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Demographics of Puerto Rico

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Demographics of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico population pyramid in 2020
Population Change Timeline (1960–2017)
Population Density
Population (2021)3,263,584
Male population (2010)1,785,171
Female population (2010)1,940,618
Population growth-1.32%
Birth rate (2022 est.)5.9/1,000
Death rate (2022 est.)10.9/1,000
Infant mortality rate8.24/1,000
Life expectancy78.29 years
NationalityPuerto Rican
Demographic bureaux2010 United States Census

The population of Puerto Rico has been shaped by native American settlement, European colonization especially under the Spanish Empire, slavery and economic migration. Demographic features of the population of Puerto Rico include population density, ethnicity, education of the populace, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

History of migration

[edit]
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1765 44,883—    
1775 70,250+56.5%
1800 155,426+121.2%
1815 220,892+42.1%
1832 350,051+58.5%
1846 447,914+28.0%
1860 583,308+30.2%
1877 731,648+25.4%
1887 798,565+9.1%
1899 953,243+19.4%
1910 1,118,012+17.3%
1920 1,299,809+16.3%
1930 1,543,913+18.8%
1940 1,869,255+21.1%
1950 2,210,703+18.3%
1960 2,349,544+6.3%
1970 2,712,033+15.4%
1980 3,196,520+17.9%
1990 3,522,037+10.2%
2000 3,808,610+8.1%
2010 3,725,789−2.2%
2020 3,285,874−11.8%
2021 3,263,584−0.7%

Sometime between 400 B.C. and A.D. 100, the 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.[4] By A.D. 1000, the indigenous Taíno inhabited the island. They called the island Borikén, which is popularly said to mean "land of the valiant one".[5][4] 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.[6] In the 15th century, the Carib lived on nearby islands and periodically invaded Taíno villages.[4]

Historical Immigration

[edit]
Immigration to Puerto Rico

The 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 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 tri-racial ethnicity.

In the late 18th century, the number of African slaves began to dwindle on the island. The 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 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, cuisine and most notably in the variety of Spanish that is spoken in Puerto Rico.

Although the vast majority of settlers came from Spain, Catholics from France, Ireland, Corsica, Italy, Germany and other 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 Spanish Crown. During the early 20th century 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 U.S. mainland, who were joined after 1959 by an influx of Jewish emigres from Fidel Castro's Cuba.[7]

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

[edit]

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.[8] 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.[8] 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.[8] There were also 8,417 African Americans, 2,873 Asian Indians, 2,462 Chinese, and all other groups numbering about 6,000.[8]

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.[9][10] 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.[11] 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

[edit]

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

Further information: Puerto Ricans in the United States

Vital statistics

[edit]
Puerto Rico's vital statistics 1910–2023[12][13][14][15]
Average population Live births Deaths Natural change Crude birth rate (per 1000) Crude death rate (per 1000) Natural change (per 1000) Crude migration change (per 1000) 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 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 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 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 91,305 25,407 65,898 42.5 11.8 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 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 2.69
1971 2,746,000 71,114 18,144 52,970 25.8 6.6 19.2 -6.3 2.82
1972 2,787,000 68,914 19,011 49,903 24.7 6.8 17.9 -3,2 2.67
1973 2,833,000 68,821 19,257 49,564 24.2 6.8 17.5 -1.3 2.67
1974 2,882,000 70,082 19,490 50,592 24.3 6.7 17.5 -0.6 2.65
1975 2,932,000 69,691 19,073 50,618 23.7 6.5 17.2 -0.2 2.61
1976 2,984,000 72,883 19,893 52,990 24.4 6.7 17.7 -0.3 2.77
1977 3,037,000 75,151 19,895 55,256 24.7 6.5 18.2 -0.8 2.93
1978 3,090,000 75,066 19,876 55,190 24.2 6.4 17.8 -0.7 2.86
1979 3,141,000 73,781 20,390 53,391 23.4 6.5 17.0 -0.8 2.77
1980 3,188,000 73,060 20,486 52,574 22.9 6.4 16.4 -1.8 2.75
1981 3,230,000 71,365 21,197 50,168 22.0 6.5 15.5 -2.6 2.64
1982 3,269,000 69,336 21,522 47,814 21.2 6.6 14.6 -2.7 2.57
1983 3,305,000 65,742 21,499 44,243 19.8 6.5 13.4 -2.5 2.44
1984 3,338,000 63,321 21,733 41,588 18.9 6.5 12.4 -2.6 2.37
1985 3,370,000 63,629 23,194 40,435 18.8 6.9 12.0 -2.5 2.34
1986 3,400,000 63,551 23,387 40,164 18.6 6.9 11.8 -3.0 2.31
1987 3,429,000 64,393 23,954 40,439 18.7 7.0 11.8 -3.4 2.27
1988 3,457,000 64,081 25,123 38,958 18.5 7.2 11.2 -3.2 2.27
1989 3,487,000 66,692 25,987 40,705 19.1 7.4 11.6 -3.1 2.36
1990 3,518,000 66,565 26,138 40,407 18.9 7.4 11.5 -2.7 2.35
1991 3,552,000 64,498 26,321 38,177 18.2 7.4 10.7 -1.2 2.20
1992 3,587,000 64,471 27,389 37,082 18.0 7.6 10.3 -0.2 2.18
1993 3,623,000 65,258 28,493 36,765 18.0 7.9 10.1 -1.2 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 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 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 −2,207 8.3 8.7 −0.4 -17.5 1.24
2017 3,337,000 23,582 30,977 −7,395 7.3 9.3 −2.0 -19.5 1.10
2018 3,193,354 21,424 29,109 −7,685 6.7 9.1 −2.4 -40.7 1.04
2019 3,193,694 20,409 29,638 -9,229 6.4 9.3 −2.9 3.0 0.98
2020 3,285,874 18,933 31,679 -12,746 5.8 9.6 −3.8 32.9 0.92
2021 3,263,584 18,833 33,001 -14,168 5.9 10.1 -4.2 -2.5 0.91
2022 3,221,789 19,112 35,466 -16,354 5.9 10.9 -5.0 -7.8 0.91
2023 3,205,691 18,641 34,253 -15,612 5.8 10.7 -4.9

Current vital statistics

[edit]

[16]

Period Live births Deaths Natural increase
January - March 2023 4,506 8,842 -4,336
January - March 2024 4,427 8,506 -4,079
Difference Decrease -79 (-1.75%) Positive decrease -336 (-3.80%) Increase +257

Structure of the population

[edit]
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.):[17]
Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 1 755 479 1 911 605 3 667 084 100
0–4 107 000 102 597 209 597 5.72
5–9 116 188 109 665 225 853 6.16
10–14 129 722 123 006 252 728 6.89
15–19 138 646 132 250 270 896 7.39
20–24 134 894 131 768 266 662 7.27
25–29 112 981 117 257 230 238 6.28
30–34 115 030 125 281 240 311 6.55
35–39 111 971 121 837 233 808 6.38
40–44 113 223 123 276 236 499 6.45
45–49 114 114 129 441 243 555 6.64
50–54 109 550 127 211 236 761 6.46
55–59 103 031 123 108 226 139 6.17
60–64 96 256 115 745 212 001 5.78
65–69 86 858 104 308 191 166 5.21
70–74 64 745 79 593 144 338 3.94
75–79 46 652 60 431 107 083 2.92
80–84 29 398 41 911 71 309 1.94
85+ 25 220 42 290 68 140 1.86
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 352 910 335 268 688 178 18.77
15–64 1 149 696 1 247 174 2 396 870 65.36
65+ 252 873 329 163 582 036 15.87
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2019) (Including armed forces stationed in the area. Post-censal estimates.): [18]
Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 1 515 721 1 677 973 3 193 694 100
0–4 60 020 57 462 117 482 3.68
5–9 79 847 77 814 157 661 4.94
10–14 92 917 89 847 182 764 5.72
15–19 103 020 98 596 201 616 6.31
20–24 109 920 106 565 216 485 6.78
25–29 109 775 110 150 219 925 6.89
30–34 89 738 95 503 185 241 5.80
35–39 89 257 100 245 189 502 5.93
40–44 94 166 104 715 198 881 6.23
45–49 96 796 107 356 204 152 6.39
50–54 98 923 112 980 211 903 6.64
55–59 100 375 118 921 219 296 6.87
60–64 95 717 113 413 209 130 6.55
65-69 85 684 104 249 189 933 5.95
70-74 79 286 97 271 176 557 5.53
75-79 57 755 73 571 131 326 4.11
80-84 38 724 51 920 90 644 2.84
85+ 33 801 57 395 91 196 2.86
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 232 784 225 123 457 907 14.34
15–64 987 687 1 068 444 2 056 131 64.38
65+ 295 250 384 406 679 656 21.28

Life expectancy

[edit]
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[19]

Race and ethnic group

[edit]
Racial composition of the Puerto Rican
population, by the census, 1802–2020[20][21][22][23][24]
Year White% Non-White%
1802 42.0 58.0
1812 40.8 59.2
1820 39.4 60.6
1830 45.1 54.9
1877 52.3 47.7
1887 53.5 46.5
1897 64.3 35.7
1899 61.8 38.2
1910 64.5 35.5
1920 72.0 28.0
1930 73.3 26.7
1935 75.2 24.8
1940 76.0 24.0
1950 79.7 20.3
2000 80.5 19.5
2010 75.8 24.2
2020 17.1 82.9

Race and ethnicity

[edit]

Background

[edit]

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.[25]

A strong European immigration wave and large importation of slaves from Africa helped increase the population of Puerto Rico sixfold during the 19th century. No major immigration wave occurred during the 20th century.[26]

The federal 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, 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. 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 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.

Censuses

[edit]

The first 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.[27]

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".[28]

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.[21]

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:[29]

  • 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 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]

Genetic studies

[edit]

Puerto Ricans, on average, have genetic contributions from Europeans, West Africans, and Native Americans of approximately 66%, 18%, and 16%, respectively.[31] A recent study of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from 800 individuals found that patrilineal input, as indicated by the Y-chromosome,[clarification needed] 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.[32][failed verification]

Non-Hispanic population

[edit]

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 (10.8%), Vieques (8.0%), Rincón (5.1%), Dorado (3.4%), Luquillo (2.9%), San Juan (2.2%) Guaynabo (2.1%) and Humacao (2.0%).[33]

Women in the diaspora

[edit]

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.[34]

Religion

[edit]

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):[35]

Pew Research Center (2010)[35]

  Catholic (69.7%)
  Protestant (25.1%)
  Other Christian (1.9%)
  Other (1.4%)
  Irreligious (1.9%)

Christians

[edit]

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:[36]


Denomination Adherents
Catholic 1,650,000
Other Pentecostal 229,814
Pentecostal Church of God 100,000
Assemblies of God 56,000
Baptist Convention 35,000
Seventh-day Adventist 31,524
Jehovah's Witnesses 25,778
Church of God (Cleveland) 17,500
Defenders of the Faith 17,500
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 16,084
Disciples of Christ 10,778
United Methodist 10,000
Boriquen Presby Synod 8,300
Christian and Missionary Alliance 6,500
Church of the Nazarene 2,994
Other 130,400

Catholics

[edit]

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.[37] This religion was brought by Spanish colonists. The first dioceses in the Americas, including that of Puerto Rico, were authorized by Pope Julius II in 1511.[37] One Pope, John Paul II, visited Puerto Rico in October 1984. All 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.)[38]

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.[39]

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

[edit]

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 Holy Trinity Anglican Church, which was established in 1872 and served the British expatriate community in Ponce.[40] 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.[41] This was the first non-Catholic church in the Spanish Empire in the Americas.[42][43]

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

[edit]

In 2007, there were over 5,000 Muslims in Puerto Rico, representing about 0.13% of the population.[44][45] There are eight Islamic mosques spread throughout the island, with most Muslims living in Río Piedras.[46][47] Puerto Rican converts to Islam continue to occur.[48] "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".[49] 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.[49] Islam was brought into Puerto Rico mainly via the Palestinian migration of the 1950s and '60s.[50] 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".[51]

Jews

[edit]

Puerto Rico is also home to the largest Jewish community in the Caribbean, with 3,000 Jewish inhabitants.[52] Some Puerto Ricans have converted, not only as individuals but as entire families. Puerto Rico is the only Caribbean island in which the Conservative, Reform and Orthodox Jewish movements are represented.[7][53]

Other religious practices

[edit]

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.[54] This trend accelerated among the Puerto Rican community in the mainland United States in the 1960s.[55] In the 2010 U.S. census, 9,399 people are identified as "Taíno."[56]

Various African religious practices have been present since the arrival of enslaved Africans. In particular, the Yoruba beliefs of Santería and/or Ifá, and the Kongo-derived Palo Mayombe (sometimes called an African belief system, but rather a way of Bantu lifestyle of Congo origin) find adherence among the few individuals who practice some form of African traditional religion.

Demographic statistics

[edit]
Demographics of Puerto Rico, Data of Our World in Data, year 2022; Number of inhabitants in millions.

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook unless otherwise indicated.

Population in 2020:

Population in 2016:

Gender:[59]

  • Men: 1,785,171
  • Women: 1,940,618

Age structure:

  • 0–17 years:
    • 24.2% (903,295)
  • 18–24 years:
    • 10.1% (375,175)
  • 25–34 years:
    • 13.2% (492,332)
  • 35–49 years:
    • 19.6% (731,514)
  • 50–64 years:
    • 18.3% (681,505)
  • 65 years and over:
    • 14.6% (541,998)

Infant mortality rate:

  • Total
    • 8.23 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male
    • Deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female
    • 7.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

  • Total population:
    • 78.77 years
  • Male:
    • 75.15 years
  • Female:
    • 82.57 years (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate:

  • 0.91 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Nationality:[60]

  • Noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)
  • Adjective: Puerto Rican

Ethnic Groups (2020):[60]

Religions:[35]

Languages:[60]

  • Spanish (main language)
  • English

Median Household Income:[58]

  • $19,350 (2015 est.)

Individuals below the poverty level:[58]

  • 45.5% (2015 est.)

Education, high school graduate or higher:[58]

  • 73% (2015 est.)

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Puerto Rico Population History, 1765–2000". Welcome.topuertorico.org. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  2. ^ "Resident Population Data". Census. US: Government. 2010. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  3. ^ "World Population Clock: 7.9 Billion People (2021) - Worldometer".
  4. ^ a b c Taus-Bolstad, Stacy (January 1, 2005). Puerto Ricans in America. Lerner Publications Co. ISBN 9780822539537. OCLC 54046670 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "Puerto Rico – History and Heritage". Smithsonianmag.com. Smithson Institution. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  6. ^ Brown, Monica (January 1, 2002). Gang nation : delinquent citizens in Puerto Rican, Chicano, and Chicana narratives. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0816634785. OCLC 48649774.
  7. ^ a b "Puerto Rico Virtual Jewish History Tour". Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  8. ^ a b c d "Detailed Races and Ethnicities in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2020 Census". census.gov. September 21, 2023.
  9. ^ "The Other Border: Puerto Rico's Seas". Latino USA. March 28, 2014.
  10. ^ "Portadilla de Revista" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 25, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  11. ^ https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?text=Decennial+census&t=Race+and+Ethnicity&g=040XX00US72 [bare URL]
  12. ^ B.R. Mitchell. International historical statistics: the Americas, 1750–2000.
  13. ^ "United Nations Statistics Division – Demographic and Social Statistics". Unstats.un.org. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  14. ^ "Redirect - NVSS - Homepage". Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
  15. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ "Vital Statistics Rapid Release – State and National Provisional Counts". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. October 21, 2022.
  17. ^ "United Nations Statistics Division – Demographic and Social Statistics". Unstats.un.org. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  18. ^ "UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics". unstats.un.org. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  19. ^ "World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations". Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
  20. ^ "Puerto Rico's History on race" (PDF). Ssc.wisc.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  21. ^ a b "Department of Literatures in English | Department of Literatures in English | the University of the West Indies at Mona, Jamaica". www.mona.uwi.edu. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  22. ^ "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency". Cia.gov. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  23. ^ 2010.census.gov Archived March 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  24. ^ "Racial Amnesia". March 3, 2016. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  25. ^ Not of Pure Blood. Jay Kinsbruner. Duke University Press. 1996. Page 22. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  26. ^ "Mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals substantial Native American ancestry in Puerto Rico Human Biology – Find Articles". June 8, 2007. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  27. ^ Office of the Secretary (1905). Register of Porto Rico. Office of the Secretary. p. 8. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
  28. ^ "How Puerto Rico became white" (PDF). Ssc.wisc.edu. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  29. ^ "Race and Hispanic Origin, Puerto Rico". US Census. US Department of Commerce. 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  30. ^ "Ethnicity 2000 census" (PDF). Topuertorico.org. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  31. ^ Tang, H; Choudhry, S; Mei, R; Morgan, M; Rodriguez-Cintron, W; Burchard, EG; Risch, NJ (2007). "Recent genetic selection in the ancestral admixture of Puerto Ricans". Am. J. Hum. Genet. 81 (3): 626–33. doi:10.1086/520769. PMC 1950843. PMID 17701908.
  32. ^ Martínez Cruzado, Juan C. (2002). Lynne Guitar (ed.). "The Use of Mitochondrial DNA to Discover Pre-Columbian Migrations to the Caribbean: Results for Puerto Rico and Expectations for the Dominican Republic" (PDF). KACIKE: The Journal of Caribbean Amerindian History and Anthropology (Special Issue). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 22, 2004. Retrieved September 25, 2006.
  33. ^ "Puerto Rico Population Declined 11.8% from 2010 to 2020".
  34. ^ 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: "ODR Forum Upload :: Login" (PDF). Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved March 30, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) [Date of access: May 30, 2008]
  35. ^ a b c "Demography – Puerto Rico". Pew Research. Pew Research, DC. January 2017. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  36. ^ Denominations Retrieved June 9, 2009. Archived January 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  37. ^ a b Jones, W.A. (1911). "Porto Rico" . Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 12.
  38. ^ "Catholic Church and Puerto Rico officials at odds in widening sex abuse investigation". Fox News. Associated Press. March 12, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  39. ^ "Puerto Rico – People and Society". CIA Library. CIA. 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2017. Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15%
  40. ^ "Sobre Nosotros". Episcopalpr.org. Archived from the original on March 17, 2010. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  41. ^ "Religion in Puerto Rico – By Puerto Rico Channel". Puertorico.com. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  42. ^ Luis Fortuño Janeiro. Album Histórico de Ponce (1692–1963). Page 165. Ponce, Puerto Rico: Imprenta Fortuño. 1963.
  43. ^ "La presencia Germanica en Puerto Rico". Preb.com. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  44. ^ Institute of Islamic Information and Education: Number of Muslims and Percentage in Puerto Rico Retrieved June 11, 2009. Corrected October 6, 2009.
  45. ^ Percent Puerto Rican population that are Muslims Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  46. ^ Muslim mosques in Puerto Rico Archived August 5, 2012, at archive.today Retrieved June 8, 2009.
  47. ^ "Saudi Aramco World : Muslims in the Caribbean". Saudiaramcoworld.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  48. ^ "Puerto Rican Converts". Discoveringislam.org. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  49. ^ a b Reshaping One Nation Under God Retrieved June 8, 2009. Archived May 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  50. ^ Palestinian migration Retrieved June 8, 2009. Archived October 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  51. ^ "IslamWeb - Muslims in the Caribbean". Archived from the original on October 23, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
  52. ^ "The Jewish Palate: The Jews of Puerto Rico". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  53. ^ "Luxner – Articles". Luxner.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2005. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  54. ^ "Taíno: Indigenous Caribbeans – Black History Month 2017". Black History Month 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  55. ^ Alexandra Aikhenvald (2012) Languages of the Amazon, Oxford University Press
  56. ^ "American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2010 (CPH-T-6)". Census.gov. Census bureau. 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  57. ^ "Population Estimates, Population Change, and Components of Change". US Census. January 12, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2016. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016 (NST-EST2016-01)
  58. ^ a b c d "U.S. Census website". US Census. Department of Commerce. 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  59. ^ "2006 Survey Archived June 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  60. ^ a b c "Central America and Caribbean :: PUERTO RICO". CIA The World Factbook. June 22, 2022.

Bibliography

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