Puerto Rico Flag

Puerto Rico

Capital:
San Juan
Continent:
North America
Region(s):
Caribbean
Largest Cities:
San Juan, Bayamon, Carolina
Abbreviation:
PRI

3.2M
Total Population
135
Population Rank
364.75
Density (km²)
-6.9K -0.25%
Annual Population Growth

Population of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico's population structure shows a notably lower male to female ratio of 0.89 to 1, with a median male age of 44.48 years old and a median female age of 48.29 years old. The highest concentration of adults under 75 years old is in the 60 and 59 year-old age groups, while the lowest concentration is in the 37 and 38 year-old age groups.

Puerto Rico Population

Data after 2022 is projected based on recent change

Puerto Rico Population Clock

Puerto Rico Population*
3,239,130
Births per Day
52
Deaths per Day
95
Immigrations per Day
15
Net Change per Day
28
2025 Population Change*
1,204

* As of 2/12/2025

1 birth

Every 27.7 minutes

1 death

Every 15.2 minutes

1 immigrant

Every 1.6 hours

1 person

Every 51.4 minutes

Population by City

City
2025 Pop.
San Juan418,140
Bayamon203,499
Carolina170,404
Ponce152,634

Puerto Rico Overview

The latest available figures put Puerto Rico’s population at 3,706,690. This is based on a US Census Bureau estimate from July 2011. At the time of writing in 2014, the estimated population is 3.68 million.

Puerto Rico Demographics

The people of Puerto Rico are mostly from a combination of backgrounds including European colonization, slavery, Amerindian settlement, and economic migration. It is common to find Puerto Rican people in all parts of the United States. In terms of race, 75.8% of the population identifies as white, 12.4% of people are African American or black, and the remaining 8.5% of people are a combination of American Indian, Alaskan natives, Pacific Islanders, and mixes of all of the aforementioned. The two official languages in Puerto Rico are Spanish and English. The largest age group is people 25-54, which make up 37.99% of the population, and the median age in the country is 42.2 years old. The ratio of males to females is 1.06, meaning that there are slightly more males.

Puerto Rico Religion, Economy and Politics

Officially Puerto Rico is a religiously free commonwealth, but the majority of its population are Roman Catholic with 85% of its people claiming the faith. Roman Catholics in Puerto Rico have many everyday objects scattered through their lives that have religious affiliation such as rosaries and carvings of the Virgin Mary. Christianity also makes up an additional 8% of the population with the Protestant church. The remaining population is a combination of people without religion, spiritual people that practice Santeria from Cuba, and Jews, and Muslims. Although the Jewish community is small, it is made up of three different forms: Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative.

2006 changes in the United States tax system that took investment money out of the Caribbean coincided with a sharp downturn in the Puerto Rican economy. Unemployment has been increasing as a result and many citizens are leaving the island for the US mainland in hope for better opportunities. Manufacturing is the largest sector in Puerto Rico, producing pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, and electronics. The real estate and tourism industries are also very strong. Hurricane Maria in 2017 caused power outages over 90% of the area, in addition to destroying countless homes and causing widespread water contamination. Months after the destruction, roughly 40% were still living in these conditions due to lack of funding and aid.

Puerto Rico Population History

Christopher Columbus claimed the land that is now Puerto Rico as Spain’s in 1493, and the Spanish began to settle the area roughly 15 years later. In 1898, Puerto Rico was ceded to the United States under the Treaty of Paris and the US brought a civil government to the area and maintained strict control over the island. Puerto Ricans were granted in 1917 by the Jones Act, and by 1947 they were beginning to be allowed to self-govern. A landslide killed 129 people in 1985, and Hurricane George ravaged the area in 1998.

In 2005 a fugitive rebel leader that was pro-independence, Filberto Ojeda Pios, was killed by US federal agents, and the way the US treated innocent civilians caused unrest on the island. In 2017 Puerto Rico was forced to declare bankruptcy after being unable to repay debts. Later that year, two hurricanes pounded the island killing several thousand.