
|-
|}
{{Hidden end}}

{{Hidden begin 
|title= Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2019) (Including armed forces stationed in the area. Post-censal estimates.): <ref>{{Cite web |title=UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/#statistics |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=unstats.un.org}}</ref>
|titlestyle = background:#EEBC35;
}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="80pt"|Age Group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80pt"|Female
! width="80pt"|Total
! width="80pt"|%
|-
| align="right" | Total
| align="right" | 1 515 721
| align="right" | 1 677 973 
| align="right" | 3 193 694
| align="right" | 100
|-
| align="right" | 0–4
| align="right" | 60 020
| align="right" | 57 462
| align="right" | 117 482
| align="right" | 3.68
|-
| align="right" | 5–9
| align="right" | 79 847 
| align="right" | 77 814
| align="right" | 157 661
| align="right" | 4.94
|-
| align="right" | 10–14
| align="right" | 92 917
| align="right" | 89 847
| align="right" | 182 764
| align="right" | 5.72
|-
| align="right" | 15–19
| align="right" | 103 020
| align="right" | 98 596 
| align="right" | 201 616
| align="right" | 6.31
|-
| align="right" | 20–24
| align="right" | 109 920
| align="right" | 106 565
| align="right" | 216 485
| align="right" | 6.78
|-
| align="right" | 25–29
| align="right" | 109 775
| align="right" | 110 150
| align="right" | 219 925
| align="right" | 6.89
|-
| align="right" | 30–34
| align="right" | 89 738
| align="right" | 95 503
| align="right" | 185 241
| align="right" | 5.80
|-
| align="right" | 35–39
| align="right" | 89 257
| align="right" | 100 245
| align="right" | 189 502
| align="right" | 5.93
|-
| align="right" | 40–44
| align="right" | 94 166
| align="right" | 104 715
| align="right" | 198 881
| align="right" | 6.23
|-
| align="right" | 45–49
| align="right" | 96 796
| align="right" | 107 356
| align="right" | 204 152
| align="right" | 6.39
|-
| align="right" | 50–54
| align="right" | 98 923
| align="right" | 112 980
| align="right" | 211 903
| align="right" | 6.64
|-
| align="right" | 55–59
| align="right" | 100 375
| align="right" | 118 921
| align="right" | 219 296
| align="right" | 6.87
|-
| align="right" | 60–64
| align="right" | 95 717
| align="right" | 113 413
| align="right" | 209 130
| align="right" | 6.55
|-
| align="right" | 65-69
| align="right" | 85 684
| align="right" | 104 249
| align="right" | 189 933
| align="right" | 5.95
|-
| align="right" | 70-74
| align="right" | 79 286
| align="right" | 97 271
| align="right" | 176 557
| align="right" | 5.53
|-
| align="right" | 75-79
| align="right" | 57 755
| align="right" | 73 571
| align="right" | 131 326
| align="right" | 4.11
|-
| align="right" | 80-84
| align="right" | 38 724
| align="right" | 51 920
| align="right" | 90 644
| align="right" | 2.84
|-
| align="right" | 85+
| align="right" | 33 801
| align="right" | 57 395
| align="right" | 91 196
| align="right" | 2.86
|-
! width="50"|Age group 
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80"|Female
! width="80"|Total
! width="50"|Percent
|-
| align="right" | 0–14
| align="right" | 232 784
| align="right" | 225 123
| align="right" | 457 907
| align="right" | 14.34
|-
| align="right" | 15–64
| align="right" | 987 687
| align="right" | 1 068 444
| align="right" | 2 056 131
| align="right" | 64.38
|-
| align="right" | 65+
| align="right" | 295 250
| align="right" | 384 406
| align="right" | 679 656
| align="right" | 21.28
|-
|}
{{Hidden end}}

==Migration==
Sometime between 400 B.C. and A.D. 100, the [[Arawak peoples|Arawak]] group of [[Amerindians]] inhabited Puerto Rico. Around A.D. 600, the Arawaks no longer lived on the island, perhaps because they had integrated with another culture or perhaps because they had been killed by illness.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AZG9k5LqlCoC&q=puerto+rico+first+inhabitants&pg=PA7|title=Puerto Ricans in America|first=Stacy|last=Taus-Bolstad|date=January 1, 2005|publisher=Lerner Publications Co|isbn=9780822539537|oclc=54046670|via=Google Books}}</ref> By [[AD 1000|A.D. 1000]], the indigenous [[Taíno people|Taíno]] inhabited the island. They called the island [[Puerto Rico|Borikén]], which is popularly said to mean "''land of the valiant one''".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/puerto-rico-history-and-heritage-13990189/|title=Puerto Rico – History and Heritage|website=Smithsonianmag.com|publisher=Smithson Institution|access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> This is where the alternative name for Puerto Rico, [[Borinquen]], comes from. Since the late 18th century [[Puerto Ricans]] have called themselves some variation of ''boricua'', ''borincano'' and ''borinqueño'' to embrace their indigenous identity.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eenj3T0JrfcC&q=puerto+rico+first+inhabitants+Boricua&pg=PA7|title=Gang nation : delinquent citizens in Puerto Rican, Chicano, and Chicana narratives|last=Brown|first=Monica|date=January 1, 2002|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|isbn=0816634785|oclc=48649774}}</ref> In the 15th century, the [[Island Caribs|Carib]] lived on nearby islands and periodically invaded Taíno villages.<ref name=":0" />

===Historical Immigration===
[[Image:Puertorican immigration.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Immigration to Puerto Rico]]
The [[Spanish immigration to Puerto Rico|Spanish]] conquered the island, assuming government in 1508, colonized it, and assumed hegemony over the natives. The Taíno population dwindled due to disease, tribal warfare, and forced labor, so the Spanish began [[Atlantic slave trade|importing]] large numbers of [[slaves]] from Africa. Spanish men arrived on the island disproportionately to Spanish women; African and Taíno women would sometimes marry them, resulting in a mixed [[Multiracial people|tri-racial]] [[Puerto Ricans|ethnicity]].

In the late 18th century, the number of African slaves began to dwindle on the island. The [[British Empire|British]] ban on slavery resulted in slave raids on Puerto Rico. Many slaves also escaped to neighboring islands.

During the 19th century large numbers of immigrants from Spain, as well as numerous [[Spaniards]] living in former [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish colonies in South America]], also arrived in Puerto Rico (See [[Spanish immigration to Puerto Rico]]). Large numbers of [[Canary Islanders]] ([[Isleños]]) also arrived in great numbers to the island; their influence can be seen today in Puerto Rico's [[Culture of Puerto Rico|culture]], [[Puerto Rican cuisine|cuisine]] and most notably in the [[Spanish dialects and varieties|variety of Spanish]] that is [[Puerto Rican Spanish|spoken in Puerto Rico]].

Although the vast majority of settlers came from Spain, [[Catholic Church|Catholics]] from France, Ireland, Corsica, Italy, Germany and other [[White Puerto Ricans|European]] countries were also granted land by Spain as one of the provisions of the ''Real Cédula de Gracias de 1815'' ([[Royal Decree of Graces of 1815]]). These immigrants were allowed to settle on the island, with a certain amount of free land and enslaved persons granted to them. In return, they had to profess fealty to the [[Monarchy of Spain|Spanish Crown]]. During the early 20th century [[Jewish immigration to Puerto Rico|Jews]] began to settle in Puerto Rico. The first large group of Jews to settle in Puerto Rico were European refugees fleeing [[German–occupied Europe]] in the late 1930s. Puerto Rico's economic boom of the 1950s attracted a considerable number of Jewish families from the [[American Jews|U.S. mainland]], who were joined after 1959 by an influx of Jewish [[History of the Jews in Cuba|emigres]] from [[Fidel Castro]]'s [[Cuba]].<ref name="JVL">{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Puerto_Rico.html|title=Puerto Rico Virtual Jewish History Tour|website=Jewishvirtuallibrary.org|access-date=October 14, 2017}}</ref>

The mass immigration that occurred during the 19th century helped the population grow from 155,000 in 1800 to almost 1,000,000 at the close of the century.

===Modern Immigration===
Puerto Rico has continued to receive immigrants in the present-day, especially coming from neighboring countries. According to the 2020 census, by ancestry or birth, there were 53,677 Dominicans, 11,701 Cubans, 5,628 Spaniards, 5,010 Colombians, 4,975 Mexicans, 3,131 Venezuelans, 1,366 Peruvians, and 1,331 Argentineans.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=21 September 2023 |title=Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/library/visualizations/interactive/detailed-race-ethnicities-2020-census.html |website=[[census.gov]]}}</ref> People who self identified as Hispanic, Latino, Spanish, Spanish American, and Afro-Latino numbered 8,141 and may be of mixed-Hispanic background, and all other Latin American origin groups numbered 6,344.<ref name=":1" /> There were also 29,913 English, 9,700 Italians, 6,307, Germans, 5,024 French, 4,561 Irish, 1,361 Portuguese, and 8,556 all other European-origin groups, a large portion is made up of white Americans of such ancestries.<ref name=":1" /> There were also 8,417 African Americans, 2,873 Asian Indians, 2,462 Chinese, and all other groups numbering about 6,000.<ref name=":1" />

Some illegal immigrants, particularly from Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Cuba use Puerto Rico as a temporary stop-over point to get to the US mainland.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://latinousa.org/2014/03/28/border-puerto-ricos-seas/ |title=The Other Border: Puerto Rico's Seas |work=Latino USA|date=28 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.havenscenter.org/files/Dominican%20Migration%20to%20Puerto%20Rico.pdf |title=Portadilla de Revista<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=17 January 2019 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525013730/http://www.havenscenter.org/files/Dominican%20Migration%20to%20Puerto%20Rico.pdf |archive-date=25 May 2017 }}</ref> Non-hispanic people only made up 1.1% of the population of Puerto Rico, the majority of which are made up of U.S. citizens especially White Americans, and to a lesser degree Black Americans.<ref>https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?text=Decennial+census&t=Race+and+Ethnicity&g=040XX00US72 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}}</ref> Some non-Puerto Rican Hispanics are U.S.-born. Ethnic Puerto Ricans numbered 3,139,035, representing 95.5% of Puerto Rico's population. Some Puerto Ricans engage in [[Circular migration]].

===Emigration===
Emigration has been a major part of Puerto Rico's recent history as well. Starting in the [[Aftermath of World War II|post-World War II]] period waves of Puerto Ricans moved to the [[Contiguous United States|continental United States]], particularly to New York City, [[Yonkers, New York|Yonkers]], [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], [[Rochester, New York|Rochester]] New York; [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[Jersey City, New Jersey|Jersey City]], [[Paterson, New Jersey|Paterson]], and [[Camden, New Jersey|Camden]], New Jersey; [[Providence, Rhode Island]]; [[Boston]], [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]], Massachusetts; [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]] and [[New Haven, Connecticut]]; [[Cleveland]], Ohio; [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]], and [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]], Miami, Florida; [[Philadelphia]], [[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]], [[Reading, Pennsylvania|Reading]], Pennsylvania; and [[Chicago]], Illinois. This continued even as Puerto Rico's economy improved and its birth rate declined.

{{further|Puerto Ricans in the United States}}



==Vital statistics==

{{Chart|definition=Puerto Rico Total Population.chart|data=Puerto Rico Total Population.tab|Width=800}}

{{Chart|definition=Puerto Rico Population Change.chart|data=Puerto Rico Population Change.tab|Width=800}}

{{Chart|definition=Puerto Rico TFR.chart|data=Puerto Rico TFR.tab|Width=370}}

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: right;"
|+Puerto Rico's vital statistics 1910–2023<ref>B.R. Mitchell. International historical statistics: the Americas, 1750–2000.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm#2001|title=United Nations Statistics Division – Demographic and Social Statistics|website=Unstats.un.org|access-date=October 14, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss.htm |title=Redirect - NVSS - Homepage |access-date=September 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927002610/https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss.htm |archive-date=September 27, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=October 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016192202/https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf |archive-date=October 16, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
!
! width="70pt"|Average population
! width="70pt"|Live births
! width="70pt"|Deaths
! width="70pt"|Natural change
! width="70pt"|Crude birth rate (per 1000)
! width="70pt"|Crude death rate (per 1000)
! width="70pt"|Natural change (per 1000)
! width="70pt"|Crude migration change (per 1000)
! width="70pt"|TFR
|-
| 1910
|1,118,000
|37,600||26,600||11,000
|33.6||23.8||9.8|| ||
|-
| 1911
|1,140,000
|39,100||26,600||12,500
|34.3||23.3||11.0|| 8.5
|-
| 1912
|1,150,000
|40,400||26,900||13,500
|35.1||23.4||11.7|| -3.1
|-
| 1913
|1,170,000
|42,700||23,200||19,500
|36.5||19.8||16.7|| 0.4
|-
| 1914
|1,190,000
|47,400||22,300||25,100
|39.8||18.7||21.1|| -4.4
|-
| 1915
|1,210,000
|45,000||25,000||20,000
|37.2||20.7||16.5|| 0
|-
| 1916
|1,230,000
|43,200||29,400||13,800
|35.1||23.9||11.2|| 5.1
|-
| 1917
|1,250,000
|44,300||38,600||5,700
|35.4||style="color:red" |30.9||4.5|| -30.1
|-
| 1918
|1,260,000
|51,500||38,900||12,600
|40.9||30.9||10.0|| -2.1
|-
| 1919
|1,280,000
|46,000||30,300||15,700
|35.9||23.7||12.2|| 3.4
|-
| 1920
|1,300,000
|49,900||29,600||20,300
|38.4||22.8||15.6|| -0.2
|-
| 1921
|1,320,000
|50,600||29,700||20,900
|38.3||22.5||15.8|| -0.7
|-
| 1922
|1,350,000
|50,500||29,400||21,100
|37.4||21.8||15.6|| 6.7
|-
| 1923
|1,370,000
|50,700||26,900||23,800
|37.0||19.6||17.4|| -2.8
|-
| 1924
|1,400,000
|53,600||27,200||26,400
|38.3||19.4||18.9|| 2.6
|-
| 1925
|1,420,000
|52,700||33,200||19,500
|37.1||23.4||13.7|| 0.4
|-
| 1926
|1,450,000
|55,500||32,300||23,200
|38.3||22.3||16.0|| 4.8
|-
| 1927
|1,470,000
|58,200||33,500||24,700
|39.6||22.8||16.8|| -3.2
|-
| 1928
|1,500,000
|52,900||29,700||23,200
|35.3||19.8||15.5|| 4.6
|-
| 1929
|1,520,000
|52,300||style="color:red" |40,700||11,600
|34.4||26.8||7.6|| 5.6
|-
| 1930
|1,544,000
|54,300||31,500||22,800
|35.2||20.4||14.8|| 0.8
|-
| 1931
|1,580,000
|71,600||35,200||36,400
|style="color:blue" |45.3||22.3||23.0|| -0.3
|-
| 1932
|1,615,000
|66,400||35,500||30,900
|41.1||22.0||19.1||2.6
|-
| 1933
|1,647,000
|61,600||36,700||24,900
|37.4||22.3||15.1|| 4.4
|-
| 1934
|1,679,000
|65,595||31,684||33,911
|39.1||18.9||20.2|| -1.2
|-
| 1935
|1,710,000
|67,585||30,748||36,837
|39.5||18.0||21.5|| -3.5
|-
| 1936
|1,743,000
|68,962||34,790||34,172
|39.6||20.0||19.6|| -0.7
|-
| 1937
|1,777,000
|67,919||37,132||30,787
|38.2||20.9||17.3|| 1.8
|-
| 1938
|1,810,000
|69,823||33,870||35,953
|38.6||18.7||19.9|| -1.7
|-
| 1939
|1,844,000
|73,044||32,631||40,413
|39.6||17.7||21.9|| -3.5
|-
| 1940
|1,879,000
|72,388||34,477||37,911
|38.5||18.3||20.2|| -1.6
|-
| 1941
|1,926,000
|76,130||35,551||40,579
|39.5||18.5||21.1|| 3.4
|-
| 1942
|1,973,000
|78,405||32,218||46,187
|39.7||16.3||23.4|| 0.4
|-
| 1943
|2,012,000
|77,304||29,065||48,239
|38.4||14.4||24.0|| -4.7
|-
| 1944
|2,037,000
|82,534||29,843||52,691
|40.5||14.7||25.9|| -13.8
|-
| 1945
|2,070,000
|86,680||28,837||57,843
|41.9||13.9||27.9|| -12.2
|-
| 1946
|2,100,000
|88,421||27,517||60,904
|42.1||13.1||29.0|| -14.9
|-
| 1947
|2,149,000
|style="color:blue" |91,305||25,407||style="color:blue" |65,898
|42.5||11.8||style="color:blue" |30.7|| -8.0
|-
| 1948
|2,187,000
|87,809||26,209||61,600
|40.2||12.0||28.2|| -11.0
|-
| 1949
|2,197,000
|85,625||23,389||62,236
|39.0||10.6||28.3|| -23.9
|-
| 1950
|2,218,000
|86,038||21,895||64,143
|38.8||9.9||27.9|| -19.6
|-
| 1951
|2,210,000
|84,076||22,374||61,702
|38.0||10.1||27.9|| -31.4
|-
| 1952
|2,212,000
|80,438||20,480||59,958
|36.3||9.3||27.1|| -26.2
|-
| 1953
|2,221,000
|77,754||17,972||59,782
|35.0||8.1||26.9|| -23.0
|-
| 1954
|2,233,000
|78,008||16,783||61,225
|34.9||7.5||27.4|| -22.2
|-
| 1955
|2,247,000
|79,221||16,243||62,978
|35.2||7.2||28.0|| -21.9
|-
| 1956
|2,262,000
|78,177||16,607||61,570
|34.5||7.3||27.2|| --20.7
|-
| 1957
|2,279,000
|76,068||16,022||60,046
|33.3||7.0||26.3|| -19.0
|-
| 1958
|2,299,000
|76,128||16,099||60,029
|33.1||7.0||26.1|| -17.6
|-
| 1959
|2,323,000
|74,933||15,870||59,063
|32.2||6.8||25.4|| -15.3
|-
| 1960
|2,356,000
|76,015||style="color:blue" |15,841||60,174
|32.2||6.7||25.5|| -11.7
|-
| 1961
|2,396,000
|75,563||16,361||59,202
|31.5||6.8||24.7|| -8.2
|-
| 1962
|2,442,000
|76,677||16,575||60,102
|31.3||6.8||24.6|| -5.9
|-
| 1963
|2,491,000
|77,382||17,386||59,996
|31.0||7.0||24.0|| -4.5
|-
| 1964
|2,538,000
|78,837||18,556||60,281
|31.0||7.3||23.7|| -5.3
|-
| 1965
|2,578,000
|79,586||17,719||61,867
|30.8||6.9||24.0|| -8.6
|-
| 1966
|2,609,000
|75,735||17,506||58,229
|29.0||6.7||22.3|| -10.6
|-
| 1967
|2,634,000
|70,755||16,780||53,975
|26.8||6.4||20.4|| -11.1
|-
| 1968
|2,656,000
|67,989||17,481||50,508
|25.5||6.6||19.0|| -10.8
|-
| 1969
|2,680,000
|67,577||17,669||49,908
|25.1||6.6||18.6|| -9.8
|-
| 1970
|2,710,000
|67,438||18,080||49,358
|24.8||6.7||18.2|| -7.2 ||style="color: blue" |2.69
|-
| 1971
|2,746,000
|71,114||18,144||52,970
|25.8||6.6||19.2|| -6.3|| style="color: blue" |2.82
|-
| 1972
|2,787,000
|68,914||19,011||49,903
|24.7||6.8||17.9|| -3,2||style="color: blue" |2.67
|-
| 1973
|2,833,000
|68,821||19,257||49,564
|24.2||6.8||17.5|| -1.3|| style="color: blue" |2.67
|-
| 1974
|2,882,000
|70,082||19,490||50,592
|24.3||6.7||17.5|| -0.6||style="color: blue" |2.65
|-
| 1975
|2,932,000
|69,691||19,073||50,618
|23.7||6.5||17.2|| -0.2||style="color: blue" |2.61
|-
| 1976
|2,984,000
|72,883||19,893||52,990
|24.4||6.7||17.7|| -0.3||style="color: blue" |2.77
|-
| 1977
|3,037,000
|75,151||19,895||55,256
|24.7||6.5||18.2|| -0.8||style="color: blue" |2.93
|-
| 1978
|3,090,000
|75,066||19,876||55,190
|24.2||6.4||17.8|| -0.7||style="color: blue" |2.86
|-
| 1979
|3,141,000
|73,781||20,390||53,391
|23.4||6.5||17.0|| -0.8||style="color: blue" |2.77
|-
| 1980
|3,188,000
|73,060||20,486||52,574
|22.9||style="color:blue" |6.4||16.4||-1.8|| style="color: blue" |2.75
|-
| 1981
|3,230,000
|71,365||21,197||50,168
|22.0||6.5||15.5|| -2.6|| style="color: blue" |2.64
|-
| 1982
|3,269,000
|69,336||21,522||47,814
|21.2||6.6||14.6|| -2.7|| style="color: blue" |2.57
|-
| 1983
|3,305,000
|65,742||21,499||44,243
|19.8||6.5||13.4|| -2.5||style="color: blue" |2.44
|-
| 1984
|3,338,000
|63,321||21,733||41,588
|18.9||6.5||12.4|| -2.6||style="color: blue" |2.37
|-
| 1985
|3,370,000
|63,629||23,194||40,435
|18.8||6.9||12.0|| -2.5|| style="color: blue" |2.34
|-
| 1986
|3,400,000
|63,551||23,387||40,164
|18.6||6.9||11.8|| -3.0|| style="color: blue" |2.31
|-
| 1987
|3,429,000
|64,393||23,954||40,439
|18.7||7.0||11.8|| -3.4|| style="color: blue" |2.27
|-
| 1988
|3,457,000
|64,081||25,123||38,958
|18.5||7.2||11.2|| -3.2|| style="color: blue" |2.27
|-
| 1989
|3,487,000
|66,692||25,987||40,705
|19.1||7.4||11.6|| -3.1||style="color: blue" |2.36
|-
| 1990
|3,518,000
|66,565||26,138||40,407
|18.9||7.4||11.5|| -2.7||style="color: blue" |2.35
|-
| 1991
|3,552,000
|64,498||26,321||38,177
|18.2||7.4||10.7|| -1.2|| style="color: blue" |2.20
|-
| 1992
|3,587,000
|64,471||27,389||37,082
|18.0||7.6||10.3|| -0.2|| style="color: blue" |2.18
|-
| 1993
|3,623,000
|65,258||28,493||36,765
|18.0||7.9||10.1|| -1.2||style="color: blue" |2.14
|-
| 1994
|3,657,000
|64,341||28,428||35,913
|17.6||7.8||9.8|| -0.5||2.08
|-
| 1995
|3,690,000
|63,502||30,184||33,318
|17.2||8.2||9.0|| -0.1||2.08
|-
| 1996
|3,719,000
|63,259||29,871||33,388
|17.0||8.0||9.0|| -1.2||2.06
|-
| 1997
|3,747,000
|64,214||29,119||35,095
|17.1||7.8||9.4||-1.9|| style="color: blue" |2.13
|-
| 1998
|3,770,000
|60,518||29,990||30,528
|16.1||8.0||8.1|| -2.0||1.98
|-
| 1999
|3,787,000
|59,684||29,145||30,539
|15.8||7.7||8.1|| -3.6||1.94
|-
| 2000
|3,797,000
|59,460||28,550||30,910
|15.7||7.5||8.1|| -5.5||1.93
|-
| 2001
| style="color: blue" |3,799,000
|55,982||28,794||27,188
|14.7||7.6||7.2|| -6.6||1.85
|-
| 2002
|3,795,000
|52,871||28,098||24,773
|13.9||7.4||6.5|| -7.6||1.77
|-
| 2003
|3,785,000
|50,803||28,356||22,447
|13.4||7.5||5.9||-8.5||1.71
|-
| 2004
|3,773,000
|51,239||29,066||22,173
|13.6||7.7||5.9||-9.0|| 1.74
|-
| 2005
|3,761,000
|50,687||29,702||20,985
|13.5||7.9||5.6|| -8.7||1.73
|-
| 2006
|3,750,000
|48,597||28,206||20,391
|13.0||7.5||5.4||-8.3||1.67
|-
| 2007
|3,739,000
|46,642||29,169||17,473
|12.5||7.8||4.7||-7.6||1.64
|-
| 2008
|3,729,000
|45,620||29,050||16,570
|11.5||7.8||3.7||-7.1||1.62
|-
| 2009
|3,719,000
|44,773||29,005||15,768
|11.3||7.8||3.5||-6.9||1.59
|-
| 2010
|3,722,000
|42,153||29,153||13,000
|11.3||7.8||3.5||-2.7||1.62
|-
| 2011
|3,679,000
|41,080||29,742||11,338
|11.2||8.1||3.1|| -14.6||1.60
|-
| 2012
|3,634,000
|38,900||29,448|| 9,228
|10.7||8.1||2.5|| 14.7||1.54
|-
| 2013
|3,593,000
|38,986||29,009|| 9,977
|10.9||8.1||2.8|| -14.0||1.47
|-
| 2014
|3,535,000
|34,485||30,224|| 4,261
|9.8||8.5||1.2|| -17.3||1.43
|-
| 2015
|3,474,000
|31,157||28,279||2,878
|9.0||8.1||0.9|| -18.1|| 1.34
|-
| 2016
|3,411,000
|27,406||29,613|| style="color: red" |−2,207
|8.3||8.7||style="color: red" |−0.4|| -17.5||1.24
|-
| 2017
|3,337,000
|23,582||30,977|| style="color: red" |−7,395
|7.3||9.3||style="color: red"|−2.0|| -19.5||1.10
|-
| 2018
|3,193,354
|21,424||29,109|| style="color: red" |−7,685
|6.7||9.1||style="color: red"|−2.4|| -40.7||1.04
|-
| 2019
|3,193,694
|20,409||29,638||style="color: red" |-9,229
|6.4||9.3||style="color: red"|−2.9|| 3.0||0.98
|-
| 2020
|3,285,874
|18,933||31,679||style="color: red" |-12,746
|style="color:red" |5.8||9.6||style="color: red" |−3.8|| 32.9||0.92
|-
| 2021
|3,263,584
|18,833||33,001||style="color: red" |-14,168
|5.9||10.1||style="color: red" |-4.2|| -2.5||0.91
|-
| 2022
|3,221,789
|19,112||35,466||style="color: red" |-16,354
|5.9||10.9||style="color: red" |-5.0|| -7.8||0.91
|-
| 2023
|3,205,691
|18,641||34,253||style="color: red" |-15,612
|5.8||10.7||style="color: red" |-4.9||-0.2||0.90
|-
|2024
|
|style="color:red" |18,146||33,091||style="color: red" |-14,945
|style="color: red" |5.7||10.3||style="color: red" |-4.6||||
|-
|2025
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|}

===Current vital statistics===
{| class="wikitable"  style="text-align:center;"
|+
|-
! Period
! Live births
! Deaths
! Natural increase
|-
| '''January - June 2023 '''
| 8,908
| 17,108
| -8,200
|-
| '''January - June 2024'''
| 8,477
| 16,812
| -8,335
|-
| '''Difference'''
| {{Decrease}} -431 (-4.83%)
| {{DecreasePositive}} -296 (-1.73%)
| {{decrease}} -135
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align: center;" | '''Source:'''<ref>{{cite web |title=Vital Statistics Rapid Release – State and National Provisional Counts |url=https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/provisional-tables.htm |website=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|date=October 21, 2022 }}</ref>
|}

=== Life expectancy ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!Period
!Life expectancy in
Years
!Period
!Life expectancy in
Years
|-
|1950–1955
|63.5
|1985–1990
|74.6
|-
|1955–1960
|67.9
|1990–1995
|73.8
|-
|1960–1965
|69.1
|1995–2000
|74.9
|-
|1965–1970
|70.7
|2000–2005
|76.8
|-
|1970–1975
|72.4
|2005–2010
|77.8
|-
|1975–1980
|73.5
|2010–2015
|79.2
|-
|1980–1985
|73.9
|
|
|}
Source: ''UN World Population Prospects''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/|title=World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations|access-date=July 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919061238/https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/|archive-date=September 19, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Ethnic groups ==

{| class="wikitable" align="right"
|+Racial composition of the Puerto Rican <br />population, by the census, 1802–2020<ref name="Puerto Rico's History on race">{{cite web|url=http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/demsem/loveman-muniz.pdf|title=Puerto Rico's History on race|website=Ssc.wisc.edu|access-date=October 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207224431/http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/demsem/loveman-muniz.pdf|archive-date=February 7, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="mona.uwi.edu">{{cite web |url=http://www.mona.uwi.edu/liteng/courses/e21h_2007/documents/santiago/Neither%20Black%20nor%20White-The%20Representation%20of%20Puerto%20Rican%20Racial%20Identity.RTF |title=Department of Literatures in English &#124; Department of Literatures in English &#124; the University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica |website=www.mona.uwi.edu |access-date=27 January 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121212130544/http://www.mona.uwi.edu/liteng/courses/e21h_2007/documents/santiago/Neither%20Black%20nor%20White-The%20Representation%20of%20Puerto%20Rican%20Racial%20Identity.RTF |archive-date=12 December 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/puerto-rico/|title=The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency|website=Cia.gov|access-date=October 14, 2017}}</ref><ref>[http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/ 2010.census.gov] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110324073045/http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/ |date=March 24, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://stewartsynopsis.com/racial_amnesia.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171842/http://stewartsynopsis.com/racial_amnesia.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 3, 2016|title=Racial Amnesia|date=March 3, 2016|access-date=October 14, 2017}}</ref>
|-
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| [[White people|White%]]
!scope="col"| Non-White%
|-
|scope="row"|1802
|42.0||58.0
|-
|scope="row"|1812
|40.8||59.2
|-
|scope="row"|1820
|39.4||60.6
|-
|scope="row"|1830
|45.1||54.9
|-
|scope="row"|1877
|52.3||47.7
|-
|scope="row"|1887
|53.5||46.5
|-
|scope="row"|1897
|64.3||35.7
|-
|scope="row"|1899
|61.8||38.2
|-
|scope="row"|1910
|64.5||35.5
|-
|scope="row"|1920
|72.0||28.0
|-
|scope="row"|1930
|73.3||26.7
|-
|scope="row"|1935
|75.2||24.8
|-
|scope="row"|1940
|76.0||24.0
|-
|scope="row"|1950
|79.7||20.3
|-
|scope="row"|2000
|80.5||19.5
|-
|scope="row"|2010
|75.8||24.2
|-
|2020
|17.1 
|82.9
|-
|}

===Race and ethnicity===
====Background====
In the late 1700s, Puerto Rico had laws like the ''Regla del Sacar'' or ''Gracias al Sacar'' where a person of mixed ancestry could be considered legally white so long as they could prove that at least one person per generation in the last four generations had also been legally white. Therefore, people of mixed ancestry with known white lineage were classified as white, the opposite of the "[[one-drop rule]]" in the United States.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=qLSU-SiojsYC&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22 ''Not of Pure Blood.''] Jay Kinsbruner. [[Duke University Press]]. 1996. Page 22. Retrieved January 27, 2012.</ref>

A strong wave of European immigration and the large importation of slaves from Africa increased the population of Puerto Rico sixfold during the 19th century. No major immigration wave occurred during the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3659/is_200108/ai_n8981492|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070608151127/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3659/is_200108/ai_n8981492|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 8, 2007|title=Mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals substantial Native American ancestry in Puerto Rico Human Biology – Find Articles|date=June 8, 2007|access-date=October 14, 2017}}</ref>

The federal [[Naturalization Act of 1790|Naturalization Act]], signed into law on March 26, 1790, by President Washington stated that immigrants to the United States had to be White according to the definition under the British Common Law, which the United States inherited. The legal definition of Whiteness differed greatly from White Society's informal definition,{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} thus Jews, Romani Peoples, Middle Eastern Peoples and those of the Indian Subcontinent were before 1917 classified as White for Immigration purposes but not considered White by the society at large.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}} The Naturalization Act of 1870, passed during Reconstruction, allowed for peoples of African descent to become U.S. Citizens but it excluded other nonwhites. The U.S. Supreme Court in the case United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898) declared that all nonwhites who were born in the United States were eligible for citizenship via the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment. U.S. Immigration Policy was first restricted toward Chinese with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the Gentleman's Agreement of 1907 in which Japan voluntarily barred emigration to the United States and the Immigration Act of 1917 or the Asiatic Barred Zone which barred immigrants from all of the Middle East, the Steppes and the Orient, excluding the Philippines which was then a US Colony. European Jews and Romani, although of Asiatic Ancestry, were not affected by the Asiatic Barred Zone, as they held European Citizenship. The [[Immigration Act of 1924|Johnson-Reed act of 1924]] applied only to the Eastern Hemisphere. The Act imposed immigration quotas on Europe, which allowed for easy immigration from Northern and Western Europe, but almost excluded the Southern and Eastern European Nations. Africa and Asia were excluded altogether. The Western Hemisphere remained unrestricted to immigrate to the United States. Thus under the Immigration Act of 1924 all Hispanics and Caribbeans could immigrate to the United States, but a White family from Poland or Russia could not immigrate. Puerto Rican Citizenship was created under the Foraker Act, Pub.L. 56–191, 31 Stat. 77 but it wasn't until 1917 that Puerto Ricans were granted full American Citizenship under the Jones–Shafroth Act (Pub.L. 64–368, 39 Stat. 951). Puerto Ricans, excluding those of obvious African ancestry, were like most Hispanics formally classified as White under U.S. Law.{{Citation needed|date=February 2025}}

====Censuses====
The first [[1899 Puerto Rico Census|census]] by the United States in 1899 reported a population of 953,243 inhabitants, 61.8% of them classified as white, 31.9% as mixed, and 6.3% as black.<ref name="PR 1905">{{cite book | author=Office of the Secretary | title=Register of Porto Rico | publisher=Office of the Secretary | year=1905 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vekCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA8 | access-date=September 17, 2022 | page=8}}</ref>

According to the 1920 Puerto Rico census, 2,505 individuals immigrated to Puerto Rico between 1910 and 1920. Of these, 2,270 were classified as "white" in the 1920 census (1,205 from Spain, 280 from Venezuela, 180 from Cuba, and 135 from the Dominican Republic).
During the same 10-year period, 7,873 Puerto Ricans emigrated to the U.S. Of these, 6,561 were listed as "white" on the U.S mainland census, 909 as "Spanish white" and 403 as "black".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/demsem/loveman-muniz.pdf|title=How Puerto Rico became white|website=Ssc.wisc.edu|access-date=October 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207224431/http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/demsem/loveman-muniz.pdf|archive-date=February 7, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Until 1950, the U.S. Bureau of the Census attempted to quantify the racial composition of the island's population, while experimenting with various racial taxonomies. In 1960 the census dropped the racial identification question for Puerto Rico but included it again in the year 2000. The only category that remained constant over time was white, even as other racial labels shifted greatly—from "colored" to "Black", "mulatto" and "other".
Regardless of the precise terminology, the census reported that the majority of the Puerto Rican population was white from 1899 to 2000.<ref name="mona.uwi.edu"/>

{{update section|date=May 2022}}

According to the 2015 Race and Hispanic Origin estimate (2011–2015 American Community Survey) published by the [[US Census]] Bureau, the data for Puerto Rico was as follows:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |title=Race and Hispanic Origin, Puerto Rico |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2016 |website=US Census |publisher=US Department of Commerce |access-date=February 18, 2017 }}</ref>
* White alone 2,495,997
* Black or African American alone 301,519
* American Indian and Alaska Native alone 11,775
* Asian alone 10,159
* Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone 129
* Some Other Race alone 431,443
* Two or More Races 332,051
* Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 3,547,288
* White alone, Not Hispanic or Latino 24,900
In 2020, the Census Bureau reported the following data:

* White alone 560,592 
* Black or African American alone 228,711
* American Indian and Alaska Native alone 17,870
* Asian alone 4,001
* Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone 593
* Some Other Race alone 838,316
* Two or More Races 1,635,791
* Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 3,249,043
* White alone, Not Hispanic or Latino 24,548

In the 2020 census, the percentage of the population identifying as white dropped to 17.1%, down from 75.8% in the 2010 census. A similar drop in identification as white was seen among Hispanics in the 50 states and [[Washington, D.C.]], where the percentage of [[White Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics identifying as white]] dropped from 53.0% to 20.3%. The change has been attributed to the wording of the Spanish-language version of the census questionnaire.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}

===Genetic studies===
{| class="wikitable collapsible collapsed" style="float:right; clear:right; margin: 0 0 0 1em; min-width:33em; font-size:88%"
!colspan=3|Racial distribution – 2020 Census<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.topuertorico.org/pdf/2kh72.pdf|title=Ethnicity 2000 census|website=Topuertorico.org|access-date=October 14, 2017}}</ref>
|-
! Race
! Population
! % of Total
|-
| '''Total'''||3,285,874||100%
|-
| '''''One race'''''||811,610||24.7%
|-
| :'''[[White people|White]]'''||560,592||17.1%
|-
| :'''Black/African American'''||230,011||7.0%
|-
| :'''[[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]] and [[Alaska Native]]'''||16,429||0.5%
|-
| :'''[[Asian people|Asian]]'''||3,285||0.1%
|-
| :'''[[Native Hawaiian]]/[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]]'''||1,093||0.0%
|-
| :'''Some other race'''||837,897||25.5%
|-
| '''''Two or more races'''''||1,636,365||49.8%
|}Puerto Ricans, on average, have genetic contributions from Europeans, West Africans, and Native Americans of approximately 66%, 18%, and 16%, respectively.<ref>{{cite journal | pmc = 1950843 | pmid=17701908 | doi=10.1086/520769 | volume=81 | issue=3 | title=Recent genetic selection in the ancestral admixture of Puerto Ricans | year=2007 | journal=Am. J. Hum. Genet. | pages=626–33 | last1 = Tang | first1 = H | last2 = Choudhry | first2 = S | last3 = Mei | first3 = R | last4 = Morgan | first4 = M | last5 = Rodriguez-Cintron | first5 = W | last6 = Burchard | first6 = EG | last7 = Risch | first7 = NJ}}</ref> {{Clarify |text=A recent study of [[mitochondrial DNA]] (mtDNA) from 800 individuals found that patrilineal input, as indicated by the [[Y chromosome|Y-chromosome]], |reason=This doesn't make sense: mtDNA and Y-chromosome DNA are unrelated; the study is about mtDNA not patrilineage. From a quick skimread, I can't see any substantial discussion of patrilineage at all.<!-- Hence {{Failed verification}} below --> |date=May 2020 }} showed 66% of Puerto Ricans could trace their ancestry to male European ancestors, 18% could trace it to male African ancestors, and 16% could trace it to male Native American ancestors.<ref name="Ancestry">{{cite journal |last=Martínez Cruzado |first=Juan C. |year=2002 |title=The Use of Mitochondrial DNA to Discover Pre-Columbian Migrations to the Caribbean: Results for Puerto Rico and Expectations for the Dominican Republic |journal=KACIKE: The Journal of Caribbean Amerindian History and Anthropology |issue=Special Issue |editor=Lynne Guitar |url=http://www.kacike.org/MartinezEnglish.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040622184420/http://www.kacike.org/MartinezEnglish.pdf |access-date=September 25, 2006 |archive-date=June 22, 2004 }}</ref>{{Failed verification |date=May 2020 }}<!-- See {{Clarify}} above -->

===Non-Hispanic population===
In 2020, non-Hispanic residents of Puerto Rico made up 1.1% of the population, up from 1.0% in 2010. Their highest concentrations are in [[Culebra, Puerto Rico|Culebra]] (10.8%), [[Vieques]] (8.0%), [[Rincón, Puerto Rico|Rincón]] (5.1%), [[Dorado, Puerto Rico|Dorado]] (3.4%), [[Luquillo]] (2.9%), [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] (2.2%) [[Guaynabo]] (2.1%) and [[Humacao]] (2.0%).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.census.gov/library/stories/state-by-state/puerto-rico-population-change-between-census-decade.html | title=Puerto Rico Population Declined 11.8% from 2010 to 2020 }}</ref>

===Women in the diaspora===
In a study done on Puerto Rican women (of all races) born on the island but living in New York by Carolina Bonilla, [[Mark D. Shriver]] and Esteban Parra in 2004, the ancestry proportions corresponding to the three parental populations were found to be 53.3±2.8% European, 29.1±2.3% West African, and 17.6±2.4% Native American based on [[autosomal]] ancestry informative markers. Although [[autosomal]] markers tests seem to draw a more broad picture than that of single, gender-based [[mtDNA]] and [[Y-Chromosome]] tests, the problem with autosomal DNA is in the archaic categories used: "European", "Sub-Saharan African", "East Asian" & "Native American".  "Asian" (South, North or East) & "North African" are not included.  These generalized categories may not take into account the complexity of migratory patterns across the Old World.  The study also found that, from the women sampled, 98% had European ancestry markers, 87% had African ancestry markers, 84% had Native American ancestry markers, 5% showed only African and European markers, 4% showed mostly Native American and European markers, 2% showed only African markers, and 2% showed mostly European markers.<ref name=Ancestry2>Bonilla et al., Ancestral proportions and their association with skin pigmentation and bone mineral density in Puerto Rican women from New York City. Hum Gen (2004) 115: 57–58 Available at: {{cite web|url=http://onedroprule.org/forum/index.php?file%3Dbonilla-2004-pigmnt-bmd-pr-women.pdf |title=ODR Forum Upload :: Login |access-date=March 30, 2014 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20090114205855/http://thestudyofracialism.org/forum/index.php?file=bonilla-2004-pigmnt-bmd-pr-women.pdf |archive-date=January 14, 2009 }} [Date of access: May 30, 2008]</ref>

==Religion==
There are many religious beliefs represented in the island with Christianity as the religion indicated by the majority in 2010.

Religious breakdown in Puerto Rico (2010):<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/puerto-rico#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010 |title=Demography – Puerto Rico |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=January 2017 |website=Pew Research |publisher=Pew Research, DC |access-date=February 18, 2017 |archive-date=May 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511221913/http://www.globalreligiousfutures.org/countries/puerto-rico#/?affiliations_religion_id=0&affiliations_year=2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = '''Pew Research Center (2010)'''<ref name="auto"/>
|label1 = [[Catholic]]
|value1 = 69.7
|color1 = Blue
|label2 = [[Protestant]]
|value2 = 25.1
|color2 = Violet
|label3 = Other Christian
|value3 = 1.9
|color3 = DarkBlue
|label4 = Other
|value4 = 1.4
|color4 = Red
|label5 = [[Irreligious]]
|value5 = 1.9
|color5 = Black
}}

===Christians===
A recent report providing a full breakdown as to specific religions is not available; the most recent was for 2006.

The Christian Denominational Breakdown was as follows in 2006:<ref>
[http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/country/?CountryID=29 Denominations] Retrieved June 9, 2009.  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090117024117/http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/country/?CountryID=29 |date=January 17, 2009 }}</ref>

<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="float:center; margin:1ex 5 1ex 1ex;"
|-colspan="3" align="center"| '''Christian Denominations in Pto. Rico (2006)'''
|-
! Denomination !! Adherents
|-
|[[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]]|| align="right"| 1,650,000
|-
|Other [[Pentecostal]] || align="right"| 229,814
|-
|[[Pentecostal Church of God (Puerto Rico)|Pentecostal Church of God]]|| align="right" | 100,000
|-
|[[Assemblies of God USA|Assemblies of God]] || align="right"| 56,000
|-
|[[American Baptist Churches USA|Baptist Convention]] || align="right"| 35,000
|-
|[[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventist]] || align="right"| 31,524
|-
|[[Jehovah's Witnesses]] || align="right"| 25,778
|-
|[[Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee)|Church of God (Cleveland)]] || align="right"| 17,500
|-
|[[Defenders of the Faith (Puerto Rico)|Defenders of the Faith]] || align="right"| 17,500
|-
|[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] || align="right"| 16,084
|-
|[[Disciples of Christ]] || align="right"| 10,778
|-
|[[United Methodist]] || align="right"| 10,000
|-
|[[List of Presbyterian Church (USA) synods and presbyteries#Synod of Boriquen (Puerto Rico)|Boriquen Presby Synod]] || align="right"| 8,300
|-
|[[Christian and Missionary Alliance]] || align="right"| 6,500
|-
|[[Church of the Nazarene]]|| align="right"| 2,994
|-
|Other || align="right"| 130,400
|}

====Catholics====
The [[Catholic Church]] has been historically the most dominant religion of the majority of Puerto Ricans, with Puerto Rico having the first [[dioceses]] in the Americas.<ref name="CathEncy"/> This religion was brought by Spanish colonists. The first [[dioceses]] in the Americas, including that of Puerto Rico, were authorized by [[Pope Julius&nbsp;II]] in 1511.<ref name="CathEncy">{{CathEncy|wstitle=Porto Rico|last= Jones |first= W.A.|author-link=|volume=12|short=1}}</ref> One Pope, [[John Paul&nbsp;II]], visited Puerto Rico in October 1984. All [[Municipalities of Puerto Rico|municipalities]] in Puerto Rico have at least one Catholic Church, most of which are located at the town center or "''plaza''".

An [[Associated Press]] article in March 2014 stated that "more than 70 percent of whom identify themselves as Catholic" but provided no source for this information. (It may have been using the 2010 [[Pew Research Center]] data.)<ref>
{{cite web |url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/catholic-church-and-puerto-rico-officials-at-odds-in-widening-sex-abuse-investigation/ |title=Catholic Church and Puerto Rico officials at odds in widening sex abuse investigation |agency=Associated Press |date=March 12, 2014 |website=Fox News|access-date=February 17, 2017}}</ref>

The CIA World Factbook however, reports that 85% of the population of Puerto Rico identifies as Roman Catholic, while 15% identify as Protestant and Other. Neither a date or a source for that information is provided and may not be recent.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/puerto-rico/ |title=Puerto Rico – People and Society |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2015 |website=CIA Library |publisher=CIA |access-date=February 17, 2017 |quote=Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%}}</ref>

In November 2014, a Pew Research report, with the sub-title ''Widespread Change in a Historically Catholic Region'', indicated that only 56% of Puerto Ricans were Catholic and that 33% were Protestant. This survey was completed between October 2013 and February 2014.

====Protestants====
[[Protestantism in Puerto Rico]] was suppressed under Spanish rule. Prior to the [[Spanish–American War]] there was only one Protestant church on the island, the [[Iglesia de la Santísima Trinidad|Holy Trinity Anglican Church]], which was established in 1872 and served the British expatriate community in [[Ponce, Puerto Rico|Ponce]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://episcopalpr.org/sobre_nosotros/sobre_nosotros.html |title=Sobre Nosotros |publisher=Episcopalpr.org |access-date=February 6, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100317153425/http://www.episcopalpr.org/sobre_nosotros/sobre_nosotros.html |archive-date=March 17, 2010}}</ref> The church was forbidden from ringing its bell, using its front door, or holding services in Spanish until 1898, when American troops landed in Ponce and established freedom of worship.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.puertorico.com/culture/religion/|title=Religion in Puerto Rico – By Puerto Rico Channel|website=Puertorico.com|access-date=October 14, 2017}}</ref> This was the first non-Catholic church in the [[Spanish Empire]] in [[the Americas]].<ref>Luis Fortuño Janeiro. ''Album Histórico de Ponce (1692–1963).'' Page 165. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Imprenta Fortuño. 1963.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.preb.com/articulos/aleman2.htm |title=La presencia Germanica en Puerto Rico |publisher=Preb.com |access-date=February 6, 2011}}</ref>

Protestantism grew under American sovereignty due to the work of American missionaries, making contemporary Puerto Rico more interconfessional than in previous centuries, although Catholicism continues to be the dominant religion.

===Muslims===
In 2007, there were over 5,000 Muslims in Puerto Rico, representing about 0.13% of the population.<ref>[http://www.iiie.net/index.php?q=node/65 Institute of Islamic Information and Education: Number of Muslims and Percentage in Puerto Rico] Retrieved June 11, 2009. Corrected October 6, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/country/?CountryID=29 Percent Puerto Rican population that are Muslims] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927194154/http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/country/?CountryID=29 |date=September 27, 2007 }} Retrieved June 8, 2009.
</ref> There are eight Islamic mosques spread throughout the island, with most Muslims living in [[Río Piedras, Puerto Rico|Río Piedras]].<ref>
[http://www.pupr.edu/msa/mosques.html Muslim mosques in Puerto Rico] {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20120805220625/http://www.pupr.edu/msa/mosques.html |date=August 5, 2012 }} Retrieved June 8, 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198706/muslims.in.the.caribbean.htm|title=Saudi Aramco World : Muslims in the Caribbean|website=Saudiaramcoworld.com|access-date=October 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120520061156/http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198706/muslims.in.the.caribbean.htm|archive-date=May 20, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Puerto Rican converts to Islam continue to occur.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discoveringislam.org/puerto_rican_converts.htm|title=Puerto Rican Converts|website=Discoveringislam.org|access-date=October 14, 2017}}</ref> "Ties between Latinos and Islam are more than just spiritual, but date back to Spanish history. Many people do not realize that Muslims conquered Spain".<ref name="Reshaping One Nation Under God">[http://www.nyunews.com/2.6138/reshaping-one-nation-under-god-1.640671 Reshaping One Nation Under God] Retrieved June 8, 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090517082143/http://www.nyunews.com/2.6138/reshaping-one-nation-under-god-1.640671 |date=May 17, 2009 }}</ref> And at times not just individuals, but whole families convert.  However, lack of Muslim education in the Island forces some Puerto Rican Muslims to migrate to the States.<ref name="Reshaping One Nation Under God"/> Islam was brought into Puerto Rico mainly via the Palestinian migration of the 1950s and '60s.<ref>[http://globalpuertorico.com/Islam.aspx Palestinian migration] Retrieved June 8, 2009. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111007171601/http://globalpuertorico.com/Islam.aspx |date=October 7, 2011 }}</ref> Thus, today there is a strong Palestinian presence among Muslims in Puerto Rico. "They are economically strong and are thus able to pay for a full-time [[Imaam]]".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://islamweb.net/ver2/archive/article.php?lang=E&id=136012 |title=IslamWeb - Muslims in the Caribbean |access-date=June 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023020246/http://islamweb.net/ver2/archive/article.php?lang=E&id=136012 |archive-date=October 23, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Jews===
Puerto Rico is also home to the largest Jewish community in the Caribbean, with 3,000 Jewish inhabitants.<ref>{{cite news|title=The Jewish Palate: The Jews of Puerto Rico|url=https://www.jpost.com/Food-Index/The-Jewish-Palate-The-Jews-of-Puerto-Rico|access-date=August 9, 2016|newspaper=The Jerusalem Post}}</ref> Some Puerto Ricans have converted, not only as individuals but as entire families. Puerto Rico is the only Caribbean island in which the [[Conservative Jews|Conservative]], [[Reform Jews|Reform]] and [[Orthodox Jews|Orthodox Jewish]] movements are represented.<ref name="JVL"/><ref name="LN">{{cite web|url=http://www.luxner.com/cgi-bin/view_article.cgi?articleID=1237|title=Luxner – Articles|website=Luxner.com|access-date=October 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051107203700/http://www.luxner.com/cgi-bin/view_article.cgi?articleID=1237|archive-date=November 7, 2005|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Other religious practices===
[[Taíno people|Taíno religious practices]] have been rediscovered/reinvented by a handful of advocates. According to some sources, starting in about 1840, there have been attempts to create a quasi-indigenous Taíno identity in rural areas of Puerto Rico.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/pre-colonial-history/taino-indigenous-caribbeans/|title=Taíno: Indigenous Caribbeans – Black History Month 2017|work=Black History Month 2017|access-date=February 6, 2018}}</ref> This trend accelerated among the Puerto Rican community in the mainland United States in the 1960s.<ref>Alexandra Aikhenvald (2012) ''Languages of the Amazon'', Oxford University Press</ref> In the 2010 U.S. census, 9,399 people are identified as "Taíno."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2010/cph-t/cph-t-6.html|title=American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2010 (CPH-T-6)|date=2010|website=Census.gov|publisher=Census bureau|access-date=September 14, 2016}}</ref>

Various African religious practices have been present since the arrival of enslaved Africans. In particular, the [[Yoruba religion|Yoruba beliefs]] of [[Santería]] and/or [[Ifá]], and the [[Kongo people|Kongo]]-derived [[Palo Mayombe]] (sometimes called an African belief system, but rather a way of [[Bantu peoples|Bantu]] lifestyle of [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|Congo]] origin) find adherence among the few individuals who practice some form of [[African traditional religion]].
==Languages==
* Spanish (main language)
* English

== See also ==
{{Portal|Puerto Rico}}
* [[Puerto Rican people]]
* [[Stateside Puerto Ricans]]
* [[Puerto Rican citizenship and nationality]]
* [[Demographics of the United States]]
* [[Puerto Rican citizenship]]
* [[Outline of Puerto Rico]]
* [[Cultural diversity in Puerto Rico]]
** [[Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico]]
** [[French immigration to Puerto Rico]]
** [[Crypto-Judaism]]
** [[German immigration to Puerto Rico]]
** [[Irish immigration to Puerto Rico]]
** [[Royal Decree of Graces of 1815]]
* [[Index of Puerto Rico-related articles]]
* [[History of women in Puerto Rico]]
* [[Military history of Puerto Rico]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Puerto Rico]]
* [[Homelessness#Puerto Rico|Homelessness in Puerto Rico]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite journal |title=Population and Society in Puerto Rico from the Spanish Colonial Era to 1940: A Select Bibliography |journal= Caribbean Studies |issn=0008-6533 |publisher= [[University of Puerto Rico]] |volume= 35 |pages= 155–169 |number= 2 |jstor= 25613118 |year=2007 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Pyle |first1=Sam |last2=Celestine |first2=Adia |last3=Ging |first3=Angela |last4=Christy |first4=Brooke |url=http://diginole.lib.fsu.edu/islandora/object/fsu:330366/datastream/PDF/view |journal=Florida State University Libraries |title=Puerto Rico: A Sociological Analysis of Disparities in Hispanic Identification |publisher=[[Florida State University]] |date=April 21, 2016}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060924164815/http://www.columbia.edu/~ad245/GyenesE.pdf The End of Slavery ...]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120207224431/http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/cde/demsem/loveman-muniz.pdf How Puerto Rico Became White: Racial analysis]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110608192318/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=04000US72&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010 Puerto rico 2005 Fact finder statistics]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040218133622/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/cdbdemo/cdb_da_itypes_cr.asp?country_code=630 United Nations country profile]
* [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=1914811 Genetic Make-up of Puerto Ricans]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150430130413/http://www.uic.edu/orgs/cwluherstory/CWLUArchive/puertorico.html 1930s Sterilization of One Third of Puerto Rican Women by the Chicago Women's Liberation Union]

{{Puerto Rico topics}}
{{Puerto Rican migrations}}
{{North America in topic|Demographics of}}
{{Demographics of the United States by state}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demographics Of Puerto Rico}}
[[Category:Demographics of Puerto Rico| ]]
[[Category:Society of Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:Multiracial affairs in the United States]]
[[Category:Demographics of insular areas of the United States|Puerto Rico]]